| Name | Arnold von Berkley |
| Species | Human |
| Hidden Species | ?????? ???? |
| Level | 60 |
| Class | Bearer (Unique Grace) |
| Strength | A(SSS)/155(5000+) |
| Agility | A(SSS)/222(5000+) |
| Defense | A(SSS)153(5000+) |
| Dexterity | SS/1670 |
| Aura Power | SSS(EX)/4500(5000+) |
| Star Points (Inefficient for Star Shop) | 0 |
Jotungar is the realm of giants in the Star Fantasy universe. More realm names will be mentioned in the future.SS Chapter 15 Part 3: Overpowered Arnold was standing in front of Breuk, who was sitting on the ground shirtless, a golden energy seeping from his body. The sweat on his face and upper body and the frowning expression he wore told others of his focused concentration. Arnold could¡¯ve killed Breuk in a thousand different ways if this were a real fight. Upon using Warrior Sense, Arnold noticed a large amount of Ki was building up in Breuk¡¯s three dandians. They were becoming thicker with each stream of Ki being sent through his meridians. Whatever he was about to unleash was going to be huge. It felt a little unstable but Arnold couldn¡¯t pinpoint why. Maybe Sebas would¡¯ve been able to say exactly what was wrong. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Nova attacking Breuk?¡± a person from the audience said out loud. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe he wants to see Breuk¡¯s martial art?¡± ¡°But he¡¯s never showed it to anyone before.¡± ¡°I heard a rumor that he¡¯s from the disbanded Mountain Sect. I can¡¯t remember what martial art they use though¡¡± ¡°If that¡¯s true, that must be why he¡¯s so huge. No other sect produces these kinds of giant warriors.¡± ¡°¡ªAre you finally going to show the empire what martial arts you use?¡± Arnold sat down on the spot, ¡°They seem interested in it as much as I am.¡± ¡°¡¡± Breuk continued staring at him as the sweat dripped from his face. He was wondering why his opponent wasn¡¯t attacking but decided to take the opportunity to build up his strength. A low-levelled martial would suffocate sitting this close to Breuk since the Ki coming from his body was like poison to one¡¯s lungs. He was pushing out all the impure Ki to make room for pure Ki. Not every martial has to do this to fight as full strength, only the ones that have martial skills that require a lot of Ki or aura. Since his martial art was a direct derivation of a pure martial art, he¡¯d need insane amounts of Ki just to maintain its basic stances. Arnold was familiar with this martial art because Bardolt used it. It was an incredibly powerful but unstable martial art. The gimmick behind this martial art was: the heavier you are, the harder you punch. In theory, the martial god who created this martial art could become as heavy as a black hole and his punch could shatter everything several million lightyears across. Naturally, this kind of power posed a significant risk to all inhabitants of the nine realms and sentient beings outside of it. There was no way to control the amount of power in your punch the moment your mass reaches a certain level you¡¯re used to. This is why the Death God despises martial artists and the Martial Gods¡ªlike magic, martial arts have an infinite number of possibilities but is most likely to be more unstable than magic due to one¡¯s body being used to control the power, unlike magicians who use their minds and mana. ¡°¡¡± Breuk suddenly stood up. Overwhelming strength was overflowing from his body. He was twice Arnold¡¯s size and looked like an adult towering over a child. He lifted his arm and balled his hand into a fist. It was slow, not because he was doing it deliberately but because his Ki had become so heavy that moving became difficult. He swung down! The ground under Arnold caved it and a rumble followed when his fist connected with Arnold¡¯s¡ª Hand? ¡°Tch!¡± his fist was caught quite easily, making him click his tongue and use his other fist. Arnold sank deeper into the arena floor but barely flinched at Breuk¡¯s fully-powered attacks. It didn¡¯t matter how much strength Breuk put into his muscles, his opponent barely budged. Impossible. Impossible! ¡°Haaaaah!¡± Breuk tried to kick Arnold in the stomach but that kick touched empty air. He was suddenly hit in the side of the head and crashed into the arena floor, his face buried. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll have a better chance with your weapon.¡± After walking over to Breuk¡¯s war hammer, Arnold picked it up and threw it over at him. it was so heavy that the floor under it collapsed after landing. Rage consumed Breuk and he grabbed his weapon before charging at Arnold and trying to land another blow. He had to end this quickly. He was much too slow in this state so short, powerful blows are all that he can manage. Using the sharp end of his war hammer, he slammed it down on Arnold who parried it easily. The shockwave was sent up Breuk¡¯s arm almost making him drop the weapon. But he didn¡¯t give up. ¡°!!¡± he used both hands to grip his weapon before slamming it down again with all his strength. Yet again it was parried and a powerful shockwave went up his arm. It was absolutely ridiculous how much of a disparity there was between the two of them. Breuk was fighting with his all but Arnold wasn¡¯t even using his energy or martial art yet. The audience was silent, watching the exchange in bewilderment. ¡°Guh!¡± a blow landed on Breuk¡¯s stomach, sending him flying back along with his weapon. He clutched his stomach and groaned. ¡°This does not feel like a victory.¡± Arnold walked over to Breuk¡¯s weapon that was standing upright nearby. He picked it up before throwing it at Breuk for a second time, ¡°Fight me like you want to kill me. Your blows are weak.¡± ¡°!!!¡¯ Breuk roared, his blood rising from his throat and splattering everywhere. A powerful shockwave erupted from his body when he grabbed his war hammer. His ferocious killing intent threatened to crush Arnold who was calm throughout the whole exchange. Of course, this calmness was just a front. He wanted to crush Breuk. To break every bone in his body. To teach him that he is beneath Endgame ¡°Martial God Candidate¡± Arnold von Berkley. But this was a fight he was looking forward to. He won¡¯t be satisfied with anything less. Arnold activated his own martial arts¡ª [Flow of the Tide] Blue energy surrounded his body like a wave twisting around a tornado. Blue veins spread all over his body and his eyes shined in a light blue radiance. In contrast, a golden tide of energy surrounded Breuk¡¯s body trying to clash with Arnold¡¯s more chaotic energy. The people in the crowd could tell from the look on his face that he wasn¡¯t confident in beating this monster but he wasn¡¯t going to give up. A martial giving up his dignity to run away is frowned down upon. For Mian Xi, no one batted an eye because they knew why she did it but for Breuk who was proclaimed to be the strongest martial in the empire, it was a disgrace. ¡°Graaaaahhhh!¡± he roared as he jumped, holding up his War Hammer with both hands. The ground beneath him shattered and debris shot up. His shadow was like a meteor plummeting to the ground. A deafening boom echoed through the arena as their weapons clashed, the impact sending shockwaves rippling through the air. Breuk¡¯s full strength bore down on Arnold, yet Arnold met it with a single arm, effortlessly deflecting the attack, staying calm throughout the exchange. His sheer physical dominance was undeniable, and Breuk''s expression twisted in frustration as his arm was thrown back. Aiming for a diagonal slash, Breuk twisted his body from the back to the side and sent his all into that blow. However, the attack went right through Arnold¡ªno, it seemed as if he disappeared for a moment and appeared the next. ¡°!!¡¯ Roaring again like a madman, Breuk did a full spin and did a downward slash, ¡°Gck!?¡± Arnold expertly moved through his attack like a leaf that could not be grabbed, aiming for Breuk¡¯s wrist. But he managed to twist his forearm so that the attack hit his gauntlet instead. Noticing the smug smirk on his opponent¡¯s face, Breuk grunted, but his determination undeterred. He was well aware he could¡¯ve been cut down if his opponent wasn¡¯t holding back. But there was no use thinking so hard on it. He slammed his foot into the ground, shattering the arena floor. Cracks snaked out in all directions, leaving jagged, unstable terrain that threatened to tip the balance of the fight. Arnold leapt into the air, avoiding the broken ground below. As he rose, his shadow lengthened unnaturally, overtaken by a massive one that loomed across the arena. His eyes darted upward, catching a glimpse of Breuk¡¯s form accelerating toward him with shocking speed. ¡°Even after increasing your mass, you can still move this quic¡ª¡± Arnold¡¯s words were cut short as Breuk¡¯s weapon came crashing down. He raised his arm just in time to block, but the force hurled him backward. His body slammed into the arena¡¯s barrier, which shimmered like fragile glass but held firm. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Arnold straightened, summoning an Aether Shield with a fluid motion. The shimmering energy surrounded him, its radiance contrasting sharply with the dark arena. But Breuk was relentless. He followed through immediately, bounding toward Arnold like a beast refusing to relent. Arnold countered with a burst of power, conjuring fifty glowing Aether arrows. Each one hovered for a moment before shooting toward Breuk in rapid succession. ¡°!¡± Breuk twisted in mid-air, letting some arrows graze his armor while others pierced his body. Despite the damage, he barely faltered, his eyes burning with determination. As he descended, he swung his weapon in a wide arc, the sheer velocity creating a cutting wind. Arnold met the impossible strike head-on, parrying with a calm precision that made the crowd gasp. The clang reverberated through the arena as sparks flew from their weapons. Taking advantage of Breuk¡¯s momentary imbalance, Arnold¡¯s leg shot out in a brutal kick that launched Breuk into the ruined arena floor. The ground cracked further under the impact, sending up clouds of dust and debris. A second later, Breuk emerged from the haze, his weapon discarded. Over his arm, a massive, golden, translucent fist materialized, radiating an almost divine energy. Breuk drew back his arm, the fist mimicking his movement with a weighty tension that seemed to make the air itself quiver. Without hesitation, Arnold charged forward, pulling back his own fist. Both warriors moved with unyielding purpose, their attacks colliding in a brilliant flash of raw power. The resulting shockwave shook the barrier, rattling the teeth of the onlookers and making their breaths catch. The crowd erupted in awed murmurs: ¡°A-Amazing. It¡¯s like watching gods clash in the heavens,¡± one man muttered, gripping the edge of his seat. ¡°Even the exaggerated legends of the ancient martials don¡¯t compare to this,¡± another added, his tone disbelieving. In the front row, a young boy with a wooden sword clutched it tightly, his eyes wide with wonder. ¡°I wonder if I can become as strong as Lord Nova someday!¡± he exclaimed, his voice filled with innocent hope. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sweetie,¡± his mother replied, forcing a smile to hide the impossibility of the boy¡¯s dream. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can.¡± It was said that geniuses like Nova and Breuk were only born once every century. A commoner boy from a fishing village could never attain this level of strength in a mere decade. It was unthinkable for a man who was probably in his early twenties to have reached a level beyond Celestial Saint. ¡°What do all of you think?¡± Ko looked toward the corner of the room, where half a dozen robed figures stood. The other half were in the palace, protecting his ¡°most important place¡±. They were his Inner Martials, with three being Celestial Saints, while the rest varied in strength. One replied, ¡°Your Majesty, the power displayed here far surpasses our comprehension given how young the boy is. Nova fights with a mastery that belies his youth, like a master who spent decades in the mountains doing nothing but training.¡± Another added, ¡°The ease with which he handles Breuk¡¯s ferocity... It is clear that he has not even begun to exert himself fully. Breuk, who we deem a viable candidate to join our ranks, is being treated as little more than a sparring partner.¡± ¡°I feel ashamed that I held Breuk in such high regard.¡± A third remarked. ¡ Arnold wasn¡¯t using that much physical strength at the moment because he knew he would crush Breuk instantly. He knew what Breuk¡¯s martial art could do but he didn¡¯t know what other kind of martial skills were in its skill tree. If it was anything like Sebastian¡¯s martial art, he¡¯d be left disappointed because that martial art was already overpowered even when unlocking the Fourth Finger. He had the first finger unlocked which only gave a boost in power but as mentioned before, only the third finger will unleash the martial art¡¯s full potential. In the end, he decided to see what else Breuk could do since Sebas¡¯ martial art was useless to him now that he¡¯s the strongest mortal in existence currently. Clank¡ª Their weapons connected again, and just like all the times before, Breuk felt the full brunt of Arnold¡¯s superior physical strength. The impact rattled through his arms, threatening to disarm him entirely. ¡°WHY!¡± Breuk shouted, his voice trembling with a mix of desperation and anger. Despite knowing the disparity in their power, he refused to relent. Swing after swing, his weapon lashed out, each strike heavier, more reckless. ¡°Why are you so strong!? I¡¯ve dedicated my entire life to martial arts, poured everything into perfecting my techniques as a youngin¡¯¡ªand yet!¡± Arnold parried every blow with casual ease, Luxtivin¡¯s polished edge showing not even a scratch, while Breuk¡¯s weapon chipped further with each failed strike. His weapon was close to crumbling, the strain of his relentless assault and Luxtivin¡¯s superior durability pushing it to its limits. Arnold tilted his head, his calm demeanor contrasting Breuk¡¯s fury. ¡°If this is all your martial art has to offer, then I¡¯ll end this quickly. Or better yet¡ª¡± He raised Luxtivin slightly, letting its edge glint menacingly in the light. ¡°You should forfeit. That way, you wouldn¡¯t have to endure this humiliation any longer.¡± ¡°I will not throw away my honor and run!¡± Breuk roared, his next attack carrying a ferocity far greater than before. The force behind it was desperate, wild, but also determined. Clang! Arnold sidestepped smoothly before driving his fist into Breuk¡¯s gut. The punch landed with a thunderous impact, sending Breuk flying back like a ragdoll. He crashed into the shimmering barrier surrounding the arena, sliding down to the ground, coughing violently. ¡°Keuk!¡± Arnold slowly lowered his hand, flexing his fingers as if shaking off the weight of the exchange. His gaze shifted toward Breuk, who was struggling to get back to his feet, then upward to the audience watching with bated breath. ¡°Honor,¡± Arnold repeated, his tone carrying disdain. He began walking toward Breuk, his steps deliberate, his voice rising so that all could hear. ¡°What does ¡®honor¡¯ mean to you all?¡± He stopped and spread his arms wide, addressing the crowd more than his opponent. ¡°Is it the fear of disgracing your ancestors¡ªthe ones who created the martial arts you cling to so desperately? Is it a desire to uphold your so-called integrity, even when you know it will lead to your defeat? No? Then what is it?¡± He pointed at Breuk, ¡°Could this be what honor is to you? To persevere through any humiliation and injury for the sake of your own pride? Who are you impressing exactly? Imagine dying because you fought to protect others. That¡¯s just satisfying your own pride and wanting to feel like you did something. Honor and pride go hand in hand because it makes someone stubborn. But will you persevere through that stubbornness for the sake of preserving your honor no matter how battered you are and no matter how many limbs you lose?¡± No one said anything in response. ¡°But let me tell you what honor really is.¡± He turned his gaze upward, addressing the crowd again. ¡°Honor is power. The power you wield and how you choose to use it. It¡¯s not some abstract ideal or a set of rules passed down by the dead. It¡¯s the strength to stand above others and the will to decide what that strength means.¡± Deep within his soul, he knew he was starting to sound like ¡°Endgame Arnold¡±. He shifted his focus back to Breuk, ¡°Your so-called honor has done nothing but chain you. You¡¯re bound by expectations, by tradition, by fear. That¡¯s not power¡ªit¡¯s weakness and stubbornness. Something a warrior should be ashamed by.¡± Breuk gritted his teeth, struggling to push himself up. ¡°And what of you? You think your strength alone makes you honorable!?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± He said without a moment¡¯s delay, ¡°I am powerful. More powerful that any human in these nine realms. The very fact that I¡¯m not choosing to kill you and the others I¡¯ve beaten so far means I am honorable. I do not need to bow my head to your kind. Not you nor the emperor because I am above you. Yet I still do so. That is also honor.¡± The soul from Earth would cringe hearing this stereotypical edgy line that¡¯s only ever present in manga and light novels. The people in the audience seats looked up at Ko. But the emperor seemed unperturbed to what he was saying. ¡°His Majesty was right to kill the old sects. The current generation has no idea what honor is due to their teachings. The only ones who get to decide what honor is, are the strong. You are not even close to deserving that privilege, weakling.¡± Back at the VIP room, there was an awkward atmosphere. Ko frowned, the bitterness in his heart stirring once again. His actions, born of necessity and painful choices, were dismissed as lightly as if they were mere whims. None of them understood¡ªnone of them could grasp the weight of the burden he carried. Yet, he held his tongue, his eyes fixed intently on the match unfolding before him. A storm brewed within him, but he allowed no sign of it to show. To Ko, honor meant sacrifice. To expand upon this¡ªhaving the courage to sacrifice for the sake of strength. Perhaps there isn¡¯t just one meaning depending on the martial and what they stand for. Breuk, standing opposite, trembled, his fists clenching so tightly that his knuckles whitened. The weight of those words pressed down on him, but this time, they did not break him. He is an unmovable mountain. ¡°I might have agreed with you once,¡± he said, his voice steady despite the emotions threatening to overtake him. ¡°When I was still the snot-nosed brat who sought glory before the war. But now... Strength is no longer honor to me!¡± As he spoke, a torrent of golden energy erupted from his body, swirling like a raging storm. The sheer force of his power caused the ground beneath him to crack and shatter, leaving deep fissures that spread outward like a spider¡¯s web. The arena trembled violently, and the barriers surrounding it flickered, their stability challenged by the raw energy radiating from him. Ko¡¯s eyes narrowed as he observed the spectacle. He had heard of this technique but had dismissed it as legend. ¡®The Mountainous Fist has a suicide skill. I thought that was only a rumor.¡¯ Breuk¡¯s energy surged as he raised his fists high, then brought them together with an earth-shattering roar. The collision sent shockwaves rippling through the air, shaking the very foundations of the empire. Dust and debris were thrown skyward, and the protective barriers groaned under the strain, the air itself shimmering with the aftershocks of his raw power. But this was no mere display of anger, no primitive outburst of emotion. Breuk¡¯s actions were deliberate. The moment his fists collided, all the mass and energy he wielded converged at a single point, compressing with terrifying intensity and unnerving calm. It was like a spark igniting a fire in dry timber¡ªa singularity forming in the heart of the storm. Above his hand, a tiny black marble-like object materialized, dense and ominous. [Sacrificial Black Hole Fists] Ko¡¯s downturned lips distorted further. He knew the cost of that skill. Breuk was ready to sacrifice everything¡ªhis Ki, his lifeforce, his very essence as a martial artist. The technique would not claim his life, but it would strip him of what made him who he was. To wield it was to burn away the potential for growth, to sever the path forward. It was, in every sense, a final act of desperation. In his eyes, this must¡¯ve been ¡°honor¡±. But to preserving his honor¡ªno, pride¡ªhe would prevent Ko from obtaining another powerful piece to aid him in his inevitable final clash with ¡°that being¡±. The marble hovered above his hand, spinning rapidly, its pull threatening to consume everything in its vicinity. The very air seemed to twist and distort around it, as though reality itself bent to its will. Ko¡¯s gaze flickered between Breuk and the growing black hole. For a brief moment, he felt something alien stir within him¡ªnot fear, but respect. Breuk had changed, and the boy Ko once knew was gone. In his place stood a man willing to destroy himself for what he believed in. Arnold, standing at the opposite end of the arena, remained silent, his expression unreadable. The weight of the situation was palpable, and the tension in the air grew unbearable. Everyone watching, from the highest officials to the lowliest spectators, held their breath. ¡°¡ªYou¡¯ve displayed your honor yet you cannot tell me exactly what it is.¡± A voice came from right in front of Breuk. ¡°¡ªHuh?¡± Breuk looked at Arnold¡¯s hand that was trapping the black hole, blankly. That mass ball of destruction that could kill thousands in a heartbeat¡ No way. ¡°You were about to sacrifice your life just to defeat me?¡± Arnold beckoned behind Breuk. Breuk turned around and looked at the person standing behind him, the touch of death on his neck. It was the Emperor Ko Johun, his hand targeting Breuk¡¯s neck in a striking position, ready to end him. ¡®This boy¡ He appeared in front of Breuk before I did.¡¯ Without struggle or fear, Arnold crushed the black hole that was about to consume this entire empire just because of the rashness of a giant brute. There was no need for him to step in but to have such a powerful martial with potential get killed would be a waste. Sebastian might be able to teach this guy a thing or two about perfecting his martial arts and what ¡°honor¡± is. Breuk fell to his knees with a blank expression. He was ready to put his martial potential on the line all for the sake of defeating this impossible monster. Even though he was sitting on his knees, his opponent was standing at eye-level but when looking at his opponent, it felt like he was looking up at a towering martial god that just taught an arrogant mortal a lesson with ease. When looking at the hand that crushed that skill, there was only a burned mark on his palm. ¡°Now then¡ª¡± Arnold pointed Luxtivin at Breuk¡¯s neck, ¡°Do you yield?¡± SS Chapter 16: Clone The tournament came to a close and Arnold was invited to the VIP room where the nobles had been spectating the fights. Their conversations weren¡¯t that long since they left the room soon after with Arnold in tow. The Emperor also left alongside them. Since Lian was held up in the palace, Kairi decided this morning to come watch the final match with her best friend. Arnold¡¯s overwhelming power was something she thought she expected but was still left dumbfounded. Breuk had crushed all his opponents so far using brute force alone and was never pushed to a point where he needed to rely on his martial art since he was the strongest known martial in the Zhurosan Empire. That kind of man was pushed to his absolute full power. In comparison, Arnold didn¡¯t use any martial skills at all, only his swordsmanship enhanced by his martial art. The black orb that Breuk was going to use on Arnold was something Kairi recognized. In fact, one of the clan elders from a few centuries ago fought someone from Breuk¡¯s sect over some feud, which resulted in both their deaths in the end. The black orb swallowed up a whole forest, sparking fear of that powerful technique amongst the other sects. Breuk was from the now disbanded Mountain Sect that chose to go their separate ways in the early days of the war. Had they not done so, the other powerful sects may have put them on the frontlines. They had an alliance with those sects and received benefits from that alliance. However, in the face of a powerful adversary they knew they could not defeat even with their pride¡ªKo Johun¡ªthey chose to cower. Kairi¡¯s sect fought in the war even though they were one of the weakest clans among the old sects. Their sect leader used to serve the emperor from two generations ago with the leader of the Mountain sect. What right does a man from that kind of sect have to decide what honor is? Admittedly, even Kairi couldn¡¯t answer the question: what is honor. Maybe it¡¯s because she had never been in a fight where she needed to put her honor on the line. ¡®She¡¯s just standing there.¡¯ Liwei came up to her friend who was staring out the window blankly. She didn¡¯t realize Liwei was back from the toilet. ¡°¡ªKairi?¡± her friend, Liwei, called out to her, ¡°I¡¯m back. thanks for waiting. Shall we go wait for Lord Arnold? I feel kind of useless right now as an attendant without being by his side¡¡± Coming to her senses now, Kairi noticed most of the people had left the coliseum halls even though it was so packed just five minutes ago. They¡¯re probably crowding the reception area and outside entrance, waiting for ¡°Nova¡± to come out. It seems the villagers who accompanied them were doing the same thing since they also weren¡¯t anywhere in sight. Kairi and Liwei soon continued their way down the hall. It seems sometime after Liwei ran off to the toilet, Kairi fell into some daze as she recalled her days in the sect fighting with her fellow juniors. Back in those days, she was considered the strongest among them. The village elders told her once at a meeting that she was the future of the sect. A few days after she heard those words, however, the villages under their sect were destroyed. She will never forget the face of the man who caused it¡ªKo Johun, whose red hair flowed like the scorching fires that destroyed everything she once loved. The though of revenge never surfaced in her mind because she knew she was too weak to challenge someone common folk worship as a Martial God ¡°candidate¡±. He was a man who could part the sea with the force of his punches alone, topple trees with a single deep breath and make the mountains shiver with a war cry. She was fortunate enough to find herself as part of a revolution that wants to challenge such a man. But all she could do so far was support them on the sidelines while she continued training in hopes she could achieve strength that will allow her to just cut off a few strands of Ko¡¯s hair without getting obliterated instantly. ¡°Hey, Kairi, do you think Lord Arnold will take us as concubines if we seduce him?¡± Liwei chatted on, her outgoing energy a contrast to Kairi¡¯s bitter thoughts. Others¡¯ mood rubs off on Liwei easily so it¡¯s best to keep her thoughts inside. ¡°He is clearly from another nation and won¡¯t stay. Meanwhile you have a family here and you¡¯re still too young.¡± ¡°Ugh, he probably has a bunch of older, more attractive women waiting for him back home.¡± She spoke on as if she didn¡¯t hear her friend, ¡°Their chests are probably suuuuper big and their hips are way more seductive and wider than mine¡¡± ¡°You¡¯re still young so there¡¯s room left to grow.¡± To be honest, she was also looking forward to getting married to a strong young martial, someone who comes from a powerful family with an army she could use. This was selfish of her but her dream of having a family comes second for now¡ªas long as Ko Johun lives, that is. ¡°¡ªKairi. Liwei.¡± A young man called out to the two of them just as they were about to turn a corner. Looking at the source, they met with the familiar silver-haired man who took this whole empire by surprise with his overwhelming strength. ¡°Lord Arnold! We thought you needed to speak with the nobles! What happened?¡± Liwei ran up to him like a puppy to its owner, her eyes sparkling and cheeks flushed. Arnold was wearing different clothing now¡ªa black shirt and pants paired with a matching coat. The dark ensemble sharply contrasted with his radiant golden eyes and silver-white hair, making him appear both imposing and ethereal. ¡°They were starting to get on my nerves,¡± Arnold said, his tone laced with irritation. ¡°I told them we could discuss any business at the banquet. Claimed I was tired and needed rest, which they accepted. But then they insisted on offering me rooms at their estates. Naturally, I declined.¡± Despite his words, Arnold showed no signs of exhaustion or injury. If Breuk saw this unperturbed attitude, he would feel a deep sense of shame. How could he ever face his younger brother, Dreum¡ªthe sibling he¡¯d scorned for being the weakest among them while he lay in a hospital room? Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°I¡¯m heading back to my room. There¡¯s something I need you two to handle for me, but this isn¡¯t the place to talk.¡± ¡°Of course! I was starting to get bored not doing my duties as a servant!¡± Liwei responded with an eager salute, her enthusiasm almost comical. Kairi couldn¡¯t help but think wryly, ¡®Why are you so excited about running errands? Is it because it¡¯s Lord Arnold giving the orders?¡¯ The trio moved discreetly through the halls, avoiding the crowd still searching for Arnold. When they finally reached his assigned room, Kairi felt an uncharacteristic awkwardness. How must they have looked to the few who noticed their group? Two vibrant young women¡ªboth virgins¡ªtrailing behind the tournament champion. It wouldn¡¯t be far-fetched for people to assume they were there for more than just errands. After all, it wasn¡¯t uncommon for victorious fighters to enjoy such attention after a tournament. Shaking off the thought, Kairi softly slapped her cheeks. ¡®Get your mind out of the gutter.¡¯ Meanwhile, Liwei seemed lost in her own musings, looking at Arnold¡¯s perfect sculpted face with a glimmer in her eyes. She was dangerously close to blurting out a scandalous proposition but managed to restrain herself. Once the door shut, Arnold wasted no time summoning Luxtivin. ¡°I need you two to relay a message to Lian. I¡¯m planning to seek out that Mian woman first and then look for Rasuke and Kohana.¡± Kairi and Liwei exchanged glances but remained focused as Arnold continued. ¡®The bodies of the soldiers who attacked us outside the city have been located in the morgue so all we need to do is strip them of their clothes. When the time comes, my illusions will wear those uniforms.¡¯ Then they¡¯ll fight the city guards to make it seem like an invasion. Liwei asked, ¡°What do we tell Lady Lian?¡± ¡°If she sees me again, she should expect it to be my clone. She already knows tt will act as me while I take care of other matters. If it needs guidance, tell Lian to teach it how to behave.¡± Arnold¡¯s words carried an edge of caution, recalling the system¡¯s warning and taking it seriously only now. ¡°She¡¯ll need to monitor it closely and since I¡¯m supposed to be her slave people will expect us to stick together tonight and tomorrow for the banquet.¡± The girls nodded in unison. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll begin the process.¡± Arnold held Luxtivin up to the ceiling, its purple glow pulsating faintly as if aware of his intent. The room grew quieter, the ambient noise from the hall fading into the background. ¡°Luxtivin,¡± Arnold said, his voice low but commanding. ¡°Take my form.¡± There was probably no reason to say anything since Luxtivin already knows his intentions before he voices them. The sword shimmered in response, its light intensifying until it filled the room with a radiant brilliance. Kairi and Liwei shielded their eyes from the blinding glow as the sword began to morph. The blade twisted and stretched, reshaping itself into a humanoid figure. Slowly, the light dimmed, revealing a perfect replica of Arnold. The only problem was that it was¡ naked. ¡°Kyaak! Put on some clothes!¡± Kairi shrieked and hurriedly turned around when she noticed this. ¡°¡¡± Liwei on the other hand touched her belly as she imagined something lewd. Arnold sighed and pulled out one of his spare uniforms and threw it on the bed. He then threw a towel at the clone. Knowing why he did that, it put the towel around its waist silently. Liwei looked sad for some reason. The clone stood tall, its silver-white hair and golden eyes mirrored Arnold¡¯s, down to the faintest detail. ¡°It looks like there¡¯s no abnormalities in the clone.¡± He thought out loud as he studied it up and down. He never saw his body from this perspective before. He was incredibly muscular and had enough body mass to retain his thick arms and abs. Without a word of warning, Arnold threw a punch at the clone. When it evaded that punch easily, he sent even more. His fists became a blur and soon he became so fast that it looked like only his arms were moving. Meanwhile the clone stood on the same spot, only throwing its head side to side. But then suddenly¡ª ¡°!¡± it caught his hand easily. That blow was way more powerful than the punches his threw at Breuk earlier today. ¡°Ahhh!¡± a powerful shockwave pushed Liwei and Kairi back. One of the cupboards fell down from the same shockwave and the room vibrated for a moment. ¡®It really is a perfect copy of me.¡¯ He pulled back his arm and straightened out his black coat. ¡°Looks like I was worried over nothing.¡± He shrugged, mildly surprised that it worked the first time. It felt dissimilar to summoning his AI hologram. Just like the AI, he couldn¡¯t sense the clone but could feel its presence. ¡°Uhm, it¡¯s like I¡¯m seeing double now.¡± Said Liwei as she squinted while looking at the clone¡¯s face. Even the bangs were the same. Arnold snapped his fingers in front of the clone, catching its attention, ¡°You¡¯ll attend the banquet in my place,¡± he instructed, again an unnecessary thing but something he did regardless. ¡°Behave as I would. Keep interactions brief if you cannot handle a conversation as how I would. Lian will provide further guidance if needed.¡± The clone nodded once, its movements unnervingly fluid. ¡°Understood,¡± it said, its voice an exact match to Arnold¡¯s. Kairi hesitated before speaking. ¡°Are you sure this¡ thing won¡¯t act out of line? What if it does something to blow your cover?¡± ¡°It won¡¯t. Luxtivin is bound to me. It acts on my will and nothing else. It will do what I would do.¡± Liwei, ever the optimist, grinned. ¡°Well, if it does anything strange, we¡¯ll have to whip it into shape. Right, Kairi?¡± Kairi shook her head with a sigh, ¡°That doesn¡¯t exactly fill me with confidence. You know of the story about the clone demon a noble summoned that took over his entire legacy after killing him, ignoring its original orders. This could end up the same.¡± Arnold didn¡¯t pay attention to their exchange and addressed the clone again. ¡°You¡¯ll remain here for the time being. Wait until night before heading out since I said I¡¯d be resting. An entourage should come here to escort you later.¡± The clone nodded, its gaze steady. Turning back to Kairi and Liwei, Arnold spoke again, ¡°The two of you may do as you like for now but head over to the palace before the palace guards come to pick me up.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The two said in unison. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading off then.¡± He walked over to the window and opened it. Kairi was about to ask what he was going to do but then she remembered the last time he used the window and kept silent. The horde waiting outside will definitely jump him once he leaves through the door. He leapt and looked as if he was flying through the air. Landing on a rooftop across the street, he then jumped off into the alleys. Kairi and Liwei turned to the clone that was motionlessly standing in the room. The latter gulped for some reason and awkwardly looked at her friend, ¡°D-Do you think Lord Arnold will get the clone¡¯s memories of what it sees and does after it turns back into a sword?¡± Why is she blushing? ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it, Liwei.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to do anything!¡± Kairi turned away from her squirming friend and looked at the silent clone that didn¡¯t even look like it was breathing. Its face was completely blank and it eyes devoid of light. ¡°Creepy,¡± she muttered under her breath. It was certainly not human and did not give off the air of one either. Yet it was given a human form. Hopefully nothing bad happens, she thought to herself. SS Chapter 17 Part 1: Yokai ¡°Bartender, I told yer to bring me the strongest liquor yer have!¡± a woman¡¯s frustrated voice echoed in the tavern that was bustling and filled with people even this early in the day. Said woman was a tall beauty wearing a very risqu¨¦ dress that could barely contain her cleavage. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry for disappointing you, Milady but the Fragrant Virgin wine is the strongest we have at the moment¡ And you drank four bottles of it already¡ If it would please you, I can arrange a carriage to take you to one of the establishments in the upper city that sell a stronger¡ª¡± ¡°Tch, ai¡¯m s¡¯posed to travel all a way to da upper city just to get drunk!? Ye¡¯re useless!¡± ¡°Eek, I¡¯m sorry¡¡± There were several mugs and empty bottles sitting next to her but no one else at the front table so it definitely looked as if she drank all that alcohol by herself. Instead of sitting next to her to appreciate her beauty upfront, the people in the inn decided to sit nearby where they could get a good look at her backside. She had an hourglass figure many women would envy. The chair she was sitting on could barely contain her behind. On top of her gifted body, the dress she wore exuded sex appeal, showing off areas most women would feel uncomfortable exposing to so many eyes. Her back was bare all the way to her tailbone but there was a glimpse of her ¡°crack¡± if she was sitting in the right position. This woman truly did not care for onlookers. There were a few wardrobe malfunctions when she came to drink here in the past and it seems she hasn¡¯t learned her lesson. The door to the tavern opened at that moment. ¡°W-Wha¡ªIs that¡¡± the bartender suddenly froze when he was about to greet the customer. The tavern became unusually silent. The only thing Mian could here was the sound of heavy boots. It was heading straight for her. Something hit the table, right next to her. She glanced at it, noticing that it was a jug of some kind. A strong smell radiated from it. ¡°¡ªI was able to get one of the strongest liquor this city ahs to offer just at the last moment.¡± ¡°You¡?¡± hearing that voice, she turned to look at the source. Nova, who was dressed in all black. ¡°¡Hic, should yer not be at the palace?¡± ¡°I told the nobles I needed some rest and will be there tonight. It¡¯s not evening yet so I figured why not come to the tavern and get drunk?¡± ¡°Pssh¡ Hic¡¡± she shrugged off that excuse before looking at the jug of liquor, ¡°Who¡¯se is this four?¡± ¡°I brought it for you. I heard you¡¯re quite the drinker and demand only the best liquor.¡± ¡°Hmph, yer not trying to drug and rape me, are yer?¡± ¡°What kind of blunt accusation is that¡ Surely you expected me?¡± he slid the bottle of wine over to her before opening it. Its suffocating scent instantly spread even stronger than before, making Mian¡¯s nose wiggle. ¡°Tch!¡± the beauty swiped the bottle and stood up, ¡°Lesh talk in private because-cause I stick out too much in this pathetic tavern that don¡¯t even sell the best wine!¡± Mian shouted over her shoulder. Another ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡¡± echoed from somewhere, sounding disheartened but happy at the money made from the sales regardless. ** ¡°Fushaaaaaah!¡± Mian sighed in ecstasy like an old man who just got back from a long shift and drank some ale for the first time today. ¡®What kind of sound is that¡¡¯ Her legs were spread so wide that Arnold could see her lace panties. ¡°Ugh, the wine I drank at the tavern is starting to wear off. This liquor is perfect!¡± ¡°Where did that elegance you so falsely display to the people go? You¡¯re drinking straight from the bottle and getting your lipstick all over it.¡± ¡°Humph, why do I need to care about what yer think of me, huma¡ªhck! Geh, my stomach ish burning!¡± she groaned while trying to reach out to him. ¡°How is the wine not falling through your body¡¡± ¡°Really, that¡¯s your question!? Not how you¡ you were able to touch me during the tournament!? cough, cough What the hell did yer bring me¡!¡± ¡°There¡¯s that too.¡± ¡°Hmph, if you massage big sis¡¯ feet then I might give yer a hint.¡± Saying so, she turned her body to face Arnold and took off her heels before putting her feet in his lap. Despite being one of the strongest NPCs in this city, she still had the delicate feet of a sheltered maiden. ¡®Her body is solid again. I need to know what this ability is.¡¯ Since his curiosity got the best of him, he decided to do as she says. ¡°Fufufufu.¡± Mian Xi chuckled when Arnold grabbed her feet and began to gently, and amateurishly, massage them. It was times like these that he had to throw his pride aside and just do what was requested of him. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re quite skilled~ I can feel the tension being released from my feet~¡± she purred, ¡°Do you give your wives massages as well?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not married to anyone.¡± Yet, that is. ¡°Lovers?¡± ¡°Why do you care?¡± Mian leaned forward, her breasts squishing on her knees. He could smell the stink of alcohol on her breath, ¡°I¡¯d feel guilty about wanting a young stud to fool around with, not knowing if his lovers see him as faithful. I haven¡¯t been with anyone in quite a while, you know?¡± her long fingernails trailed over her leg, pulling up her skirt. ¡°No thanks.¡± ¡®Rejected that quickly!? Is this boy a eunuch!?¡¯ a devilish thought then manifested in her mind, ¡®Let me check then.¡¯ ¡°¡What are you doing?¡± Arnold asked when he felt her right foot rubbing his crotch. ¡°So, it¡¯s still there, hm? But why won¡¯t it get hard¡ªeek!¡± when she looked at his face, she noticed his icy-cold gaze that sent a chill down her spine. It seems he wasn¡¯t the kind who likes being teased. She cleared her throat and looked away, ¡°On second thought, I will look for nightly pleasures at the appropriate establishments.¡± ¡°¡Why did you participate in the tournaments?¡± still massaging her feet, he changed the subject. ¡°Curious, are you? Is loving money not enough of an answer?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to tell me, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just making light conversation because this silence bores me.¡± ¡°How do you intend to gain my trust then, stud? Rubbing my aching feet aren¡¯t enough, you know? I only promised a hint to my abilities, not my entire origin.¡± ¡®Origin huh? Anyone else would wonder what¡¯s so special about her origin when she¡¯s a human just like them.¡¯ Arnold took a glance at her status again, noticing the ¡°demihuman¡± term next to Race. He didn¡¯t pay attention to this during his earlier observations since her core stats, class and level were what he wanted to see. What kind of demihuman is she exactly? He didn¡¯t notice a tail or ears on top of her head. ¡°If you just tell me what you want, I can promise to get it done depending on what it is.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Saying something so bold¡ªyou almost made me fall for you.¡± She chuckled softly, ¡°Can you revive the souls that roam the Spirit Realm?¡± ¡°¡Yokais?¡± She blinked blankly. ¡°Ah¡ I didn¡¯t expect you to know what I meant¡ No one in this nation, no, the whole continent has ever heard of Yokais. They know about the wandering dead souls in the Spirit Realm, of course, but they don¡¯t know what souls they are since all souls are meant to go to the River of Souls and not the land of the Spirit King.¡± ¡°Are you a yokai then?¡± ¡°I am. Fine, here¡¯s the hint: my abilities are tied to my species as a Yokai.¡± ¡°Were you going to be this specific if I didn¡¯t figure out what you meant before?¡± ¡°Nope~¡± ¡°Haaa¡¡± Arnold pushed her legs off his lap and stood up. ¡°Hey, why did you stop rubbing my feet! I was enjoying that!¡± Several illusions suddenly appeared around him, all of them resembling him. ¡°E-Eh? I didn¡¯t know you could do this¡ D-Does this mean you want to tag team me in be¡ª¡± ¡°Stop your ridiculous thoughts.¡± In any case, there was no doubt his lifeforce was sucked out of him every time she spawned a clone. But there weren¡¯t any visual indicators to tell him this like say a magic circle or string of energy that connects her to his body. Even Warrior Sense couldn¡¯t pick it up. ¡°Since I can already use clones of my own, I should be able to use your martial skill that allows you multiply your strength.¡± ¡°Hmmm~¡± Mian Xi put on her heels before standing up, ¡°Do you know that using another person¡¯s lifeforce is like poison? It¡¯s like drinking their blood, urine and other bodily fluids. I make it part of my body to then replace the energy I spent on my afterimages. This isn¡¯t an ability I learnt back at home, rather it¡¯s something I had to learn on my own since I would lose my humanoid form if I use too much lifeforce.¡± ¡°What do you look like without this¡¡± he looked her body up and down, ¡°¡human body?¡± Merely standing there, she exuded sex appeal through her expression and seductive body. Her dress just enhanced that sex appeal. ¡°Why would I show a stranger that? Aren¡¯t you happy with what I told you so far?¡± she folded her arms, pushing her chest up intentionally. It seems this woman likes showing off her body. Any man would shudder at the thought that this goddess of a woman¡¯s true body was that of a hunched back, long nose, green-skinned hag flying on a ball. Such Yokais exist. ¡°Maybe we can help each other. You asked me¡ªrather sarcastically¡ªif I can revive the souls that roam the Spirit Realm. And now that you¡¯ve revealed you¡¯re a Yokai, how about I give you an honest answer?¡± ¡°¡What?¡± ¡°You know what? Forget it.¡± His clones vanished and he turned around, ¡°What I want from you isn¡¯t equal to what I know.¡± ¡°W-Wait! What do you know!?¡± she turned into a cloud of smoke and appeared in front of him instantly, ¡°Us Yokais can tell when humans lie because of the spiritual connection between our species. Your words were by no means a way to deceive me through empty rhetoric!¡± Her teasing and disinterested demeanor vanished as if she was merely putting up an act earlier. ¡°Since when does a Yokai care for its family?¡± Mian¡¯s shoulders jerked up. Yokais are unfeeling. They do not despise or love. They do not hate humans who rape or murder their kind. They are even incapable of exacting revenge. Everything they do is calculated or influenced by what they learned from other creatures. Like she said, their most powerful connection is to humans so they are capable of feeling love if they observe humans that are in love. The relationship between Yokais and mortals is like canvas and paint. ¡°¡If you know about my people then you already know the answer to that.¡± She lowered her head, ¡°I¡¯ve been living among humans for 80 years. A few years after losing my family to the plague spread by the Dark Forces, I did not once reminisce or miss them. I went on my life as if I was unaffected by what happened to them. Since I was the last purebreed of my kind after my parents, and not the product of human to Yokai reproduction, I could withstand the plague.¡± Plague? No, she must¡¯ve meant the Dark Forces itself is like poison to them. Arnold knows that spirits can¡¯t survive inside the Dark Forces¡¯ toxic fumes. ¡°But later down the line as I continued living among humans and helping them, I started feeling. I became like you, a mortal being capable of emotions like love, desire, and hate.¡± ¡°You should be aware that indulging in your spiritual connection to humans is¡ª¡± ¡°Dangerous. I know. It¡¯s precisely because of my indulging that led to my defeat in our battle.¡± She pulled her dress down from her shoulders, exposing her bare chest to him. From it, a grotesque mass of flesh emerged, pulsating and writhing like a living tumor. ¡°¡You wanted to see the current me. Well, here she is. This is what I¡¯ve become after years of¡ integration.¡± He studied her, his expression unreadable. ¡°You¡¯re becoming like us.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She closed her eyes, the mass retracting into her body. Adjusting her dress, she continued, ¡°I fear what will happen if I enter the Spirit Realm like this. It¡¯s uncharted territory for someone like me¡ªsomeone who isn¡¯t fully Yokai anymore. But staying here¡ this world is suffocating. It¡¯s a prison for my kind.¡± Her voice wavered, but she quickly steadied herself. ¡°I thought of passing down our martial arts to humans, creating a sect to preserve what¡¯s left of my people¡¯s legacy. But our techniques require discipline¡ªtrue discipline.¡± They will require the humans to be conditioned killers who don¡¯t bat an eye at suffering and trauma. They should not love, hate, desire or have ambitions. This is what martial arts was supposed to be but certain Yokais took these martial arts and changed it entirely, becoming divine beings the humans of this world worship. Mian was uncertain if this was a good or bad thing for both humans or Yokais. Humans can prosper despite the power existing but the recent conflict started by Ko Johun reminded her of what such power is capable of. ¡°The tournament was both to advertise my abilities and to make the money required to open my own training facilities and start my own sect. But the emperor won¡¯t allow new sects in his empire if they don¡¯t bow down to him, essentially controlling all martial arts that are studied.¡± Banning independent sects from ever forming is usually a bad thing since protests from the populace are bound to happen. But the one who bans these sects is someone who fought and won against armies in a war. No one would risk taking him on. ¡°It also doesn¡¯t help that Ko is one of the few who knows what I am and is using it to his advantage.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°There was a condition in the contract he presented to me a few days ago. He wants to know if I could go to the River of Souls and retrieve something precious, as he described it, for him.¡± ¡°Hmm¡ It¡¯s possible for you to do that since Yokai can naturally jump realms through ancient magic. But¡¡± ¡°The Death God doesn¡¯t like visitors.¡± She finished what he was going to say. ¡°Not just that, you¡¯d need to go into a river that¡¯s a million lightyears long.¡± ¡°Now you see why I¡¯m unsure of where to go from here. Simply leaving this world might be the answer but I grew up here and¡ there are humans I care about here as well.¡± Noticing his narrowed eyes, she continued, ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking but living among humans¡ª¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to explain yourself to me. I don¡¯t care about anything other than your martial arts.¡± She pouted, her lips jutting out in a theatrical display before her expression softened into a coy smile, her eyes half-lidded. ¡°If only there was a reliable, strong stud to guide me down the path I need to take. I guess men aren¡¯t cut out to lead, after all~¡± She sighed with exaggerated melancholy, her voice a deeper, more mature tone. ¡°Pathetic that a hag like you can¡¯t make decisions without a man holding your hand.¡± A vein throbbed on her temple as her pout turned into a glare. ¡°I am only 336 years old! That¡¯s young for my people!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not young. That¡¯s ancient. You¡¯re basically prehistoric.¡± He waved a dismissive hand, deliberately goading her. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel sad for me!? I was expecting consolation!¡± ¡°Why would I? I barely know you.¡± ¡°Forget what I said! You¡¯re not handsome or a stud!¡± she harrumphed. ¡°This is a waste of my time,¡± he continued. ¡°I have other matters to attend to. But the next time we meet, don¡¯t expect me to come on so gently.¡± ¡°Guh! This isn¡¯t how it¡¯s supposed to go!¡± she snapped, stomping her foot. ¡°Human novels say a handsome young man is supposed to save the damsel in distress!¡± ¡°The damsel in distress should also give the handsome young man a reward for his efforts,¡± he countered with a smirk. Her cheeks flushed as she pointed an accusing finger at him. ¡°Y-You¡¯re evil! You expect helpless women to¡ªgulp¡ªgive their bodies as thanks?! Where is your virtuous heart, you brute? You don¡¯t deserve the strength you have!!¡± He pinched the bridge of his nose, resisting the urge to throw his shoe at her. ¡°I was talking about money. Or maybe food. But thanks for letting me know where your mind is. Succubus.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± she groaned, face burning red. ¡°If you¡¯re really not wasting my time, then teach me your martial art,¡± he said, taking a seat on the edge of the roof, ¡°and in return, I¡¯ll tell you how you can save your family.¡± Her breath hitched. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°You seem to have lost that fire from before. What¡¯s wrong? Oh, right¡ªKo and Funiji are going to be killed in a few days. No need to worry about your sect then. You can start as many sects and train as many young killers as you like after that.¡± Her eyes widened in shock. ¡°They¡¯re going to be killed¡ By whom¡?¡± He remained silent. She gritted her teeth when he didn¡¯t answer, a storm of emotions flashing across her face. ¡°You¡¯re infuriating. How can one human be so annoying?¡± ¡°You¡¯re very expressive,¡± he noted flatly. ¡°Frankly, it¡¯s hard to tell which one¡¯s the real you.¡± Ronia, Ruria and Mian Xi¡ªall three of them have two different identities that they don¡¯t want the world to know about. Mian folded her arms and puffed out her chest. ¡°Humph. Can¡¯t a girl express herself boldly without being accused of misleading others?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just an observation,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°So, what¡¯s your answer?¡± Her mind raced. He¡¯s actually willing to make a deal with her? Most mortals weren¡¯t like this. ¡®I expected him to be an arrogant fool who¡¯d resort to brute force or threats. But he¡¯s just¡ determined, I suppose. He¡¯s powerful¡ªprobably stronger than even Father¡ªbut he hasn¡¯t shown any malice. Just curiosity. And that¡¯s¡ unsettling.¡¯ But still, the fact that her beauty wasn¡¯t alone for him to help her irritated her. Many men would feel lucky just to touch her feet and come back lusting for more. She had used this to her benefit many times in the past. This is a telltale sign that she was becoming more human than she would¡¯ve liked. It will surely be her downfall, just like every other Yokai who thought they could live among humans and have a long life. But before that day comes, she wanted to at least be surrounded by the family she grew to love even in their absence. She once thought it was in the best interest of all the realms to avoid letting her martial arts fall into his hands. Yokais can judge humans simply by looking at the spiritual connection on the other side of the stick. Her judgment was simply¡ªthere¡¯s something sinister about him. But at this very moment, she¡¯s prioritizing bringing her people back over what kind of monster she¡¯ll create if she hands this power over to someone of his strength. ¡°¡I will do anything you command of me.¡± Her playful demeanor vanished as she bowed her head, replaced by a stoic, resolute expression. ¡°Wonderful.¡± A smirk curled his lips. ¡°In exchange for teaching me your martial arts, I¡¯ll give you something even the gods covet¡ªthe name of the Spirit King.¡± ¡°!¡± SS Chapter 17 Part 2 ¡°N¡No way¡ How could you possibly know that?¡± Mian¡¯s pupils shook. She said it herself: due to the strength of the spiritual connection between humans and Yokai, the latter is able to tell if their feelings and thoughts are genuine. There was no deception in his words. In those few moments of stunned silence, she bound her spiritual consciousness with his several times but each time there was no fluctuation to determine if his words were a lie. ¡°If that were true¡ I could command one thing of the Spirit King¡¡± His name alone carries that much worth. Of course, it would be an exchange and not a one-sided demand. She could command him to do something for her and in return make an oath to never utter his name to anyone else, for doing so will have dire consequences¡ªwhich she couldn¡¯t bring herself to think about. But how could this man in front of her tell her the name and not have his entire existence subjected to unending torture and misery? ¡°I won¡¯t tell you how I know and why I can tell you in the first place,¡± he shot her down before she could even ask. He¡¯s even aware of the consequences¡ He is clearly not an ordinary human. Or maybe he could be a demigod? Whichever the case, simply knowing this name makes you one of the most powerful individuals in the entire nine realms. The Spirit King is supposedly just as powerful as the Death God and the latter is considered the most powerful being in existence aside from the Timeline Gods. But this cannot be proven since their battle could destroy a whole realm. ¡°I might be a fast learner but I have some other business to attend to. I just wanted your answer.¡± ¡°W-Wait, no! You can¡¯t just leave after telling me you know the Spirit King¡¯s name! I¡¯m going to be thinking about it all night!¡± It was already difficult getting used to sleeping as Yokais don¡¯t need sleep. What he just revealed will keep her up all night. ¡°Where do you live?¡± ¡°I¡¯m renting a room at the Hungry Owlbear Inn.¡± She looked at him in confusion, her face asking why he would ask that. ¡°I¡¯ll come find you later then.¡± ¡°Why are you in such a hurry!?¡± she pulled on his arm but he barely budged an inch. ¡°You¡¯re drunk so you won¡¯t be able to focus clearly anyway and I have to be somewhere else. Take a nap and drink plenty of water. We¡¯re pulling an all-nighter when I get back.¡± He pried off her fingers and jumped down, disappearing into the crowd below. ¡°You!¡± Mian pulled at her hair. How could she possibly fall asleep after what he just told her!? ** Ruria arrived back at the palace with the empress and princess. Emperor Ko had other business so he didn¡¯t accompany them and they came back the same way they left. The sun was about to set, painting the sky with an orange hue. The tables for the banquet were already being prepared for tomorrow. For now, anyone not employed by the palace isn¡¯t allowed on the palace grounds until tomorrow, with consideration to the lockdown. Looking around the palace grounds, it seems even more guards showed up while the three of them were away. Seeing Ruria, they greeted her with nods. All of them were informed that the princess has a new servant by the name of ¡°Lily¡±. If Zhoming or Ko approves then there¡¯s no need to harbour suspicion towards her. ¡®I¡¯m not surprised Ko is going this far for one doctor.¡¯ Ruria has been coming back to this world for two years now so she was bound to hear about Lian throughout her mission. People called her a divine messenger who could heal people by only touching them. She could make the pain from childbirth go away just by placing her hand on the mother¡¯s belly, which led to thousands of pregnant women requesting her services throughout these two years. Many even travelled from faraway nations just to have her oversee the birth of their children. Most of the time it wasn¡¯t just about making the pain go away but also to ensure the safety of their children. Medical technology in this world is very primitive compared to the Eulia Empire. These people haven¡¯t even invented High-Tier healing potions yet, which are capable of restoring organs and limbs. Maybe it¡¯s their priorities that aren¡¯t set straight. But Ruria wondered to herself why Lian wasn¡¯t researching to make new potions that are better for the general populace than whatever they make now. Maybe she could make better potions but chooses not to because of how hated she is. Not by the citizens or her clients but the nobles in the empire. If they found out Lian is part of the ¡°Revolution¡±, that would finally give them a valid reason to hate her. Speaking of the revolution¡ Ruria looked down at the young girl who was holding her hand. Sing was going to meet with friends later today so Ruria was tasked with helping her change and freshen up. What will become of this girl and her mother if the revolution¡ªits whole point being to kill Ko and Funiji¡ªwere to happen? In the history she read back home, when a ruler is overthrown and replaced, the new leader turns the previous ruler¡¯s family into slaves or make them do hard labour. If a woman, a meat toilet for the men of the aristocracy. If a man, a labourer or death. It would leave a bitter taste in Ruria¡¯s mouth if the same were to happen to the princess and her mother. ¡®Her hand feels so cold, as if I¡¯m holding a corpse¡¯s hand.¡¯ Just when Ruria and Sing reached the second floor and turned a corner, Lian appeared and addressed the two. ¡°Good morning, Your Highness and you too, cousin Lily.¡± She bent down to the princess, ¡°Would it be possible for me to borrow her for the moment? I have something urgent to discuss with her.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Sing didn¡¯t object and soon left their side. Lian turned towards Ruria. ¡°I¡¯ve mapped everything I¡¯ve found on the aboveground floors so far. That leaves the underground levels for you.¡± after saying so, she handed over several pages that had rough maps drawn on them, ¡°Kohana¡¯s map came in handy so I didn¡¯t need to waste time since I knew where every room was.¡± ¡°How did you manage to do that with all the surveillance on you?¡± Ruria took the pages. As someone who had to map out several properties during her training, this tedious map reading won¡¯t be so difficult. ¡°Under the guise of ¡°protection¡±, I told the soldiers that it¡¯s wiser to place talismans on all the rooms in the palace. These talismans are actually useless and the runes have no meaning but no one should know that. I just hope a Shaman doesn¡¯t end up paying attention to them.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Shamans are the ¡°hand-sign mages¡± (as Ruria calls them), who created that arena barrier and summoned the Mystic Scroll. ¡°I told the guards that you will double check the runes tonight and since you¡¯re part my family and ¡®received the same training in this sort of stuff¡¯, they accepted that you¡¯re the only person who can help me. Maids stay up late at night anyway.¡± ¡°Her Highness is sleeping over at a friend¡¯s house later so I should be free of my duties so I can start after I help her freshen up.¡± Lian nodded, ¡°It¡¯s good to do this sooner than our agreed time. The banquet is our only chance to do this unnoticed before all hell breaks loose.¡± ¡°Once you¡¯re in position tomorrow, stick close to Sing, wait for the signal before you swipe the necklace. With all that chaos, she¡¯ll be too disoriented to realize it¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°Signal?¡± ¡°There are going to be several explosions in designated areas that should be deserted due to the banquet starting early tomorrow morning. That will kickstart the plan.¡± ¡°Is that so¡ What happens after Nova gets the martial arts book? Your precious prince and princess will be the first suspects on the list.¡± ¡®He still hasn¡¯t told her his real name yet?¡¯ If he didn¡¯t then there must be a good reason so she won¡¯t bring it up. ¡°Well, Nova is going to help Princess Kohana get an army to face Ko and Funiji. Rasuke can take care of himself while his sister is away to bring the army here. Chief Soryu said he wanted to accompany her after hearing of this news but she was stubborn and said she can convince that person herself.¡± ¡°That person?¡± ¡°I do not know who it is.¡± Lian truly did not know. Arnold wasn¡¯t exactly keen to share who it was. They have no choice but to trust him, despite what kind of person will end up providing them an army. It all depends on Kohana to convince that personage to lend her an army and not forcibly take this empire from her. ¡°Hmm, I wonder if he¡¯ll let me go with the princess. I¡¯d like to see what kind of person this is who possesses an army that Nova is confident can defeat both Funiji and Ko. Even the most prominent sect leaders fell to the two of them.¡± If there were that powerful, there¡¯s no doubt they¡¯re ruthless soldiers. ¡°Miss Doctor, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to know.¡± ¡°Can it not wait until after we figured out the location of the secret room?¡± noticing the difficult expression on her face, Lian sighed softly, ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°The Empress and princess¡ Do you think Princess Kohana can ensure their safety? The two of them are non-combatants and don¡¯t have a chance of survival if that army comes here to burn down the city while killing Ko¡¯s allies.¡± ¡°We share the same concern but I would not worry about the two of them.¡± ¡°Why are you so confident about that...?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve known Kohana since she was very young. She¡¯s compassionate, stubborn and headstrong. Even if it means throwing away her dignity, she will do what she must to save lives. I can tell you right now that she will drop to her knees and beg the leader to spare the princess and empress, for the only sin is that of the father and husband.¡± ¡°Even though she doesn¡¯t know what kind of person this leader is, she¡¯ll still demand that from him?¡± ¡°Well, I just said she¡¯s stubborn and headstrong so yes.¡± Lian smiled, ¡°People oftentimes found that annoying about her but I think it¡¯s part of her charm. She¡¯s a natural-born leader. But what worries me is how she cannot make certain difficult decisions. ¡°How do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, if you asked her who she¡¯d save when one person is stricken with an incurable, deadly, and contagious disease that threatens thousands, she wouldn¡¯t be able to sacrifice the afflicted for the greater good. It pains me to admit it, but she¡¯s at odds with herself.¡± ¡°It sounds to me like you don¡¯t support her taking over the empire.¡± ¡°You are correct in thinking so.¡± Lian sighed again, ¡°She¡¯s just like her father, after all.¡± ¡°Eh? How did he rule this empire for 50 years if he¡¯s just like her?¡± ¡°His wife, the late empress.¡± ¡°¡.¡± As if she remembered something bitter, Lian¡¯s smile vanished as she looked down, ¡°Sometimes we need another person to help us make difficult choices, just like the emperor had his wife. She was a powerful martial artist who did whatever was necessary to protect the dignity of the imperial family. Hailed as a flower in the courts and a powerful warrior across the lands, she showed no mercy to our enemies. There was only one time throughout their reign as imperial family that she listened to her husband¡¯s request to spare an invading army¡¯s leaders so that the two nations can form a sort of alliance since it would benefit both. Not long after, his life was on the line because they ambushed the emperor¡¯s party on the way back from the battlefield. Fortunately, the empress predicted this betrayal so she was quick to act and had everyone involved slaughtered. Since that day, he never put himself between his wife and the enemy ever again. That was¡ until she fell ill and he had to do exactly what he promised to never to do again. He had two choices: choose to keep her alive a little while longer, clinging to the possibility that someone more skilled than me in medicine could show up or I could make a breakthrough (which I have still not been able to do sadly). The other option was simply to kill her and seal her away using one of the empire¡¯s royal treasures. In this world, where Ki comes from the world around us and settles within our dantians and flows through our meridians, diseases that result from impure Ki spread fast among the populace. Some are incurable, which I am hoping to change in the next century. To be able to eradicate these diseases, one must know dantians and meridian network like the gods themselves, which is an impossible task currently. I¡¯ve been unable to study a victim of this disease long enough before their meridians rotted away after death.¡± ¡°Since the empire is still standing, he must¡¯ve killed her in the end, didn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Mm. Since her death by her husband¡¯s hands, he was never the same man since. I¡¯ve never seen a more powerful ruler. Unfortunately, he fell to Ko in the war while leading numerous sects into battle.¡± ¡°If Kohana cannot become like her father before she sits on the throne, I fear she may dig a hole for herself with her choices. Will she pardon the nobles who voluntarily joined Ko even when their lives were not threatened by him? Will she allow them to work in her family¡¯s noble court again? They will see her as a weak girl who can easily be manipulated through emotion and empathy. Maybe she stops her carriage in the middle of the night after coming from a party and notice slum children begging on the street but when she gets out to take out coin for them, she gets stabbed in the throat.¡± Ruria has seen this happen a couple of times. She also knew the methods to control someone like Kohana to her advantage. ¡°I¡¯d like to think Suesei would be there for her but what if they use assassination? Rasuke will not like a life as a personal guard since he¡¯s a man whose favourite pastime is fighting for fun. In addition, the populace will expect him to fight in future wars, not just for his strength but also for morale. I truly hope whoever Nova expects to help the Zhurosan Empire will form an alliance with us that ensure the new empress¡¯ protection.¡± ¡°The problem is that her kindness paints a target on her back. Can¡¯t you just ask her to change how she acts in front of the people?¡± ¡°Change? She¡¯s never been a good actor. She¡¯s always spoken from the heart and never intends to manipulate others. Her lies are very easy to see through as well.¡± ¡°Geez, the empress needs a lot of handholding despite being the hope of the empire.¡± Lian suddenly laughed hearing her say that. It was an elegant laugh from the nose while one finger was in front of her lips. ¡°Quite right. All humans have flaws. She knows this as well and might, well, ask for Nova¡¯s hand in marriage.¡± ¡°W-What? Seriously?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen what he can do. The people not only fear him but admire his strength. He crippled several martials with his ruthlessness and only let them go after beating them to near death. There¡¯s a possibility he would kill someone for so much as look at him the wrong way. This is the sort of fear this empire needs to balance out the hope Kohana has to offer. Of course, we can¡¯t expect something like that of him since he isn¡¯t from this land.¡± ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s from another world.¡± ¡°Eh? You knew?¡± ¡°He told me when he took my artifact and we formed our little alliance to scratch each other¡¯s backs. There¡¯s no point hiding it but I¡¯m from the same world. Bastard wants me to steal artifacts for him and in exchange he¡¯ll keep me protected in his city like I¡¯m a caged rat.¡± ¡®As expected, there¡¯s no way someone like that is a commoner. He must be from a lineage of powerful noble warriors.¡¯ ¡°R-Really? What do his people think of him?¡± ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t know. He didn¡¯t tell me what city he rules. But I know what the empire I¡¯m from thinks of him.¡± Lian looked at her, expectant of an answer. ¡°He¡¯s a very powerful adventurer who fought demon Imps, which elevated his ranking in the guilds. Not long after that incident, he fought with the other adventurers to stop a monster wave, fighting three (I think?) Frost Giants all on his own. Last I heard, his party¡¯s vice leader, is swamped with requests to join his now established Misteltein Guild. In short, the people love him but the other adventurers hate him.¡± ¡®Frost Giants were mostly in the mountains several centuries ago. Maybe they moved closer to human territories after so long?¡¯ she didn¡¯t exactly know what the S-ranking is supposed to mean since monsters weren¡¯t graded back in her era. ¡®Maybe I will get to hear more stories of him once I go to that world.¡¯ Lian dreads the possibility of them separating this soon. What else could a man like him know that sets him apart from ordinary humans? No, he shouldn¡¯t be compared to humans. He looks at the world and others as if he knew everything about them, their cultures, traditions, etc¡ The longer she¡¯s not near him, the more she yearns to be close to him. His wives must be so lucky. Pitter-pattering snapped her out of her daze. ¡°Lady Lian!¡± Kairi¡¯s voice came from the end of the hall. SS Chapter 18 Part 1: Former Prince A continuous sound of thumping resounded in a quiet courtyard of an abandoned training facility located in the slums, on the very edge of Old Town. At first, there would be no light coming from this dojo except for the occasional hobo¡¯s campfire. As of late, there had been several people going in and out of this place for the past week. A beauty with silver hair was also spotted many times. Normally this isn¡¯t a safe place for such a sheltered girl but she was always accompanied by a tall young man with the same hair color. The people living on this street didn¡¯t know what the former prince and princess looked like so they didn¡¯t pay this any mind. It¡¯s not rare for foreigners to try and make it big in this big empire only to become broke and seek refuge in abandoned places like this. While Kohana was inside discussing the plan with Chief Soryu and the other people she managed to recruit, Rasuke was outside punching straw puppets. He wasn¡¯t punching with any finesse or grace, just barbaric fashion to test his speed. He¡¯d punched the straw puppet 749 times, with three punches being thrown every second. ¡®Arnold can probably punch 100 times¡ªno, probably way more than that in one second.¡¯ Throwing a punch with sufficient striking power was a difficult thing to do for normal humans. Any human can punch five times or more per second but is there any power behind those punches? No. if the first punch were to land, it would release all the striking power you put into it then the subsequent punches will lose more power with each one thrown. Martials, however, are capable of what humans are not. They can wind up their punches and put sufficient striking power into their hands. Throwing five punches ¡°per second¡± like that is considered a feat. Maybe Arnold doesn¡¯t need to wind up his punches since he¡¯s so powerful. A single finger could probably knock Rasuke, at full power, out. ¡°¡ªYou¡¯ll feel immense pain if you rest after pushing yourself like this.¡± A voice came from beside Rasuke. Rasuke¡¯s fist was about to hit the straw puppet but stopped inches away because of that familiar voice. Looking to his side while breathing deeply, he saw a cloaked figure. ¡°Lord Arnold¡?¡± ¡°Why are you still pushing yourself?¡± Arnold lowered his hood, revealing his white silver hair that looked brighter than Rasuke¡¯s hair. ¡°¡¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to fight Ko anymore. You should be cheering up your sister because the fate of your empire rests in her hands alone.¡± ¡°Haha, she doesn¡¯t need my help with that. My elder sister is the most reliable person I know. She¡¯ll know what to say.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll know what to say to a being that can destroy your empire with a flick of a finger? Has she dealt with people like that before?¡± ¡°N-No. Wait, can that person seriously do that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± There was no attempt to jest. His expression was serious and tone sincere, ¡°Are you thinking of going with Kohana even after you called her the most reliable person you know? Don¡¯t bother. You¡¯ll be like a leaf blowing into his face.¡± ¡°¡¡± ¡°All she can do is use her words.¡± Arnold didn¡¯t know if it will be possible for Kohana to persuade ¡°that person¡± but it was worth a try. His heart probably won¡¯t be swayed by her suffering and the struggles she had to go through with her brother. Well, even if she fails, he could offer something else to ¡°that person¡±. It coincides with the deal Arnold already has with him. With Arnold¡¯s current power, it should be possible to pull it off. ¡°If someone like that, who¡¯s probably stronger than Ko and Funiji combined, decides to just destroy this empire along with those two, there would be nothing I could do.¡± Rasuke sat on the ground and looked up at the night sky, ¡°Chief Soryu always says I¡¯m one of the most talented martials he¡¯s trained in his life. I don¡¯t feel special at all so I can¡¯t agree with him.¡± ¡°And what do you think that word means? Who would it suit better?¡± ¡°¡¡± he looked over at Arnold. He didn¡¯t say anything, just looked at him for a second before sighing to himself. ¡°I see. Well, you¡¯re right that I am special but the power I have is not as a result of hard work or dedication, merely a gift from a friend.¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Eh?¡± confusion on his face, Rasuke looked back up at Arnold. A white energy surrounded Arnold. It grew into a cloud of smoke that hovered above him. That cloud of smoke quickly turned into the martial spirit he received from Gederick, the God of War. -¡°You should know that each second I am in the material world, I suck out more of your internal energy, human.¡± In a voice belonging to Gederick, the muscular floating spirit spoke with authority. ¡°D-Did it just talk? Wait, what is that anyway!?¡± Rasuke jumped to his feet. ¡°How can you not know what it is? It¡¯s a Martial Spirit or do you call it something else here?¡± ¡°M-Martial S-Spirit!? But legends say only Divine Daos can summon their spirits because anyone below that would have their lifeforce instantly drained to sustain the spirit in the material world!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel any different compared to a moment ago.¡± Arnold shrugged. Maybe Aether and the Ascension Pill¡¯s pure internal energy are to thank for that. Or maybe¡ he really is at the level of or above a Divine Dao. Sensing people gathering around them, he glanced behind Rasuke. Probably alarmed by the shining radiance being emitted by the spirit, Kohana, and the band of nobodies they recruited, came outside. Chief Soryu was amongst them, as was his wife and a few villagers Arnold knew by their faces. ¡°M-Mighty Sword God¡ªCould it be!? A Divine Dao has graced our land!¡± the Chief tell to his knees as he stared up at Gederick¡¯s spirit. -¡°All of you kneel! You are before a demigod!¡± Gederick¡¯s spirit roared with a smirk. Maybe it was the strength in his authoritative voice but everyone hurriedly got onto their knees without a thought. ¡°Did that spirit just say demigod¡?¡± Kohana blinked blankly. Arnold sighed, ¡°Stand up. Don¡¯t listen to the talking ghost.¡± -¡°Y-You! I am no mere ghost! I am¡ª¡± the spirit¡¯s mouth suddenly vanished with a thought from Arnold. ¡°You must¡¯ve been wondering why I¡¯m so strong, right? Well, here¡¯s your answer¡ªEquilibrium.¡± ¡°Something obtainable only to martial god candidates¡¡± Chief Soryu walked a little closer and stared at the spirit, ¡°Magnificent.¡± Soryu cleared his throat and knelt again, his eyes unwavering on Arnold. ¡°To attain Equilibrium¡ You¡¯re not merely strong. You¡¯re destined. The heavens must have chosen you.¡± ¡°Destined. Huh¡¡± Such a thing would only suit Luke and¡ªthough he hated to admit it¡ªArthur. Kohana also stepped closer, her expression that of disbelief. ¡°Lord Arnold, if this is true, doesn¡¯t this mean¡ you¡¯re beyond human limits? Maybe even beyond mortal comprehension?¡± -¡°You must already know the answer, human girl.¡± Gederick¡¯s spirit spoke again. It seems Arnold couldn¡¯t keep it quiet for long, ¡°He has demonstrated to you lot in that pathetic excuse of a tournament how powerful I have made him. If he were in a real tournament where warriors often die by the hands of their opponents, he could¡¯ve crushed them all, the emperor included.¡± Everyone gasped. -¡°The power he wields is a hundred times what that weakling emperor is capable of. And it is all because of this great me!¡± ¡°We get it, you¡¯re amazing,¡± Arnold waved his hand, making the prideful spirit¡¯s mouth disappear again. Expressions of disbelief and silent stares were all he saw in the crowd after hearing what the spirit said. Truth be told, Arnold wasn¡¯t aware how strong he was compared to the emperor. Both of them are at the level cap and Arnold was certain the emperor also had Aether. Maybe the difference was that only one of them had achieved Equilibrium. Arnold looked at Rasuke who was staring blankly at the spirit. ¡°Instead of aiming for strength, you should seek equilibrium. When the mind, spirit and body become one, strength automatically follows because you reach an understanding of what true strength is.¡± Rasuke snapped out of his daze, his brows furrowing. ¡°Equilibrium¡ Mind, spirit, and body as one? That sounds almost impossible for someone like me.¡± ¡°If all you¡¯re after is power for the sake of being stronger, you¡¯ll never get there. Strength doesn¡¯t come from swinging harder or faster¡ªit comes from understanding its purpose.¡± Rasuke tilted his head, confusion flickering across his face. ¡°Purpose? You mean to protect the people we care about? To save lives?¡± Rasuke¡¯s eyes sparkled. If someone like Arnold affirmed what he knew about strength then it will mean he¡¯s on the correct path to strength. At first, his sister was the only person he wanted to protect. The two only had each other after the palace was invaded by Ko¡¯s soldiers. The two of them were chased down relentlessly by Ko¡¯s soldiers so they had to live in forests and caves and since neither of them had any survival experience at that young age, they struggled to survive outside the sheltered walls of the palace. Fortunately, they didn¡¯t endure that lifestyle for long because they were found by the Chief who wanted to rescue the two. They¡¯re this empire¡¯s only hope of being restored to its former glory. In the end, a revolution was started with the two of them at the front of it all. That all ends tomorrow. Rasuke¡¯s mind returned to the present, eager to hear Arnold¡¯s response. Arnold¡¯s eyes narrowed, his voice cutting through the air like a blade. ¡°Strength is for killing.¡± ¡°E-Eh?¡± ¡°What? Did you think I was going to say the point of getting stronger is to save your loved ones? How can you aim for something like that when you¡¯re still weak? Don¡¯t listen to the fancy words your clans and sects teach you, strength is just meant for killing.¡± Everyone suddenly looked up at the spirit after hearing what Arnold said. Noticing their expectant gazes, he decided to give the spirit its mouth back. ¡°The purpose of strength has always been to kill. It is only humans who have twisted its meaning into something soft¡ªsomething idealistic.¡± The spirit¡¯s glowing eyes swept across the gathered crowd, silencing their murmurs. -¡°Do not deceive yourselves. You do not strive for strength to protect or save. You strive to kill. For only by killing can you end the threats that endanger those you love. That is the essence of strength, and it always has been.¡± Everyone then looked back at Arnold, who glanced at Rasuke: ¡°If you can accept that truth then congratulations¡ªyou¡¯re one step away from achieving Equilibrium.¡± He then faced Kohana, ¡°Let¡¯s go over the plans for tomorrow.¡± SS Chapter 18 Part 2: Finalization Kohana, Rasuke, Soryu and Arnold were gathered at the top floor of the dojo. There was a serious atmosphere in the air and even some tension since tomorrow is going to be the end of Ko¡¯s tyrannical rule. Kohana was doing all the talking and Arnold listened to her silently. To sum it all up, Kohana asked trusted members of a non-profit organization to use the carriages¡ªwhich were loaded with the explosives that Lian created¡ªto transport food around the city. this food would be handed out to the needy which pulled a lot of attention. The workers were instructed to leave the carriages at the spot they handed the food out. Of course, they made sure to tell the people who came for the food to attend the banquet in case there were people who didn¡¯t know the palace will open its doors to all during the banquet feast. The district blocks should be empty once the plan is officially underway. Chief Soryu will lead a squad of martials¡ªall of whom will be wearing the blue robes recovered from the morgue. The emperor has no doubt heard of the dead martials spotted outside the city so Arnold¡¯s attempt to shake Ko up a little might¡¯ve just been for his selfishness alone since he felt so frustrated. Anyway, Rasuke will be amongst them as well. Arnold didn¡¯t know why he was so eager to join since it was all performative and they won¡¯t actually go into battle with Ko¡¯s army. He had hope that his illusions won¡¯t engage in combat if the inner martials leave the palace to fight off the invaders while he deals with Ko. ¡°¡ªAnd then that leaves you, Lord Arnold.¡± Kohana looked at Arnold, ¡°You have arguably the biggest role in all this.¡± ¡®No, that would be Ruria and Lian.¡¯ He thought to himself. The two of them are going to be looking for the secret room. They must¡¯ve already started. Once they find the room, all that would be left is unlocking the room, which is where Ruria comes in with her thievery skills. Arnold will only keep Ko busy since the bastard could ruin everything if he suspected a thing. For someone like Arnold, handling Ko isn¡¯t going to be a big deal since he¡¯s faced off against two demigods and one demigod-level threat in this single journey alone. He was confident he could handle anything fate throws at him. ¡°I always thought we would be depending on Rasuke to fight that fiend.¡± Soryu said with a wry smile, ¡°Until now, he was the face of the revolution alongside his sister.¡± There was a certain bitterness in his voice, as if he didn¡¯t want Rasuke to go through with it anyway. These past five years has been tough for the siblings and he began to see them as his own children. Kohana¡¯s role was to unite the country as Empress while Rasuke¡¯s was to fight off the strongest threats. Rasuke, knowing this, silently looked at the retired martial who he grew to see as his own grandfather. ¡°I¡¯ll reach Ko¡¯s level one day.¡± Rasuke suddenly said, making everyone look at him, ¡°Until now, I¡¯ve been training nonstop with impatience weighing heavily on my heart. But now that we have Lord Arnold on our side, I can take the proper steps to becoming stronger since time is on my side.¡± The trust was obvious in his words and his sincere gaze. This desire for strength and pure heart¡ ¡®The developers put this much thought into the siblings.¡¯ Whether that means they have some importance to the storyline remains to be seen but Arnold could tell they were deeply loved by their creators. Both siblings were flawed but very loved by their people who looked past those flaws to see them for who they are¡ªa talented martial and a natural-born leader. How they managed to survive so far despite their flaws, Arnold could only wonder. Maybe it¡¯s because they had each other all this time. ¡°Just don¡¯t let your desire for revenge make you lose your rationality and try to fight Ko with me.¡± ¡°¡.¡± Rasuke scratched his cheek and averted his eyes. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡®He was seriously thinking of doing that!?¡¯ Kohana looked at her brother incredulously. Arnold merely shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure he doesn¡¯t leave my side.¡± Soryu vowed, ¡°Remember boy, this isn¡¯t some skirmish but a battle that will start our revolution. It¡¯s a military coup against the emperor so there are rules to follow and a formation to hold. As the commander for the Revolution, I will not let anyone jeopardize this young man¡¯s plan to obtain the book. Understood?¡± ¡°¡Yes, sir¡¡± Rasuke said in a smaller voice than Arnold expected to come out of him. He wouldn¡¯t let Rasuke interfere not just because it was his role as a commander to ensure everyone is placed in suitable roles but also as a concerned grandfather. Rasuke was in no way capable of fighting Ko, that much Arnold knew from a glance. ¡°Good grief¡¡± Kohana frowned at her little brother, ¡°Now that my idiot brother knows his place in this plan, shall we proceed? Lord Arnold, I heard from Lady Lian that your clones are capable of fighting humans. If the inner martials split up to help Ko deal with the ¡®invaders¡¯, can we rely on them to face the inner martials?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡®An instant reply¡ I supposed it¡¯s useless getting surprised by everything he can do.¡¯ ¡°Here are the locations for each of the explosives. Since we¡¯re short on time, we need to make sure there aren¡¯t any residents in the streets when they go off. Please assign a martial to every block, Chief Soryu.¡± ¡°Mm, I will tell the lads.¡± ¡°The city guards will be the first to respond. They will most likely head toward the areas where the explosions occurred. Leave the area immediately after confirming there aren¡¯t any civilians on the streets. We don¡¯t want the city guard on our backs while Ko¡¯s private army attacks our front. Most of the people we gathered aren¡¯t strong or experienced enough to handle such an attack.¡± ¡°So, is the palace a no-go?¡± Rasuke asked with a gulp, impatience evident on his face, ¡°This is my one chance to get back the heirloom sword grandfather left behind for me.¡± Someone might attempt to steal it during the chaos caused by the ¡°invasion¡±. ¡°It¡¯s the most heavily guarded place in times like this, brother. Security is even tougher after the lockdown. Not to worry. I was planning on heading there anyway so I can retrieve it¡¡± ¡°Are you mad, girl!?¡± Soryu slammed his hands on the table, ¡°You will be a trophy to those people! You know the reward on your head is high!¡± ¡°I am well aware, Chief.¡± Kohana answered calmly. She didn¡¯t look at her brother¡¯s face and instead gave Arnold a side glance. His attention wasn¡¯t on the map of the empire that was laid out. Rather, it looked as if he was staring somewhere distant even though his gaze was directed at the map. His pondering expression was kind of cute in her eyes. In reality, Arnold was using the system¡¯s tracker to see where Lian and Ruria were. ¡®All I¡¯m seeing is a dot moving on a screen. I should¡¯ve studied that map Kohana drew of the palace.¡¯ he grimaced within. ¡°Ignoring how mad you¡¯d have to be to go through with this, how can you even get in and out of there safely!?¡± the chief protested again. ¡°You¡¯ve only recently arrived so it¡¯s understandable that you wouldn¡¯t know about our new ally¡¯s resourcefulness, Chief.¡± She smiled thinly before calling out, ¡°Lord Arnold.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± hearing Kohana¡¯s voice, Arnold made the transparent screen go away and looked at her. ¡°May I have your teleportation artifact, please?¡± Kohana asked. Before Arnold could say anything, she continued hurriedly, ¡°I would like to enter the palace to speak with the nobles. For the small amount of time that Ko is away, I would like them to know there is still hope for our country and empire.¡± He foresaw this. After all, what better time to do this than during such chaos that the ¡°invasion¡± will cause? ¡°Sister¡¡± Rasuke was about to say it was dangerous to reveal herself but couldn¡¯t continue when he saw her expression. The fire in her eyes reminded Arnold of Siana a little. Thinking about both of their situations, they were very similar in that regard as well. Both were princesses away from home because of some tragedy that befell their people. Both had others that believed in them. And both of them somehow ended up meeting him. Maybe it was because of their resemblance that his answer was: ¡°¡Alright. I¡¯ll try to keep him away from the palace for as long as I can. Use that time to convince your people to stand with you.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Kohana bowed her upper body gracefully. ¡°But you must execute them if they still show resistance. A compassionate leader is fine as long as he knows when to punish and when to forgive.¡± ¡°¡I will keep that in mind.¡± In reality, she was scared of such a possibility. How could she execute the people her father once called allies? Many of the traitors were people Kohana met during parties and other social gatherings. She befriended their children, making unforgettable memories. Of course, Kohana secretly met with these same children years later while an outcast. There was little help they could provide in the Revolution but she appreciated their company and moral support. Many of their parents would be opposed to this and demand they reveal Kohana¡¯s location. It¡¯s those very same nobles that Kohana will need to execute¡ Whatever is expected of her as empress during this time, she will go through with it. She must. ¡°Let us prepare for the Revolution, everyone.¡± I now have the support to help me do anything, after all, she thought as she glanced at Arnold again and smiled to herself. SS Chapter 19: Hope of The Empire Arnold was currently sitting on the old dojo¡¯s roof, staring at the dot moving on the screen. It seems Lian was separated from Ruria after dusk and Ruria was now moving independently. Also, Luxtivin arrived at the palace around the same time which is probably why Lian had to leave Ruria¡¯s side. Well, he was the one who instructed Kairi and Liwei to tell Lian to keep an eye on his double. Hopefully nothing bad happens. Luxtivin only had 50% of his strength¡ªmost likely due to his low assimilation rate with the sword itself which had gone up to 7.9% while he wasn¡¯t looking. While he wasn¡¯t a threat Arnold would struggle against it if the system¡¯s warning holds true, there were still innocent people gathered at the palace whose lives would be in danger. Nothing like this had ever happened in the game. Without a precedent to rely on, he had no way to predict Luxtivin¡¯s next move or know what it¡¯s thinking. If it has lingering dark thoughts taking hold, things could spiral out of control. All he could do now was trust his Soul Weapon and be ready for the worst. At worst, he¡¯ll have to kill it but didn¡¯t know if he could get the soul weapon back. It¡¯s not because of his Aura Sword itself but the Star Shard he used to upgrade it. Will he be forced to look for another Star Shard to restore Luxtivin back to normal after he gets rid of the current one? ¡®System, where can I find star shards?¡¯ A ding resounded. -Answer: Jotungar, N¨²ldothr and Alvaria are the realms where it is common to find pieces of dead stars. This is due to the magical force that these realms have that pull the dying stars into their atmosphere. ¡®N¨²ldothr¡ I¡¯d prefer to avoid that place.¡¯ A realm of only death and suffering, where the only inhabitants are either creatures turned into undead or souls that were kicked from the River of Souls and could never reincarnate. Yokais and spirits could survive there but it¡¯s not a place for humans or even demigods since the air itself eats away at you. However, there are some benefits to going there besides the star shards. One being many powerful relics and forbidden grimoires that you can find in the dead dungeons and relic tombs. ¡®If I get too desperate, I could take Elizabeth with me after I help her get her powers. She should be able to protect me from that place¡¯s harsh conditions.¡¯ In any case, if he needed to kill Luxtivin, he needn¡¯t worry about lacking star shards any longer once he produces a new soul weapon. ¡°¡ªLord Arnold!¡± His thoughts were interrupted by a young woman¡¯s voice from below. ¡°¡ªMay I speak to you for a moment?¡± Arnold hopped down to the balcony, ¡°Is there something wrong with the plans?¡± ¡°No. Everything is set. All we need to do is get a good night¡¯s rest to be wide awake tomorrow.¡± She made a small smile, ¡°I do worry about the aftermath of it all, though¡¡± ¡°Ko¡¯s wrath?¡± ¡°Yes, he may direct it at the citizens after we leave to find the personage you mentioned.¡± She scratched the top of her hand, ¡°You¡¯re right about punishing those that betrayed the crown, even by execution but I don¡¯t want them to be killed without being given a chance and fair trial. I¡¯ve seen what Ko does to those that stand against him,¡± looking across the vibrant city that had fireworks going off, celebrating the new Inner Martial, Kohana continued with a smaller voice. ¡°Ko gathered five elders of a sect once and slaughtered them in front of a crowd, proclaiming to my people that anyone starting a sect without his permission is an enemy of the palace and will be suspected of treason against the emperor. In actuality, those elders wanted to train the war orphans that were left behind so that they can become independent.¡± ¡®Same as what Mian Xi wants to do.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ve heard of worse leaders.¡± ¡°But to slaughter people he merely suspects of trying to challenge him¡ Ko is nothing like me or Father. I want the traitors to accept their misdeeds even before death. Otherwise, their souls will haunt the empire forever and as Empress, it will haunt me as well.¡± ¡°Do you think what he¡¯s doing is just meaningless slaughter?¡± ¡°Yes! What else could it be!? Do villains even need reasons to be evil!?¡± Kohana shouted, his question agitating her, ¡°No matter how much the world wrongs you, you should never resort to becoming evil incarnate!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have to agree and speculate his reasoning since he¡¯s going to die in the next few days anyway.¡± Arnold shrugged, ¡°What was it you wanted to ask about? Is it related to the citizens?¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡¡± with a blush on her face, embarrassment from her outburst, she spoke with more composure, ¡°How long will it take to go see this person?¡± ¡°It probably won¡¯t even take an hour.¡± ¡°¡.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡± ¡®Could it be¡¡¯ Kohana looked at the ring around her index finger. Ever since she started wearing the ring, she tested it out a few times. She can move to any location instantly with just a thought. Unlike the mythos about teleportation¡ªwhere one needs to have been there¡ªthis artifact, according to Arnold, only needs you to know where the place is. This means that if Kohana looked into someone¡¯s living room through their window, she could teleport there as well. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Kohana knows the capital like the back of her hand so she can travel anywhere she wants. Of course, the palace is off-limits since there are rumors of rooms shifting randomly through magical runes. She may end teleporting to a place filled with guards or worse, in the same room as an Inner Martial! Hopefully the Inner Martials are too preoccupied with the chaos to care about her. ¡°Could it be¡ this?¡± she held up her finger where the ring was. ¡°No, time dilation.¡± ¡°Does that mean¡¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not from this world.¡± ¡°Ah¡¡± ¡°Hm, you don¡¯t look surprised at all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡ Lord Arnold gives of this otherworldly feeling so I had my doubts¡¡± ¡°Do I really? My world isn¡¯t that special.¡± She had an expression of doubt on her face but changed the subject, ¡°If at all possible, I would like to go see this person now¡ The curiosity is killing me. I¡¯ve rehearsed my speech over and over and still feel unsure if I can do this. But still, I want to!¡± she clenched her fists. ¡°But I know our priority so I won¡¯t let myself get distracted by meaningless things right now. The point isn¡¯t to punish tomorrow but to inspire and give my people hope.¡± Despite saying this so confidently, Arnold could hear a tremble in her voice. She was also visibly shaking. Going into that crowd would be like traversing a mountain, one filled with dragons, alone. She¡¯ll experience what Lian had to endure all these years. But unlike Lian, she actually had a prize on her head. Kohana knew she¡¯d either be locked in some tower forever or used as some political tool to help Ko forge a new connection. He didn¡¯t rule the world. In fact, there were other countries still waiting to be conquered. Of course, not all will fall as easily as Zhurosan and its surrounding regions, did. There were many powerful martial art clans and sects out there that can prove to be troublesome if they team up against him. While a Divine Dao is certain to not be amongst them, several Celestial Saints will cause a huge blow to his Martial Empire. Which is why the best course of action for him to take is to marry Kohana off to some powerful sect to forge an alliance. Will the crowd jump her the second they realize who she is, each fighting for the price on her head? Or will a sword be driven straight through her heart the moment she begins to speak? Her heart pounding and head feeling light, Kohana fell forward but she was stopped by Arnold¡¯s hands. ¡°You need to go rest. All this overthinking is going to give you cold feet.¡± Looking down at her with an indifferent expression, he said calmly. Despite his words, she could not stop trembling. It felt like for the first time the hope everyone had in her, was slowly beginning to overwhelm her. "I want to save my people, but I¡ I also want to run away¡" The admission felt like a betrayal, as if speaking it aloud made her unworthy of the role she had been given. A part of her hated herself for it¡ªfor this weakness, this hesitation¡ªbut another part of her knew it was the truth. "It¡¯s not even about Ko anymore¡ It¡¯s my people¡¯s expectations¡ It¡¯s as if I only just realized how heavy they are, how vast. It¡¯s like a sky pressing down on me, endless and suffocating. And I¡¯m expected to answer those expectations, to live up to them, to be something¡ªsomeone¡ªthey can believe in." Her fingers curled tightly, nails digging into her palms. "Because I¡¯m the¡ the hope of this empire." Saying it out loud felt strange, almost laughable. Me? Hope? "I used to see my father like that¡ªthe hope of our empire." Her voice softened, her eyes clouding with memory. "He carried it so easily, or at least, that¡¯s how it was after my mother¡¯s death. Many people say he changed but I could never tell because I was just a child. When I grew a little older, I understood why people saw him as the hope of this empire. When he spoke, people listened. When he fought, political battles or otherwise, people followed. I thought it was natural. I thought it was just who he was. That kind of strength, that unwavering presence¡ªI admired it. I believed in it." She swallowed hard, struggling to steady herself. "But now I wonder¡ did he ever feel this way? Did he ever want to run, just like I do now? Was he ever afraid that he wouldn¡¯t be enough? Or was he just¡ stronger than me? Maybe my mother¡¯s death truly was the reason but is the death of someone you love so dearly really enough? But I lost her too and felt no change¡¡± Her breath hitched, and for a moment, she couldn''t finish the thought. "I don¡¯t know if I can be what they need." Her shoulders trembled as she stared at the ground, feeling the weight of a thousand unseen eyes, the invisible hands grasping at her, pulling her in every direction. ¡°¡ªIf you¡¯re unsure then just run away.¡± The strong hands grabbing Kohana¡¯s shoulders pulled her closer to him as he spoke, ¡°Become my woman and you¡¯ll never have to worry about anyone coming after you ever again.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡¡± she tried to back away but Arnold¡¯s hold on her was too strong. Her trembling intensified and she shut her eyes and turned her face away from him. But he held onto her chin and made her face him. Her resistance was weak, barely even present. Because the idea of it¡ The thought of letting go of everything, of stepping away from the crushing weight of her people¡¯s expectations, of the blood-soaked path ahead of her¡ªit was tempting. So tempting. All she¡¯ll ever need to worry about was how to fulfill her duties as a wife. She¡¯ll never have to fear a looming tyrant over her head again because the man she devoted her life to would be the stronger force to face that tyrant. She¡¯ll never have to struggle to get allies because the man she devotes herself to would be worth two armies alone. To run. To leave behind the name Kohana, the weight of her father¡¯s legacy, the eyes of those who expected her to lead. To simply disappear. Her heart pounded violently in her chest, her own thoughts betraying her. Sniffing his masculine scent made her crotch drool immensely, so much that her legs were drenched. But the temptation lasted only a moment before shame crashed over her like a tidal wave. ¡°L-Let me go,¡± she whispered, barely able to form the words. Arnold¡¯s his grip loosening slightly¡ªbut not enough to let her escape. She refused to look at him. He studied her trembling form for a long moment before finally releasing her shoulders. Kohana staggered back a step, putting distance between them as quickly as she could. But even now, her legs felt weak, unsteady, like the strength had been drained from them. ¡°You¡¯re really choosing the hard path?¡± Arnold crossed his arms, watching her with an unreadable expression. "You know, running away isn¡¯t always the coward¡¯s choice." She lifted her head slightly, meeting his gaze for the first time. ¡°Maybe not,¡± she admitted, her voice quiet but steady. ¡°But it¡¯s not my choice.¡± ¡°Suit yourself. I¡¯m not desperate for another wife even if you¡¯re so cute.¡± There was no empty praise present in his tone. ¡®C-Cute?¡¯ Kohana blushed. He turned away with a scoff, but she spoke again. ¡°L-Lord Arnold.¡± He glanced back at her. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, her hands clenched tightly at her sides. ¡°For¡ reminding me that I do have a choice.¡± Even if that choice was to betray the expectations of the citizens. Right now, she only regretted one thing¡ªnot answering her carnal desire, the thing that now turned her lower half into a waterfall. But if she ran away with Arnold, she would regret a thousand things. SS Chapter 20 Part 1: The Sentient Sword (1) Is sentience a gift or a curse? For humans, it¡¯s the gradual awakening to their surroundings¡ªa natural process their minds are designed to endure. They adapt, learn, and grow because their very existence is bound to the burden and blessing of awareness. But sentience for objects¡ªthings that were never meant to feel, to love, to fear¡ªis a void. They exist as tools, as instruments, devoid of thought or experience, shackled to their purpose. And yet, what happens when an object crosses the line into sentience? When something lifeless is cursed with awareness and is forced to withstand the thoughts¡ªdark or otherwise¡ªthat humans have become accustomed to their whole lives? When it gains the ability to think, to observe, to suffer? Even objects imbued with a will, creations of magic or artifice, cannot fathom what it means to exist¡ªtruly exist. But a sword did. In the span of just a few hours, that felt like entire lifetimes, it experienced years¡¯ worth of human emotion and experiences being plundered into its very soul against its will, the event so abrupt, it lost its awareness of the world around it¡ª The desire to kill. The desire to sabotage. The desire to hurt. The desire to ruin. The desire to rape. The desire to commit every other atrocity mankind could even fathom¡ª The feelings manifested in the depths of its soul, a deluge of emotion and thought that majority of humans learn to suppress from childhood. But the sword had no such luxury. It was like being handed a bow and ordered to strike a distant target¡ªonly to realize, too late, that the target was every dark thought humanity had ever conceived, and the arrow was already loosed. Luxtivin, his eyes closed, clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. All manner of thoughts crept in the back of his mind, attempting to assert dominance over his meager will. This was agony. Agony of the highest caliber and he could only resist it a little. There were other depraved and sick thoughts clouding his mind but it was best to leave them up to imagination. For a moment the thoughts came to a halt when he opened his eyes and his mind blanked for a few seconds. A shock went through him the moment he snapped out of his daze, his back drenched in cold sweat. It was an agonizing endeavor having to resist acting upon such horrible thoughts and desires that only serves as answers to ¡°what would happen if I did X¡± and were things he truly did not want. How could Arnold live with these thoughts¡? The noises suddenly returned and he realized he was in the palace¡¯s dining hall. The grand dining hall of the palace shimmered under the glow of chandeliers, their golden light dancing off polished marble floors and high, vaulted ceilings. Servants glided effortlessly between the long tables, refilling goblets with the finest wine and presenting trays of delicacies fit for a champion. At the center of the table, Luxtivin sat, an island amidst a sea of eager voices. Lords, generals, merchants, and emissaries¡ªall had gathered around him, vying for his attention, each with their own motivations. Some sought to recruit him, others merely wished to bask in the glow of his recent victory at the tournament. Yet, despite the clamor, his thoughts remained elsewhere. A nobleman, clad in velvet and gold, leaned forward, swirling his wine with an air of nonchalance. ¡°Sir Luxtivin, your performance was nothing short of masterful. I daresay, even our finest knights could learn from your technique. Have you ever considered offering your services to House Vernithal? My lord would be honored to¡ª¡± It was best to keep everyone at arm¡¯s length. His order was not to make friends. Luxtivin set his goblet down, his gaze meeting the nobleman¡¯s only briefly. ¡°Hearsay says House Vernithal has fine martials already, taught and raised by the elders themselves. It would be unbecoming of me to take what is rightfully theirs.¡± The nobleman faltered, chuckling awkwardly as others at the table seized the moment to interject. ¡°Perhaps a position in the royal guard, then?¡± a general, who had deliberately worn his achievement medals tonight, suggested, ¡°The kingdom could use a man of your caliber. The frontier grows ever more unstable, and we¡ª¡± ¡°I believe,¡± Luxtivin interrupted smoothly, ¡°that the frontier has endured without me thus far. I suspect it will continue to do so.¡± A merchant with shrewd eyes and too many rings on his fingers chuckled. ¡°Ah, but surely you are not uninterested in wealth? There are opportunities, my friend. With your skill, one could carve a legacy beyond mere battle. I could grant you your own army that only serves nations when offered coin!¡± Luxtivin tilted his head slightly, his fingers tracing the rim of his goblet. ¡°Legacy is more than coin and conquest. But I appreciate your insight.¡± The conversation rippled around him, shifting to less direct attempts to court his favor¡ªharmless pleasantries, the occasional jest. Yet, none of it truly reached him. He answered them as any well-mannered young man should, a stark contrast to the attitude the guests here witnessed during the tournament. Of course, while he was polite, there were no opportunities for them to gain his favor. Each conversation with him lasted two minutes max because he was able to deflect and shut down everyone politely. Zhoming had noticed that he was acting rather distant tonight. She didn¡¯t interfere with their chatter, only gazed at them from her seat. The head seat to her right was empty since Ko was absent tonight. It¡¯s not exactly a strange occurrence since he had to prepare many things for tomorrow. He took four of his Inner Martials to his office upstairs to discuss something while the rest of the Inner Martials remained here. Normally wearing a hood in a royal¡¯s presence was considered rude but they were a special case. Zhoming couldn¡¯t see their faces or where they were looking but she knew they were focusing their attention on Nova. She¡¯s been together Ko for basically most of her life¡ªthe two were childhood sweethearts, after all¡ªso she knows what it¡¯s like living among martials. This means she can also recognize hostility, which they were clearly trying to hide. Remembering young Ko brought back some bitter memories. He abandoned her during her age of coming ceremony night, the same night the two promised to lose their ¡°firsts¡± to each other, to go train with his master. It was only several years later that he returned to the village. But by then, Sing was already born from another relationship which ended so abruptly because the local lord sent off her lover to the frontlines and he ended up dying. Her daughter will never know her true father but she didn¡¯t seem that interested in him. One day, about five years from when she lost her then lover, the village was attacked. The land was war-stricken day in and day out so there was no end to pillaging and war crimes. Just before Zhoming and her daughter were forced to separate by the enemy soldiers, Ko arrived in the village. He killed close to a thousand soldiers that day. Long story short, they lived in peace for a few more years but Ko grew restless as time went on. He began to lose his battles and seek even greater challenges to push himself. Everything changed in their lives when Funiji came knocking on their door, telling Ko of a way to obtain the power of a Martial God¡ Zhoming rested her chin on her hand as she looked at Nova. Strangely, she found him to be quite similar to a younger Ko, one who used to brim with youthful energy. She¡¯d stare at him training in a daze every day. Maybe she just liked seeing her beloved push himself further? Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Meanwhile, the clone was unaware of her nostalgic gaze, his attention focused on a strange string of blue energy that flickered every now and then. Like a string that connected the fate to one¡¯s soul, he saw it floating through the air. Looking around, no one seem to pay attention to it. Somehow, this strand of light radiated a familiar presence that he could not identify. He did not know when it appeared in his line of sight, it just happened. ¡°¡ªExcuse me.¡± Luxtivin stopped the noble midsentence and pulled back his seat. This caught everyone¡¯s attention since he was the guest of honor tonight. He didn¡¯t pay any attention to them and merely followed the strand of energy in a daze. After watching him leave the dining room, Lian looked at the nobles who were speaking to him earlier. ¡°Did I say something bad? Or was I a bit too pushy?¡± ¡°I admit I got a little excited¡ That might¡¯ve annoyed him a lot.¡± They expressed concern over ¡°Nova¡¯s¡± sudden departure. Lian cleared her throat, ¡°I¡¯ll see what¡¯s going on. Please excuse me, Your Majesty.¡± Zhoming merely nodded. Lian quickly departed the dining room and entered the hall¡ ** ¡°¡A painting?¡± The strand of energy vanished the moment Luxtivin stepped into a room on the second floor. Before it disappeared, he caught a glimpse of where it had been leading. In the center of the room, hanging above a shrine dedicated to the former emperor and empress, was a painting. ~~ Suddenly, music filled the air¡ªthe orchestra¡¯s final rehearsal before the big day. As the melodies swelled, the other sounds faded into the background. The distant chatter below, the hurried footsteps of servants outside, and the sharp commands of chefs in the kitchen all became muffled, drowned out by the music. Luxtivin¡¯s gaze remained locked on the painting, drawn to it as if nothing else in the world mattered. A shirtless man with long, flowing white hair holding a sword to the heavens, stood atop a cliff. His head was turned to the viewer but he had no face, only a pair of powerful golden eyes. -The orchestra bursts into life with violins screeching a sharp, rising tremolo. A brass section roars in harmony, each note climbing higher and higher. Two oceans were splitting on his command. -The violins transition into a thunderous crescendo of timpani and cellos, mimicking the relentless crash of waves tearing apart. A piercing note from the flutes soars above, echoing the scream of wind rushing through the parted seas. Dragons were swimming in the violent waters and flying overhead. -The sound of strings and woodwinds swirl together in chaotic beauty, embodying the serpentine movements of dragons both beneath the waves and through the stormy skies. A trumpet blasts triumphantly, punctuating the scene with power. On the young man¡¯s back was a tattoo representing seven dragon heads and in the middle was a bigger dragon head. -The orchestra swells into a rich, commanding melody¡ªviolins and cellos intertwining as the tattoo pulses with unspoken power. French horns add a regal tone, each note painting the image of ancient, primal dragons roaring in unison. Luxtivin examined it in frigid detail in silence, as if studying it. His eyes were drawn to the person¡¯s golden eyes that looked at him arrogance¡ªthe kind only the strong are allowed to have. Flashes of strange memories flooded his head and it felt like he was being sucked into the painting. A shiver ran down his spine when his gaze was drawn to the sword again, though the room was warm. His fingers flexed, an odd compulsion¡ªone of holding a sword not yet drawn, of standing atop a battlefield long forgotten and gazing out into the beauty of an endless ocean. Even though he remained perfectly still, it felt as if his gaze was closing in¡ªzooming straight into the Sword God¡¯s face. No, not his face¡ªhis eyes. For the briefest moment, the figure¡¯s golden eyes seemed more than just paint on canvas. They were watching him. Judging him in silence. Then, without warning, a torrent of images surged through his mind, flashing by at lightning speed. It was like a hammer striking his skull¡ªtoo much, too fast, impossible to process. But amid the chaos, one image stood out. A single face. Angelica. ¡°¡ª!¡± The moment he snapped out of his daze, he instinctively stumbled back, as if physically pushed. And just like that, the flood of memories vanished. In the same moment, the music reached a final, deafening crescendo as cymbals crashed and every instrument joined together in a glorious, exalted finale. The strings ascend to a piercing, divine high note, holding it until the sound fades into reverent silence. Luxtivin looked away from the painting, his blank eyes looking at the floor instead. He didn¡¯t notice that Lian had entered the room and was watching him. Noticing him staring at the floor blankly, she closed the door silently and walked over to the bed. The moment she had entered, she felt a suffocating presence. Even looking at ¡°Arnold¡¯s¡± back was giving her the chills. Lian couldn¡¯t bring up the reason she¡¯s here in this atmosphere. She waited for him to talk first instead. ¡°¡ªAlchemist.¡± His tone sounded deeper but somewhat the same as Arnold. ¡°Y-Yes?¡± she answered timidly and hurriedly, scared to upset him with a delayed response. Normally she was not like this, but the pressure coming from him was too much to bear and keep her composure. He was certainly not doing it on purpose. After all, he was once a ¡°sword¡± and probably did not know how to control his power. ¡°You have worked with humans for many years, healing them or experimenting on them to develop new drugs¡ You have more experience with humans than the average person¡¡± That was true but why did he feel the need to say this? It¡¯s not like Lian is forcing people to participate in medicine trials to develop new drugs. They volunteer on their own to contribute to society. Through this, Lian was able to garner people¡¯s trust over the span of just a few years. She was even put in charge of all emergency medical teams during the war and was always on the sect elders¡¯ call. Awaiting ¡°Arnold¡± to continue, she silently looked at him. His head suddenly turned just when he spoke. ¡°Can you tell me what it¡ means to be a human?¡± the solemn eyes that seem even deeper than the deepest known abyss and the pale face that could scare even ghosts, faced her. If she could give this unreadable expression a name, it would be ¡°on the verge¡±. ¡°A¡ human? What kind of answer¡ are you looking for exactly?¡± He didn¡¯t blink and a moving shadow twisted in his pupils, "When humans suffer, describe their pain to me. When they find pleasure in intercourse, explain the sensations that ripple through their bodies. When they are angry, tell me¡ªhow does rage feel? And¡ what is their purpose? Biologically. Individually." A simple flood of questions for someone as experienced as her. she didn¡¯t know how this would help him but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to satisfy his curiosity. Lian took a moment to gather her thoughts and think of a suitable answer. "Pain is the body''s way of signaling damage. When cells are injured, they release chemicals that trigger nerve receptors, sending signals to the brain. The intensity depends on the severity and location. Pleasure works similarly¡ªendorphins and dopamine flood the nervous system in response to stimuli. Anger is a heightened state of stress, driven by hormonal shifts, often linked to a perceived threat or injustice." She pauses, studying his face. "As for purpose¡ biologically, humans exist to reproduce and ensure the survival of their species. But individually? That depends. Some seek knowledge. Others seek power. Love. Redemption. Humans are¡ complicated.¡± Lian continued with a ¡°but¡±. ¡°There is no single right answer.¡± Lian¡¯s voice steadied, though a thoughtful crease formed on her brow. ¡°Pain, pleasure, and anger¡ªthey aren¡¯t exclusive to humans. Every living thing feels them in some form. Even beasts cry out when wounded. Even plants react to harm. Even demons must have things that stir their rage. If I had to name what makes us human, I¡¯d say¡ it¡¯s the way we think. Not just instinct, not just reaction¡ªbut introspection. We question. We reflect. We try to find meaning in suffering, to make sense of joy, to control our anger rather than be consumed by it. That¡¯s what sets us apart. You could argue that the simplest explanation would be thought and reproduction through sex.¡± ¡°That is¡ what makes a human¡¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then am I¡¡± He paused, fingers twitching as if hesitating. But before he could finish his sentence, a glint of silver appeared in his hand. A dagger. Where was he keeping that in his suit!? ¡°W-what are you doing!¡± Lian called out. Without another word, he drove the blade into his own arm. Or at least, he tried. The steel barely made a scratch before stopping dead against his flesh, as if repelled by something unseen. For the first time since she met him, a frown marred Luxtivin¡¯s otherwise composed face. His grip tightened on the dagger. A muscle in his jaw twitched. Only by fighting the strong can I hope to feel pain¡ With an almost dismissive flick, he tossed the weapon aside. It clattered against the floor, forgotten. "What use is it to Master if it cannot even wound me?" A heavy silence followed, thick with something unspoken. Then, slowly, Luxtivin looked down at his open palm. A deep breath. His expression blanked. His eyes fluttered closed as if reaching inward¡ªseeking something buried in his very being. And then¡ª Aether. A soft hum filled the air as his hand was enveloped in energy, swirling like liquid starlight, both tranquil and ominous. The power that let Arnold fight demigods¡ Lian¡¯s breath hitched. ¡°Stop¡ª¡± Too late. The dagger had failed. But this? This did not. Luxtivin''s glowing hand plunged into his own chest. The wet, sickening sound of flesh parting filled the room. Lian gasped. He exhaled, slow and measured, and withdrew his hand. Blood trailed down his fingers, dripping onto the floor in steady patters. "I cannot feel pain," he murmured, voice almost... disappointed. She could barely process the words. ¡°W-why would you¡ª?!¡± Heart pounding, she fumbled through her bag, pulling out a potion. But just as she was about to press it into his hand, she froze. The wound was already gone. A thin wisp of smoke curled from his skin as it knitted itself back together¡ªuntouched, as if the injury had never existed. Lian shuddered. What was Arnold? SS Chapter 20 Part 2: The Sentient Sword (2) ¡°¡¡± Is that Arnold¡¯s ability? She never expected a human to have such a powerful healing factor. Meanwhile, Luxtivin was still pondering to himself. He will only be human for a day and was acting out the orders given to him by his master so trying to find answers¡ªof what it means to be human¡ªwill turn out to be useless anyway. He might even forget he was ever given sentience. But he can at least get a taste of what ¡°humanity¡± is like. ¡°I am capable of thought but I cannot feel anger¡¡± he traced his fingers over his chest¡ªthe same place that Arthur struck him, killing him in cold blood. Each time Arnold recalled that moment, his anger would boil and force its way into his very soul. He could suppress that rage and urge to kill but it would be a different story if Arthur was right in front of him¡ª No one will be able to stop him if he plans to enact his revenge. What Luxtivin felt earlier, when he could not control the voices in his head, were his own thoughts. However, after becoming somewhat used to his human body, he was able to suppress the desires and thoughts that were not his own. He was, after all, merely granted sentience and this body and memories were not his own either. The difference between Arnold and him is that he has access to Arnold¡¯s future memories that his future self intentionally locked him out of. He has seen what Arnold becomes. But that path was one filled with danger which would lead to his eventual end. Since such a future has yet to come to pass, things can still change for the current Arnold so Luxtivin did not dwell on those memories. ¡®There is one more thing to test.¡¯ he faced Lian. ¡°W-What¡?¡± she retreated a few steps. Without answering, he walked towards her until she was against the wall and could feel his breath on her face. Lian gulped. But the moment his lips were inches away from hers, she pushed him back and averted her gaze. ¡°I-I only have sex with someone if there is a benefit to to me, not to satisfy someone¡¯s curiosity!¡± ¡°You say that but your signature is showing that you are in heat.¡± ¡°Wha!?¡± her whole face flushed red. Through Luxtivin¡¯s eyes, he could see two glowing red areas mixed in with the normal yellow aura that made up Lian¡¯s signature. One was coming from her chest and the other was right between her legs. It needn¡¯t be mentioned which red area was bigger through his eyes. ¡°I-It doesn¡¯t matter what your warrior sense tells you! No means no!¡± ¡°I understand.¡± He backed off immediately. ¡°Eh, wha¡¡± this unexpected turn left her feeling slightly disappointed. But she quickly snapped out of it and remembered why she came here in the first place. ¡°Ahem,¡± after clearing her throat and fixing her kimono, Lian spoke, ¡°You left the dinner table before the emperor even arrived. This is normally very rude and the inner martials who were present at the dining room were livid with your brutish behavior. The guests thought they were the reason you left so soon and were worried they were rude to you somehow. They requested me to ask if something is wrong.¡± ¡°Something¡ drew me to this room.¡± He looked around the room, desperately searching for that strand of energy but it was nowhere to be found. ¡°Really¡? Did that something distract you so much that you didn¡¯t even notice me enter? Hm?¡± she noticed him looking at the painting on the wall again. ¡°This painting¡ Why is such an important piece of art in a guest room¡ A statue of Melis would not be in some nun¡¯s room either but rather a place of worship like a church or shrine.¡± ¡°This is¡ªno, was¡ªPrince Rasuke¡¯s room. They¡¯ve refurbished and moved a lot of things but that painting stayed on the same spot for many years, no one daring to touch it. Even to move it to the Emperor¡¯s chambers.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t they touch it? Well, unless it¡¯s about to fall, only a Divine Dao is allowed to touch this painting.¡± ¡°¡So that is the reason why it is still here even though part of the wall has cracks in it.¡± Lian nodded. ¡°The emperor said that if it bends even slightly, he will have it moved to the master bedroom so it won¡¯t be at risk of falling. The last person to touch that painting was Rasuke¡¯s great-grandfather¡ªthe last Divine Dao of this empire. He lived for 400 years, longer than his own son, but was too old to train Rasuke personally. That duty fell to Rasuke¡¯s grandfather instead.¡± She glanced at the painting again. ¡°Suesei has so many stories about his childhood¡ªhow his grandfather shaped him far more than his own father ever did. It makes sense. The late Emperor wasn¡¯t a fighter¡ªjust a normal human, like Kohana. As a child, Rasuke used to say that the only reason he sought immense strength was to make himself worthy of touching that painting. He didn¡¯t have much of a relationship with his sister back then, so she wasn¡¯t his motivation¡ªunlike now. But even now, I think that painting remains his most important goal.¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Does the motivation matter when he will be able to do both things with such strength?¡± The strength of a Divine Dao, a martial who can split oceans with the flick of his wrist, tame dragons with his voice alone, and break the sky with one punch. ¡°No, I suppose not.¡± ¡°Who will move the painting once Ko is killed?¡± ¡®So even the sword knows Arnold is telling the truth¡ªthat he knows someone that can kill Ko¡¡¯ Or maybe Arnold can kill him. ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s heavy or anything. People here only respect the traditional values of having paintings of revered gods so anyone can do it, even I, a non-martial artist.¡± ¡°¡I wonder who the painter was to have created something that¡¯s treated like a divine artifact¡¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard stories¡ª¡± Lian was interrupted before she could even finish. ¡°Tell me what you¡¯ve heard.¡± He turned his head at lightning-fast speed to look back at her. ¡°O-Okay¡ Well, it¡¯s said that during Emperor Gato¡¯s rule 500 years ago, a magician came to the palace offering a tribute in exchange for ancient grimoires that this empire had kept hidden for centuries after the mass purge of magicians. These grimoires were considered objects of evil so the populace thought the magician had evil intentions. But the emperor ignored this once they set their gazes on the tribute the magician brought¡ªthe painting. The magician said he came from another timeline where Ragnarok had already happened and the realms were slowly being consumed by the Dark Forces. The last sanctuary was a garden in the Divine Realm, where the Destiny Goddess sat with a painting brush in hand. He claimed she was the only god left and was painting her beloved one last time before she forgets his face completely in death.¡± ¡°A magician who can travel across time¡ Is it the Archmage?¡± Freya York hasn¡¯t learned it just yet but she can cast a time spell in the future that can only work once every 10 years. Time travel is the most difficult category of spells to master. Even forwarding time is an impossible task for current Freya. ¡°I¡¯m not sure exactly who the magician is but the various illustrations of him that exist today only show him in cloaks that cover his face but many of them show him with bony hands. At first, I suspected it was Thanrion but he would not willingly choose to come to a world like this since he despises martials. If not him then it could¡¯ve been the Spirit King.¡± The two of them were the most powerful magic casters in Star Fantasy so this wouldn¡¯t be out of their reach if they tried. ¡°One thing that we do know, however, is that the magician is a World Jumper. It makes the story of him traveling across time that much more credible, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Hmm¡¡± Is it due to ¡°Class Ascension¡±, perhaps? There¡¯s no evidence that the class [World Jumper] has the [Time Travel] (just a placeholder name for whatever time travel is called) evolution class. A bird chirp came from the window, interrupting their conversation. ¡®The thief girl.¡¯ Lian hurriedly ran over to the window and opened it up. After being let inside, she stiffened when she looked into ¡°Nova¡¯s¡± eyes. She was already in on the plan so she knew this wasn¡¯t the real him but still, how could you have the exact same handsome face but radiate an even deadlier pressure than the original? She kept her thoughts to herself and turned to Lian. She pulled out the palace¡¯s maps that Kohana drew and pointed to one of the lower levels, ¡°Something troublesome is interfering with my search. The magic item is acting strange in this part of the palace. It¡¯s like something is interfering with its mechanism.¡± ¡°Magic item interference? I don¡¯t have any knowledge on what it could be. But maybe you¡¯re close?¡± Lian frowned a little but came up with the obvious explanation. ¡°Unless this palace is built right on top of a relic tomb or dungeon, there must be an interference spell in place somewhere down there.¡± Luxtivin provided an explanation Lian didn¡¯t think of. ¡°Eh?¡± both of them were bewildered by that answer. ¡°Since magic isn¡¯t common in this empire or anywhere else, the former is more likely even if it sounds absurd.¡± ¡°Uhm, I don¡¯t think the imperial family has ever said anything about a relic tomb or dungeon being down there¡¡± Then again, no one can cast an interference spell of this magnitude that can stop a magic locator from working. ¡°There could be another possibility but what I said is the most likely answer. But I know to circumvent it.¡± He held out his hand to her, ¡°The crystal powering the magic item is too weak to withstand the magic interference. Give it here.¡± ¡°Okay¡¡± Thief Girl took out the magic item from her shadow and handed it to him. She watched him intently. Suddenly, he took out a red magic crystal the size of his hand. ¡®Wait a second, that crystal¡¡¯ its pure azure radiance looked somewhat familiar to her but she wasn¡¯t sure if the crystal was the one she had in mind. Even if it was just available to select nobles in the empire, there¡¯s a chance it grows in other places as well and Nova just happened to stumble upon them. Yeah. As if he had handled such an item before, Nova opened the backplate of the magic item, took out the ¡°inferior¡± blue crystal and placed the ¡°superior¡± red crystal inside. A red haze swallowed the magic item for a second before its gears began grinding even without turning it on. That subsided after a while though and the red hue vanished. ¡°Hand me three blank talismans, Lian.¡± He held out his hand. ¡°Okay.¡± Not asking what for, she retrieved the paper from her purse. She always carries extra around even at formal events. ¡°Here¡¯s some ink as well.¡± The clone pasted the talismans onto the magic item prism and began drawing strange symbols on the talismans. These symbols were clearly runes but Lian couldn¡¯t exactly understand them due to their complexity. He isn¡¯t a Shaman, is he¡? ¡°Done. With this the talismans should act as ventilation for the magic item so that the crystal¡¯s mana doesn¡¯t break it.¡± ¡°The crystal is that powerful? Uhm, say, would you happen to have more of those? They could come in handy with my work¡¡± Lian asked. ¡°I don¡¯t have another one. You can use the crystal inside once we¡¯re done with it." ¡®This magic item needs a lot of fuel to work and yet he¡¯s saying that the crystal will still have enough energy¡?¡¯ The crystal didn¡¯t look like anything Lian has seen before. Sure, red crystals exist in this land but none of them look as bloody red as the crystal in the magic item right now. It looked like a diamond that bathed in a pool of blood. Alchemy requires powerful mediums and lots of fuel. Lian can only conduct experiments after gathering a thousand kilograms of crystals. If these red crystals grow in Arnold¡¯s world, then she¡¯d be able to use them to get her personal experiments and work done quicker. Question is, are they hard to find? ¡°I¡¯m finished with what I needed to do so I¡¯m heading back.¡± He handed the magic item to Ruria. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you rather rest? You don¡¯t look well.¡± Lian said worriedly, stopping him in his tracks. He was silent for a second but shook his head. ¡°¡I¡¯m fine. An order from my esteemed master shan''t be disobeyed due to just my discomfort. I¡¯ll be going back to the dining hall.¡± After he left, Ruria looked at Lian with a smirk, ¡°What were you two doing alone in this room?¡± Lian turned her face to the side, ¡°J-Just go do your job already. Let me know once you find the secret room.¡± With a chuckle, she jumped into a shadow and left the room as quietly as she came. ¡°¡If I hadn¡¯t resisted¡¡± Lian shifted her legs uncomfortably, feeling the squishy feeling below. ¡°Gods, I need to find myself a husband.¡± SS Chapter 21 Part 1: Kneeling Before True Strength Arnold made his way over to the Hungry Owlbear Inn. Just from looking at the outside, he could tell this was a fancy establishment. For someone like Mian Xi, who probably had made tens of thousands of gold from the tournament alone, the fees were a breeze to take care of. Arnold likes to splurge as well but this journey of his made him hesitant on what he should spend money on. Of course, he was paid an enormous sum of money¡ªincluding gifts from all the nobles so his magic bag was filled with jewelry and other expensive stuff that he could sell. Despite being richer than even some nobles now, all he¡¯ll probably buy for now is a few bottles of strong liquor for the road. Before going up to see Mian, he sat down at the bar in the corner of the large inn and called over the bartender. The bartender froze when she saw him, ¡°S-Sir Nova, you g-grace us with your presence!¡± she hurriedly bowed. ¡°Just go get me the best alcohol you have.¡± ¡°Right away! I¡¯ll be back in a minute!¡± she ran to the back and once out of sight, Arnold could hear clamoring and loud whispers inside. ¡°Hn? What did she just say?¡± a few tables away were a group of martials who overheard her. They were the only ones still here while the rest of the guests were sleeping. Judging by their clothes and weapons, they were city guards who tend to wear the red colors of Ko¡¯s army with straw hats. ¡°She said that¡¯s Nova, the guy who beat both Mian Xi and Breuk!¡± another martial chimed in. ¡°Hold on, why is he here of all places when Mian Xi regularly rents this place? Shouldn¡¯t he be at the palace?¡± ¡°Maybe he just stopped by for a quick drink before going to the palace?¡± ¡°But there¡¯s a fancy restaurant right across where the palace is. He could¡¯ve gotten wine there if he wants to get drunk.¡± ¡°Suspicious, suspicious¡¡± ¡°My guess is he¡¯s here to see Lady Mian Xi. Do you think the two of them¡ª¡± The sound of a mug hitting a table resounded, silencing the guards and making them look over to corner where the sound came from. There sat a giant of a man whose head was covered with a cloak. He suddenly got up after gulping down his mug of ale. The loud strides from heavy boots resounded as the shadow over Arnold grew even more. When he felt a presence right behind him, he glanced back and looked up. The giant brute with shoulders as broad as a mountain and upper body as thick as an ox stared down at Arnold. ¡°What a coincidence¡ªor did you know where I was heading and came here in advance?¡± ¡°¡¡± The bartender came back and timidly handed Arnold the bottle. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m not looking to become your friend so get out of my sight.¡± Arnold faced forward again and drank straight from the bottle. Before the taste of the alcohol could set in, Breuk spoke. ¡°¡ªHow are you so strong?¡± The bar lady, a servant sweeping the floor nearby and the rowdy guards from a few tables away, all looked at Arnold at that question. ¡°¡Are you the Sword Martial God sang about in legends?¡± Hearing that ridiculous question, everyone looked at him incredulous. But it didn¡¯t seem so ridiculous when they recalled the final match¡ªNova beating both Mian and Breuk, the tournament¡¯s most powerful competitors in its entire history. Even without the rumored ¡°Enlightenment¡± that Ko can bestow upon his martials, they were almost as strong as Celestial Saints. Plus, his features¡ªstriking golden eyes and silver-white hair. ¡®Me, Promethius¡¯ master?¡¯ He almost let out a chuckle at the ridiculousness. But he didn¡¯t fault Breuk for this strange question since it was true that endgame Arnold looked like a younger version of that guy. There¡¯s only one illustration of the Sword God even though he¡¯s a prominent figure in the divine realm and a legend to the mortals. ¡°What gave you that idea?¡± without turning to look at the brute, he asked. ¡°They say that¡ the Sword God is walking amongst us humans, unlike his brethren.¡± ¡°In the mortal realms?¡± ¡°Aye, but I am not sure which one out of this one (Midorn) and Skeldrheim.¡± Arnold turned around on his seat, ¡°So, that¡¯s where the misunderstanding comes from, huh? Some people are just born special. You were just on the other end of the stick in this life.¡± He pointed at Breuk at if he were holding a stick. ¡°¡No hard work at all?¡± ¡°Well, I had a very reliable instructor.¡± Arnold recalled all those times Sebas beat him to near death to ¡°improve his endurance¡± and forced him to run around the whole city to ¡°improve stamina¡±. And not to mention only letting him rest when his body breaks down from exhaustion. ¡°Was he the one who taught you that martial art you used that gave you a blue glow?¡± not even asking for permission, Breuk sat beside Arnold. He was moving rather slowly as if he still had broken bones. The palace doctors should¡¯ve given him potions that Lian taught to them. Arnold received the same but he didn¡¯t need it since¡ªwell¡ªhe wasn¡¯t injured in the slightest. As if on cue, the bar lady brought out a jug of ale which Breuk drank just like that without a mug. ¡°I learned that on my own.¡± Breuk paused while drinking, glancing sideways at Arnold before putting the jug down. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°You¡ learned a martial art all on your own?¡± ¡°What, is that hard to believe?¡± Arnold could feel all their eyes on him and not just Breuk¡¯s. ¡°¡That¡¯s what sects are for.¡± Breuk stated the obvious. ¡°Why learn some millennia old martial art when you can create one on your own? That¡¯s what I did and it only took me a year.¡± Maybe it was the alcohol getting to him but he wasn¡¯t this talkative usually. Not minding it, he just took another sip. Only then did he realize how much it burnt the throat. ¡°Phew.¡± He put the mug down before looking at Breuk who was still looking at him blankly, ¡°Get to the point why you¡¯re talking to me. I¡¯m only drinking here for a bit before going upstairs. Are you here to get revenge on your arrogant little brother? Does he still have his teeth? I can¡¯t remember what he looked like at the end of our fight.¡± ¡°Ha¡ Hahaha¡ Hahaha¡¡± Breuk suddenly began laughing as he leaned back with his head facing the ceiling, ¡°Hahahaha¡. Hmm¡¡± he then leaned forward on the table, his eyes staring at his scarred hands. ¡°My Pa used to say I was the pinnacle of martial prowess¡ªthe strongest warrior ever born in the Mountain Sect. No one else could compare to me, not even the sect elders and old masters I challenged on my journey. My people separated during the war and chose to pursue our own goals. Even me and my baby brother. I sought greater strength while he sought gold. Few years passed and we reunited a day after the last tournament. He joined a thief¡¯s guild after his pirating life failed in the end while I had no one.¡± Arnold silently drank. He couldn¡¯t deny that he was interested in the background of a warrior who possesses a ¡°pure derivation martial art¡±. ¡°Have you ever used your martial arts on others before me?¡± ¡°No. So far, only sword techniques and body arts have been enough.¡± ¡°Arrogance got to you this time.¡± He said mockingly. ¡°¡I have never truly fought against someone stronger than myself. I do not know how to feel about it. There were monsters that even I could not win against in a fair fight but I used more than just my power to fell those foes. For humans, it is different. Our bodies are weaker so only using brute force has worked for me this far.¡± ¡°You¡¯re no different from your stupid little brother.¡± He lacks the dignity you are displaying and wags his tongue without thought to his betters, Arnold said under his breath, recalling how the little bastard wanted to extort money out of him. "That is true." Breuk sighed before taking a long sip of his ale. "I am more educated than him and have lived among nobles, whether as an escort or a castle guard, so I¡¯ve picked up etiquette while in service. Meanwhile, he has spent his life after the war roaming the seas with pirates. Many times, I feel ashamed to call him my brother, yet I cannot deny the bond we share through our martial art." Swirling his mug, Breuk continued, "He is in critical condition now¡ªmore so than I ever was¡ªbut the nobles did not extend the same kindness to him as they did to me." "That¡¯s because you¡¯re still useful to them, even in defeat. You and Mian Xi both, actually." "I do not see myself on her level." "Oh? Why¡¯s that?" "I cannot control my martial art as well as she controls hers. I was the prodigy of my clan, but compared to her, I am still a child. You didn¡¯t even need your martial art to defeat me, yet you used it. I cannot fathom why you, someone beyond my level, would extend me that honor." "I hadn¡¯t used it in quite a while, so our battle seemed like as good a time as any." "When one side fights with all their might while the other merely toys with them, it brings great shame¡ªnot only to them but to the family whose honor they swore to uphold." "Honor, again?" Breuk¡¯s shoulders tensed, and he averted his gaze. "I... I did not mean to speak of honor so brazenly. Forgive me." -"Did the God Hand just apologize!?" -"Look at him! He¡¯s shaking like someone who dove into a river in the dead of winter! Hahahaha!" The bartender lady looked at Breuk as if she saw a ghost. Arnold glanced at Breuk¡¯s hand gripping the mug. It was true¡ªhe was trembling. Sighing, Arnold shifted the conversation. "By ¡®going all out,¡¯ you mean what you did at the end, right? That suicide skill¡ªblack hole?" "...Aye¡ You are right to call it a suicide skill. In the centuries past, my people used it often when they were outmatched in battle. Back then, there were no rules to our martial art¡ªwe had no knowledge of its true origins. It was a gift to us, a gift that made us eternally grateful to the one that bestowed it to our ancestors." The rules surrounding direct derivations of pure martial arts varies depending on what it can do. This is common sense so it doesn¡¯t have to be explicitly mentioned. For Arnold, he isn¡¯t allowed to use [Storm of the Water Dragon] in a crowded place if he¡¯s facing off against multiple enemies in that same place. For Sebastian, he vowed to never target a person¡¯s head when in a fight that could be resolved by restraining the opponent. Punching them in the head would shatter their skulls and brains. A monk should resolve matters through talking but if that doesn¡¯t work, restrain the opponent but if the opponent doesn¡¯t listen even then or their crimes are too severe to ignore¡ªkill them. Despite being only in the level 70s, his punches were astronomically more powerful than even level cap warriors. Arnold would know since he was punched through a wall just months ago. The rules aren¡¯t forced on them by a nation or powerful sects but rather they¡¯re the ones that should have the common sense to restrain themselves depending on the situation. While not a real black hole, what Breuk conjured just from the point where his fists collided, could¡¯ve destroyed part of this empire and killed thousands if Arnold didn¡¯t stop it. Of course, Ko would¡¯ve broken Breuk¡¯s neck before he could infuse enough power into the black hole anyway but Arnold was quicker to grab the conjured energy. ¡°You¡ You said you have a master, right?¡± Breuk changed the subject. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°¡ Right¡ It would be too absurd for you to get this far on your own¡ Even the Divine Daos of legend had masters.¡± Arnold didn¡¯t say anything to that. ¡°What is it like to have a master?¡± ¡°Huh, you¡¯ve never had one?¡± ¡°Aye, younger me thought I did not need one after I learned my sect¡¯s martial art from the elders. There was some truth to that in the past because I was able to get this far alone.¡± ¡°But you can¡¯t control your martial art that well.¡± ¡°Aye¡ It is either use little bit of strength or go all out.¡± ¡°Rather odd way to fight and very risky. Even without you telling people, they¡¯ll know you¡¯ve never had a master to correct your faults.¡± Yet again, Arnold remembered his ¡°dark past¡± where training every day was a battle of ¡°life or death¡± for him, ¡°Or a strict master to guide you and not just train your body.¡± Since Sebastian used to be a slave in a gladiator arena as a young man, he had fought with his life on the line every single day. Through pushing Arnold to his very limit, he was able to teach Arnold that a fight is never over until even the tiniest sliver of energy in your body is still present. Just like he was beaten into a bloody pulp daily, he drove Arnold to the same state to educate him. It was due to Sebas¡¯ teachings that he was able to hold his own against demigods (Kalda and Gederick) through combat experience alone. Looking at him from the side, Breuk could tell by his dazed gaze that Arnold was thinking about his master. How great of a man must this master be if he could forge this young man into a being of absolute strength that could stand equal to Celestial Saints and Divine Daos? Truth be told, Breuk was approached by Ko a few months ago so him participating in this tournament wasn¡¯t that much of a coincidence. Their exchange was just one side offering the other a deal. Ko needed powerful warriors for some ¡°inevitable fight to come¡± and Breuk needed strength. It was as if fate arranged their meeting. The Inner Martials were the most elite private army under the emperor. Upon entering Ko¡¯s service, they throw away their previous names and embrace a new life¡ªa life serving a tyrant. In return for their servitude, they are granted a way to ¡°reach a different level of strength¡± almost instantly. The method was never revealed but there were rumors that, upon becoming Divine Daos, martials are able to enlighten others through simple rituals at the cost of vitality. To Breuk at the time who thought this shortcut to strength would allow him to wield his clan¡¯s martial arts to its fullest extent, it seemed like a lucrative deal. But Breuk had learned that artificial strength will not get him far, far enough to stand beside those same Celestial Saints and Divine Daos of legend. The one who made him realize this was sitting right next to him. This is why¡ª ¡°I¡ am aware of my shortcomings and¡ I want to correct them¡ Which is why I would like to¡ meet your master.¡± Without hesitation, Breuk proclaimed his main reason for approaching Arnold. SS Chapter 21 Part 2: Mian Xi The silence in the inn was almost deafening. The onlookers¡¯ gazes alternate between Breuk and Arnold. ¡°Why my master exactly? He is not experienced with your martial arts so how could he help you?" ¡°I¡ have a feeling he will be able to teach me other things that will naturally help me improve my control over my martial art.¡± Breuk replied. ¡°You¡¯re sure about that?¡± Breuk nodded, a determined expression on his face. ¡°Hmm¡¡± Feeling his eyes, Arnold decided to offer a condition. ¡°Instead of me analyzing, breaking down and understanding your martial art on my own, teach it to me directly¡ªif you give me your word then I will take you to my master.¡± Someone like Breuk was far more compatible with Sebas¡¯ gruesome physical training than Arnold. The training focused on increasing endurance, muscles, speed and strength. The problem is that Arnold is an agile fighter and can compensate for lack of a strong physical body with his immense aura pool. But now that his training with Sebastian is over, he was a hybrid warrior who was more skilled in barehanded combat than swordsmanship. He could close that gap with his martial art but if he were to face off against an actual Master Swordsman like ¡°Enlightened¡± Flora or Vance von Penston, then he¡¯ll have a hard time winning with skill alone. ¡°Something like that in exchange for my martial art¡ Hng¡¡± Breuk grumbled. It was definitely an unfair exchange. But he¡¯s looking to get stronger and learn to control his martial art. Who better to learn it from than another martial artist with a pure derived martial art¡ªthe [Fingers of God]? Something like this is being handed to him on a silver platter so he should be grateful for it. ¡°Look, I cannot teach it to you¡ª" Not even bothering to hear him out, Arnold got up wordlessly. ¡°B-But the materials!¡± Arnold stopped right when he was about to walk away, ¡°I¡ I can get you the study materials for the martial art¡¡± ¡®Blurting something this taboo out loud is surely going to cause trouble for me.¡¯ He thought as he glanced at the guards, bartender girl and servant who were still present. All of them did their best to not look at him, pretending that they didn¡¯t hear him. It¡¯s not that he doesn¡¯t want to do the exchange, it¡¯s just that he doesn¡¯t know how to teach others the martial art. Even he doesn¡¯t understand what it is and how to use it properly. As mentioned before, he either has to use a bit of its power or go all out, as demonstrated in his fight with Arnold. There was no balance to it. This is what arrogance of one¡¯s youth does if you get too full of yourself from getting called a ¡°prodigy¡±. Turning around, Arnold replied to him: ¡°You weren¡¯t a sect elder of your clan so how is it possible for you¡ªa student¡ªto know where they keep the secrets of your martial art?¡± Only clan elders are supposed to know where the materials are and only they are the ones allowed to learn from them. After learning everything the materials offer, they can then decide what to teach the young ones. There are normally meetings between elders to decide that, meetings only sect elders can attend. ¡°My father¡ He told me where they were before we parted ways. If ever I wanted to rebuild the clan on my own.¡± ¡°Really? If your other clansmen found out, he¡¯ll be executed for disobeying a clan rule.¡± ¡°Aye¡¡± ¡°Hmm¡¡± Arnold thought about it for the moment. He was going back to the academy in a few days and since he can pass all his classes with ease, he won¡¯t need to waste time on studying that much. There will be more time for him to go through the book Sceptim gave him. Not just that, there¡¯s also the pure martial art he¡¯s after and now Breuk¡¯s pure derived martial art. It¡¯s going to be a busy year, not just for Luke but him as well. ¡°I accept.¡± ** ¡°Where were you!? I waited hours!¡± the moment Arnold appeared in front of Mian¡¯s door, she pulled him inside and complained. ¡°What, you couldn¡¯t sense me downstairs?¡± ¡°Eh? You were downstairs¡?¡± she suddenly blushed and scratched her cheek, ¡°¡It¡¯s a bit difficult to differentiate people from each other these days¡¡± ¡°You¡¯re one of the most powerful martials in this empire but you can¡¯t even use Warrior Sense? Also, shouldn¡¯t Yokai have this natural ability to sense energy signatures?¡± ¡°I-It would¡¯ve interfered with my martial art! Humph. Thinking about it, why do I need to know where the enemy is when they can¡¯t even harm me?¡± she stuck her chest out and proclaimed proudly. ¡°I guess that makes sense¡¡± Arnold noticed her attire¡ªa see-through nightdress and sexy lingerie, the same her afterimages wore. Noticing his stare, she retreated back, ¡°Keep your dirty thoughts to yourself. I¡¯m not offering myself to you. This is just how I get comfortable.¡± She hugged her bountiful chest and turned away from him. ¡°How comfortable do you need to be just to teach me your martial art?¡± ¡°Well, there is one thing that will require me to dress lightly so that there isn¡¯t a lot of things interfering with this training.¡± She blushed for some reason. ¡°And that is¡?¡± ¡°I need to pull out your Inner Essence and surround your body in it. That way, it will be easier to adapt to the martial art by starting small.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯m capable of using that energy. All I¡¯ve been using all my life is aura. And what do you mean by it will be easier to learn the martial art with it?¡± Lifting her index finger, she explained: ¡°One: Yokai are naturally capable of forcing out a non-spiritual race¡¯s energy regardless of said being¡¯s own will. I would be able to force out all your Aether if it wasn¡¯t so immense. The mental pressure alone could crush me since I need to be in my invulnerable state that requires me to have the mind of a void. But despite these dangers, you don¡¯t need to do anything, just leave it to me.¡± She lifted her middle finger, ¡°Two: Inner Essence is the closest physical connection humans have to a Yokai¡¯s spirit form, which allows us to travel through dimensions or survive the vacuum of space. You could say the energy that surrounds us¡ªthat is, spirits¡ªare of a better-quality wine than your Inner Essence, that¡¯s basically cheap ale but can barely function the same as spirits can.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°By spirits, do you mean the spirits around us or is it another type of spirit I don¡¯t know about?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s spirits. The little creatures that can be found everywhere. Watch what happens to my hand.¡± she lifted her right forearm. A strange white glow suddenly surrounded it, ¡°The white glow is a sign that the spirits heeded my command. If I were a greenhorn at this then this means I can finally stick my hand through physical objects.¡± Saying so, she tried to grab a pitcher from a nearby table but her right hand went through it. ¡°I can use this ability without the need for these little creatures since I am a spirit myself. Yokai are a type of spirit¡ªI¡¯m sure you knew this?¡± ¡°Yeah, I just didn¡¯t expect that to be of any significance other than telling you apart from ghosts and undead. I didn¡¯t even know your kind have this martial art.¡± She harrumphed, ¡°It is due to our alienation from the human race that you spout such ignorant nonsense.¡± ¡°So, even if I manage to succeed, I¡¯ll need to keep using Inner Essence? Won¡¯t that get in the way of my Aether if I plan to use it in combat?¡± ¡°Practice enough then you can use both energies simultaneously. But take care not to use both for combat. As you said, you¡¯re inexperienced in handling Inner Essence so there will be a tip in the balance if you use that energy to fight. Then again, Inner Essence is mostly used for body arts. Do you use those?¡± ¡°Not even one. My master taught me to circulate my aura in my meridians at an early age so that¡¯s where most of my physical strength comes from.¡± ¡°That is not an easy thing to learn¡ Either your master is incredibly gifted in the art of teaching or you¡¯re just that talented.¡± ¡°It''s a bit of both¡±, he said. ¡°Pah, there¡¯s that arrogance every martial artist that¡¯s full of themselves, have! It ruins your handsome face.¡± ¡°Stop spouting nonsense and let¡¯s begin already.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Watching him intently, she began to slowly take off her nightdress, in an almost provocative manner. Standing in front of him in just her lingerie, she ordered: ¡°You strip as well.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take off all your clothes. I don¡¯t want to see that thing in your pants. Down to your underwear is fine enough. Adding to what I said earlier about getting comfortable¡ªwearing multiple layers of clothing while practicing this martial art will be like picking several locks at once on the same door. I can handle it but you can¡¯t. I wouldn¡¯t want your hand to get stuck in my clothes. Skin-on-skin works best for this martial art training.¡± She took a deliberate look around the room and tapped her lip with a strange glint in her eyes, ¡°Since I¡¯m the only human near you, you can practice with me before moving on to inanimate objects.¡± She pushed her chest out, accentuating her large breasts as if presenting them. Before long, Arnold was in his boxers, ignoring the succubus trying to tease him. This made her pout silently. ¡°¡So I have to touch you directly?¡± he looked at her breasts. ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m the only other human here. Plus, I can react in time if you happened to lose focus. Any other person will have your hand stuck in them so it¡¯s probably best that only I serve as your guinea pig. In any case, you need to experiment with flesh first before moving onto inanimate objects. Moving your hands through living cells, blood vessels, bone, and everything else in the human body is easier to do for beginners than starting with solid walls. I don¡¯t know the deep theory to it other than the familiarity you have with your own body that helps you do it easier with humans. You can practice on a door, but one wrong move then you lose a chunk of your flesh and your arm will fall off.¡± ¡°¡¡± ¡°Kukuku, scared?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Hmm~ Is that so? Then let¡¯s begin. Ah but first,¡± she bent forward and looked at him with an upward glance with her hands on her hips, ¡°Tell me the Spirit King¡¯s name.¡± ¡°Aurelindorilthaswynvaedhiel.¡± He didn¡¯t even hesitate to say it. ¡°E-Eh?¡± Mian Xi made an idiotic sound and face. ¡°Aurelindorilthaswynvaedhiel, is the name.¡± ¡°Why is it so long!?¡± she ran over to her magic bag that was hanging over a chair and took out a pen and paper, ¡°Write it down! I can¡¯t remember it if you just say it to me.¡± ¡°Fine. But you better not let anyone else see it.¡± Once he was done, she held the piece of paper like it was the most precious thing in the world. Her fingers were trembling as they traced the lines of the ink. ¡°¡This is the name of the person who can save my people¡¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t your people anymore. You are human and Yokai, one foot on one side and one foot on the other side.¡± ¡°I know. They¡¯ll probably be angry at me for embracing my human side¡¡± she laughed to herself while her gaze travelled down. She hovered her hand above the parchment of paper. The next moment, a white energy surrounded her fingers. She suddenly drew something in the air and afterwards particles of white sprinkled onto the piece of paper and made it vanish. ¡®She¡¯s going to keep it in her pocket dimension, huh. It¡¯s that precious to her.¡¯ Pocket dimension is similar to a space pocket but something that only Yokais can access at will. It¡¯s like a gathering place for their people and a safe haven for their treasures. If Mian somehow manages to revive her people, then they¡¯ll all appear there. ¡°You have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you.¡± She bowed her head. ¡°If you were really a Yokai, that wouldn¡¯t have meant much to you either.¡± ¡°Mm, you¡¯re right about that.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s move on. I need to be somewhere tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°You should be at the palace. I didn¡¯t pry because I can tell how important it is for you to learn this martial art despite its difficultly. Don¡¯t think it will be easy. This martial art was designed for Yokais but humans have the bare minimum required to learn it.¡± ¡°Bare minimum? You already mentioned Inner Essence but what else is there?¡± ¡°The ability to think and to suppress your feelings.¡± In response to her vague reply, he frowned. ¡°You already know that all Yokais need to be uncaring even in the face of suffering and cruelty. We must never mourn a loved one or love our mates because all relationships should be purely for purpose and not pleasure or love. Humans are capable of the same thing but by becoming a creature devoid of thought, their true natures come out. That is, true human nature. This is how psychopaths are born and why mental asylums are prevalent in society.¡± She looked at him silently for a moment, ¡°¡Take care you do not end up like that once you master this martial art.¡± ¡°Will you care this much about the poor orphans you want to take under your wing? They¡¯ll end up the same as me in the end regardless.¡± ¡°The skill I¡¯ll teach you isn¡¯t the only ability my martial art has.¡± ¡°Oh right, the afterimages and that giant fox.¡± ¡°Yes, and much more I will rather not show¡ But if you¡¯d like me to teach you that as well, I will do so. Rather, I implore you to ask more of me because the Spirit King¡¯s name bears great value.¡± After saying so, she climbed onto the bed and patted the spot next to her. Arnold climbed on wordlessly and waited for further instruction. Mian held out her palm to him. ¡°Now put your hand against mine. I¡¯ll pull out your energy then you try and push your own hand through mine. If you fail to keep the energy around your hand, I will be able to react in time so that we don¡¯t join flesh¡ª¡± she suddenly blushed, ¡°Gosh, that came out dirtier than I thought it would.¡± ¡°¡¡± Arnold silently put his hand against hers. ¡®My goodness, I didn¡¯t realize he had such large hands¡¡¯ thought Mian Xi when their skin touched. His hand was rugged and full of callouses. His fingers were thicker and longer than hers. ¡°Ahem, here goes. If you get this right, then trying touching other areas on my body. Then try it on your own body to get a feel for it.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Mian Xi suddenly pulled her hand away from his, a thin, transparent white energy trailing after her touch. Though weaker in intensity than Aether, it shared the same pale hue. The moment she forced his energy out, Arnold felt a strange sensation¡ªas if something vital had been yanked from within him. It reminded him of the time she had stolen his lifeforce. ¡®So, pulling out an opponent¡¯s energy is possible¡ That could be useful.¡¯ But first, he needed to understand how she did it. Fighting magicians as powerful or on Lauran¡¯s level will be easy if he learned this. "Hm, that''s odd," Mian Xi muttered, examining the energy floating above her palm. "What is?" "This energy doesn¡¯t match the sign on your soul," she said, idly waving her hand. The sphere of pure white energy followed her movements like a tethered wisp. "The sign? What does that mean?" "We Yokai have something similar to Warrior Sense¡ªlike you said earlier so you should know about what it can do. Ours works exclusively within the supernatural plane. In simple terms, I can tell if someone is being controlled by a ghost or a devil just by comparing the energy they release to the spiritual footprint¡ªa sign¡ªthey left on their soul." She gestured at the energy in her hand. "Aura, Aether, mana, and Ki don¡¯t come from the soul itself, but they do carry a unique signature, almost like an identification tag. These energies surround a martial¡¯s soul, which allows their soul to leave a spiritual fingerprint as I said¡ªa sign¡ªand make it unique from other people¡¯s energies. We Yokai can see, feel, hear, and touch it even from birth. Although, human elementalists can do the same thing as they are spirit masters like us¡ªalbeit on a much smaller scale. While limited in what they can do with it, they can still track people down who release their energies on a battlefield.¡± ¡®Well, that explains how Lancelot found me¡¡¯ Mian continued, ¡°The difference between your sign and whatever sign is on this ball of energy is simply too vast for me to call it the same. And it also appears that the sign on this Inner Essence is much more sinister than what I discovered on your lifeforce.¡± ¡°¡.¡± ¡°A being of unfathomable evil had its claws on you from birth until now¡ªthe question is¡ who?¡± SS Chapter 22 ¡°¡ªUgh, I can barely breathe down here.¡± Ruria complained to no one in particular as she walked down a narrow corridor, placing her hand on each door knob as she walked. The night was still long but she couldn¡¯t afford to waste time here. The air wasn¡¯t that breathable and the corridors were quite damp and full of moss. By the way, she was two floors below the ¡°supposed¡± basement floor. Unlike before, when the magic item would simply turn off when she reached the first basement floor, it was now operating normally without a hint of abnormalities. Ruria took a quick glance at the spinning red crystal inside the prism. Maybe it was thanks to the talisman that the clone put on the magic item or just the crystal itself, but it showed no signs of stopping. It just continued to supply energy to the magic item. ¡°The hum is getting a bit louder. I must be getting close.¡± The hum wasn¡¯t audible to those who aren¡¯t holding the magic item so only Ruria could hear it. ¡°It¡¯s getting too dark.¡± She looked down the pitch-black darkness. The torch wasn¡¯t helping at all, ¡°Ah, another door.¡± It felt as if she¡¯d been walking for ten minutes since discovering the last room. That¡¯s how big this palace was. What¡¯s more, the imperial family is using less than half of the total rooms. Of course, Ko has access to all of them but the public and guests can only access half of the total rooms in this palace. Ruria placed her hand on the doorknob. A runic letter appeared. It didn¡¯t open when she turned the knob. ¡°Haa, am I going to have to pick all these door locks?¡± after a few seconds she finally got it unlocked and put one foot in the door. She wanted to use her shadow abilities to peek through the door but that was a risky thing to do in a place like this where traps could be anywhere. Adding onto what interior manipulation is, home owners can place traps that shifts the room once the thief enters it. To prevent this, Ruria didn¡¯t go in. she had been doing this with all the rooms. It was tedious but the safest method. ¡°Nothing again. Just an empty room.¡± She moved on. ¡°How can I tell I¡¯ve reached the room? The increase in intensity of the hum is pretty slow¡¡± The clone didn¡¯t say how many decibels meant she reached her target so she could only check all the rooms. ¡°I should just use [Knock] on these doors. It might exhaust all my mana but it¡¯ll make this go faster.¡± Saying that to herself, she bolted down the never-ending corridors and checked each room one by one. Just as unusual as her sisters, Ruria also uses mana despite being a close-combatant. It doesn¡¯t help her much with increasing physical strength but it can be used to access a broader range of abilities that will be limited to her if she was born with aura or learned to use Ki. After running for a while and opening several other doors, she reached the third basement floor. Somehow the atmosphere changed here. Down the hall she could hear a faint clanking sound as if metal was being dragged on concrete. Looking around, she noticed that this hallway was covered in cobblestone as if the previous generations of imperials gave up on renovating the whole palace. Turning into a cloud of smoke, Ruria moved through the darkness of the hall. She neared the sound and finally arrived at the source. ¡®Skeletons!?¡¯ the moment she noticed what she was looking at, a greatsword was suddenly throw towards her. it narrowly missed her. Turning back into her original body, she gained some distance to observe where she was and how many opponents there were. ¡®The humming is getting too loud all of a sudden!¡¯ she held the magic item away from her at arm¡¯s reach in an attempt to make it stop but to no avail. She had no choice but to turn it off and finally get a breather. ¡®Dammit, my head is ringing like crazy because of this thing.¡¯ She threw the magic item into her shadow and took out two daggers. There were up to ten skeletons, two wearing armor and eight who were ordinary skeletons with a simple sword and shield. They were quite slow so Ruria managed to get a look around the place. ¡°Is this a cave?¡± The cobblestone ended right where she stood, and beyond that was a tunnel that resembled a cave entrance. But this cave had strange glowing lines on its walls, which pulsated every few seconds as if this place was breathing. While this definitely looked like a cave, this was simply a circular area that ended behind the skeletons. There was a door behind them. ¡°Am I in the right place or is this a trick Ko put up?¡± it certainly looked like the door she was looking for but it looked¡ªwell¡ªordinary. Melis alone knows what lies beyond the door. In any case, there was no telling what lies behind the door if she just stood here. She raised her daggers, both their blades covered in a blue light, showing that they were magic items. She knew magic weapons were more effectively on ordinary skeletons since they were just dumb brutes without any magic defense like liches. Without hesitation, she charged at the undead. ** ¡°¡Let¡¯s see where this leads.¡± She activated her [Knock] skill after placing her hand on the doorknob. While useful for opening locks on ordinary doors, it can also detect traps connected to the door. A rune appeared on the door frame and it sounded like gears began moving. No traps. Or it seemed that way at least. ¡°An ordinary lock on this kind of door¡? This might very well be a trick¡¡± she held her daggers ready as she placed one foot beyond the door. Although she wanted to be careful, curiosity got the better of her so she entered the other room completely. The long corridor of unmapped cave continued beyond it, covered in darkness. She had a bad feeling about this but her fear vanished as quickly as it came. She lowered her body and dashed through the darkness! All kinds of ominous sounds came from behind her¡ªhundreds of arrows being let loose, cannons firing, the floor collapsing. Before long, she arrived at another area, one that had light for some reason. Not the fancy magic lamps on the top floor, just torches and glowing giant crystals. ¡°What the hell¡¡± she looked up in awe at the spiral of hundreds if not thousands of cubic rooms floating above as if the ceiling was an infinite void. The next second, she noticed one of the rooms disappearing and another appearing in another spot. ¡°Grauk!!¡± a growl caught her attention, coming from her left so she turned that way. ¡°Huh, tombs?¡± in the same direction, below the elevated area she was standing on were hundreds of tombs, so it was fitting to call it a mausoleum. The monster that growled at her was a kobold, a monster you usually find in a dungeon and rarely outside unless it¡¯s looking for mates. It charged at her but it was quickly defeated by her. Something strange happened after it fell down¡ªthe floor consumed it just like that. ¡°Floating rooms that disappear randomly and a mausoleum in a dungeon! And now monsters being eaten by the dungeon!? This place is weird!¡± she tried to walk forward but ran into an invisible wall instead. A gigantic red rune suddenly appeared on the transparent wall. Following it, similar smaller red runes appeared around it. ¡°Looks like I finally found it¡¡± ?? The morning came. Trumpets blasted when the gates to the imperial grounds were opened. Eager guests who had been camping outside the front gates all night, flooded the courtyard. There were probably almost ten thousand people here today but the imperial grounds were big enough to hold them and leave room for even more. The nobles who didn¡¯t come to the palace last night were led in through a different gate. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Beyond the courtyard, a long procession of musicians and performers prepared to make their entrance. Drummers set the rhythm, while dancers in flowing garments adjusted their veils. The scent of roasted meats and spiced wine drifted through the palace corridors, a promise of the feast to come. Inside the hall, golden chandeliers bathed the towering marble pillars in warm light. Rows of lavishly decorated tables stretched from end to end, each adorned with silver goblets, silk napkins, and fragrant floral arrangements. The imperial family still haven¡¯t made their appearance yet so the guests were left to mingle among themselves. The nobles demanded to see Nova, the newest member of the Inner Martial Circle but the guards didn¡¯t let them go to the second floor yet. Even important figures from outside the empire were attending this banquet after rumors circulated that someone who is potentially just as strong as Ko won the tournament. In a vibrant, rainbow-tinted garden, two beautiful women strolled gracefully, each draped in ceremonial Eastern-style dresses reminiscent of Chinese attire from Liam¡¯s world. Ruria¡¯s bust proved too generous for her dress, often causing it to ride high on her upper thigh¡ªonly inches away from revealing her secret place. As a result, she frequently had to pull it down. It wasn¡¯t that the dress was short; its back cascaded gracefully to her ankles while the front stopped just above her knees. Her cleavage was prominently exposed by an upside-down V-collar. Needless to say, she had received a lot of stares in this attire. Lian wore the same dress but hers fit her body type far better. The two of them were walking through the garden, away from prying ears. Sing didn¡¯t need Ruria right now which is why she decided to tell Lian what she learned last night. Unfortunately, Lian couldn¡¯t accompany her but it was for the best since those traps would¡¯ve gotten her before the monsters. The two of them can go together since Ruria mapped out most of the underground floors and can tell where the traps are. ¡°¡ªThe humming becomes so loud that it began to hurt my head when I set foot in the mausoleum. There¡¯s some kind of high-tier lock mechanism keeping me out. I stayed for a while to test my special infiltration tools and skills but I still couldn¡¯t open it.¡± Ruria folded her arms as she leaned on a fountain, pushing her chest upward, almost bursting out of her collar, ¡°Something else about that place is weird.¡± ¡°Do tell.¡± ¡°It had monsters roaming the halls and traps in every corner. It also felt like the walls were moving and breathing.¡± ¡°Do you think the clone was right about it being a dungeon? It certainly sounds like you¡¯re describing one. A dungeon breathes mana in and out of the atmosphere like a human inhaling and exhaling. But that was something we expected thanks to the clone¡¯s explanation. It solves the mystery of what was interfering with the magic item¡¯s detection magic. The only thing I didn¡¯t expect are the rooms you mentioned that keep disappearing and reappearing.¡± ¡°If I didn¡¯t see that ancient rune formation, I would¡¯ve assumed that our target could be one of those rooms.¡± Lian looked at Ruria when she said that, ¡°What are you thinking? That Ko stored the contract, he signed with Funiji, away in some grave or ashes urn?¡± ¡°It does seem ridiculous but it¡¯s still plausible. Look at the trouble he went through. I can handle myself fine if all I have to do is fight monsters or avoid traps but a magic lock that¡¯s being maintained by some ancient rune formation is the only thing keeping me out. No matter how you look at it, the target must be somewhere in there.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know about the mausoleum until now and I can¡¯t ask Princess Kohana about it since she¡¯s not here¡ I¡¯m not even sure if Suesei knows about it. The butler, well, we can forget about asking him. In any case¡¡± Lian looked up at the palace, ¡°¡ªWe stick to the plan since nothing has changed. If some casualties result from this¡ I think it¡¯s a necessary sacrifice to get rid of Ko and then Funiji.¡± ¡®It feels as if she stands to gain more from doing this than simply getting rid of Ko.¡¯ Thought Ruria but she didn¡¯t voice it to Lian. Since her freedom was riding on this, it was best to just follow orders without inquiring too much. ¡°¡ªLian.¡± Suesei suddenly appeared nearby in her usual maid costume, ¡°Her Majesty is asking for you.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t she be greeting and entertaining the guests?¡± Lian, a little annoyed that their conversation was interrupted, asked Suesei. Noticing that, the elf looked apologetic. ¡°¡It¡¯s the same as always. A complaint about a painful sensation in her body that never goes away no matter how many potions she drinks.¡± Lian complained inwardly but it would seem very rude to say these things out loud. For years she¡¯d been pestered to ¡°heal¡± the empress even when in the middle of important work. Of course, she could never refuse given her social status. But why is it always Lian? Why not other physicians? Lain sighed softly before turning to Ruria, ¡°Go find the clone and make sure it¡¯s doing its job. Oh, and¡ª¡± she took out a talisman and handed it to Ruria, ¡°You know what to do.¡± ¡°I know.¡± The two nodded once to each other before parting ways. Ruria made her way to the main event through the kitchen. Unlike yesterday when the kitchen was chaotic with servants running up and down, it was empty since all the servants and chefs were told they could join the party or take off. After walking a bit further down the hall after leaving the kitchen, Ruria spotted how full the courtyard was from the window. She could also see a horde of people covering every inch of the palace¡¯s halls. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a nightmare to find the princess in this crowd.¡± She partially turned her body into smoke from the neck down and began moving through the crowd. Everyone¡¯s attention was on the stairs leading to the second floor, where several elite guards stood to stop any attempt at going up, so she didn¡¯t need to worry about them seeing this unusual skill of hers. She arrived in front of the stairs and spoke to one of the guards. ¡°Hm? You again? Uh, what was your name again?¡± one of the guards noticed her. ¡°¡Lily. Lian¡¯s cousin.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Did the princess come down yet?¡± Ruria needed to be next to her at all times. There¡¯s no telling when the ¡°signal¡± will be sent. ¡°Uh, well¡ª" ¡°His Majesty!¡± at that sudden shout, Ruria and the guard she was talking to looked up the stairs. The person walking down was a tall man with long red hair, wearing dark red robes with golden embroidery. Behind him was the clone, his inner martials, and finally the princess. ¡®Where did Lian go off to with the empress¡¡¯ Ko spoke at that moment, ¡°I welcome you all to this feast.¡± He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked at the crowd, ¡°I know there is unrest and conflict among my citizens and I cannot force you to accept me as your ruler but today I want you to celebrate the newest member of my Inner Circle.¡± ¡®Huh, who knew a tyrant could be professional.¡¯ It was the typical ¡°aristocratic speak¡± to be professional even if he didn¡¯t want to say those things. ¡°Step forth, Nova.¡± On his call, the clone stepped forward. Applause rang out when the attention turned towards him. ¡®Smile a little, geez¡¡¯ ¡°From today onwards I appoint a new House in my outer circle ruled by my Head Alchemist, Lian. It shall be named at a later date but the title has been decided amongst me and my other circle members¡ªshe will be known as Duchess Lian from now on and will be given a castle outside the city.¡± Grumbles echoed among the nobles and the peasants seemed uninterested in Lian. ¡°Nova will be the captain of the private army I will provide to her House.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, that is too much to give to someone who only served you for a few years!¡± one of the Inner Martials protested. ¡°Silence. You should have issued your complaints at the night-long meeting we just concluded this morning. Why did you keep your mouth shut until now?¡± ¡°Ugh¡¡± the robed man grunted. ¡°No other objections? Good, I will not entertain them. Nova will not only be one of my most trusted subordinates but will lead one of the empire¡¯s armies. I will reveal which territory Lian¡¯s house will take over in the coming weeks.¡± Many of the nobles looked unhappy at that. It seems one of them will lose their territory. The emperor walked further down the stairs and began moving to the banquet hall where a feast awaits. The nobles carefully followed behind them as they entered. Ruria felt her stomach growl at her. ¡®Ugh, I should get something to eat. I stayed up all night without ever having dinner or breakfast.¡¯ Just as she was about to sneak towards the tables stocked with food, a young girl called out to her, ¡°Lily! Where¡¯s Mama!?¡± the little princess grabbed Ruria¡¯s hand. ¡°Ah, there you are. Her Majesty is with Lian. Say, Your Highness, are you as hungry as I am?¡± ¡°Uhuh!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go to the tables with food.¡± With the princess by her side, she¡¯ll be able to reach it much sooner since everyone will be mindful of the princess. As expected, the two managed to walk through the crowd without issue. Ruria salivated at the rows of food stacked on the table. Without hesitation, she grabbed a piece of steak glistening with red syrup with her bare hands and began eating it, ¡°Unnnn~¡± she moaned in glee, ignoring the stares she was getting. The sauce fell into her cleavage, making the men look at her breasts with almost salivating mouths. Even if someone said this was uncouth of a servant, she could just pass it off as Sing giving her permission to eat. Since the princess finds it difficult to say ¡°no¡±, she¡¯s the perfect excuse to use. Ruria pulled her collar and cleaned up the bit of sauce that fell on her breasts. The men tried their best to get a better look at what wonders were contained under that collar. ¡°Uhm, is it that delicious?¡± Sing looked at Ruria¡¯s gleeful expression as she continued stuffing her cheeks. ¡°Yup~ The chefs really outdid themselves~¡± Ruria was enjoying the meat so much that she spoke in a high-pitched voice, the kind Arnold was used to. Hesitantly, Sing picked up a fork and took the same kind of steak Ruria was eating from the table. ¡°¡.¡± Even though this was clearly the best meat that Ruria has ever tasted, Sing frowned while chewing and spat it out onto her plate, ¡°Bleggggh¡¡± ¡°Your Highness¡?¡± Ruria gulped her food down and looked at the princess in confusion. How can you say ¡°bledgggh¡± to this culinary excellence!? Not even her household¡¯s chefs make such delicious food! In any case, what is this odd behavior of hers? Sing suddenly took out a small magic crystal and put it to her nose. Inhaling deeply, her frown vanished. ¡°Is the food not to your liking?¡± Ruria asked, ¡°I can bring over desserts.¡± Ruria never noticed this behavior before. She¡¯s been by Sing¡¯s side through breakfast and lunch and the princess obviously ate her food. She always had a smile even. ¡°No magic dust. Tastes icky.¡± She made a disgusted face. ¡°?¡± Ruria looked at her in confusion. Meanwhile, the princess called over a servant and complained about the food. Magic dust in food¡ªRuria was no doctor but she knew that consuming raw minerals isn¡¯t good for the human body. Of course, it can be used to treat miasma poisoning but that was at far as its uses go. ¡®Hmm, the only creature I can think of that likes raw magic crystals are Chimera. Don¡¯t they love to hunt prey in dungeons? The mana-rich environment probably makes the meat taste the same as when you sprinkle raw magic dust over it.¡¯ Sing was obviously not a Chimera... Ruria also bathed her once and didn¡¯t find any stitching marks. Sing even had a vagina, as normal girls should. The only oddity is how small she is for her age and how her breasts never seem to grow, still resembling that of a child. ¡®How old did they say she is? Twelve? She doesn¡¯t look a day over nine at most¡¡¯ When Ruria looked at Sing, she noticed that the princess was looking at her plate in envy, her mouth drooling. She tried to offer one of the pastries to the princess but the moment the aroma of sweet syrup touched her small nostrils, she almost retched. She then ran off to the cakes table, leaving the clueless Ruria behind. By her lonesome, Ruria sighed. Thankfully, she could still see Sing so there was no need to stop herself from enjoying the delicacies. At the corner of her eyes, she caught the clone surrounded by a horde of people¡ªmostly women, of course. ¡®That servant girl, Liwei, is awfully touchy with him.¡¯ She was hugging Nova¡¯s arm like a maiden in love and rubbing it all in the others¡¯ faces. He didn¡¯t seem to mind it or her smugness as she clung to him while he was still talking with the other guests. ¡®Hm? What¡¯s this rumbling?¡¯ Suddenly, the room shook violently. A deep, rumbling boom swallowed all other sounds. Glass shattered. Screams tore through the elegant atmosphere. The banquet hall was thrown into chaos. Servants dropped trays of food, nobles scrambled away from their seats, and Sing and the other children instinctively ducked under the tables. Ruria¡¯s hand flew to the dagger hidden beneath her dress as the vibrations grew stronger. Another explosion. Then another. The stained-glass windows depicting heroic myths burst into a storm of colorful shards, scattering across the marble floor like falling stars. A roaring fire bloomed outside, its glow creeping through the broken windows. SS Chapter 23: Two Martial God Candidates Clash A blazing inferno roared, its flames licking the sky, rising as high as a small house. Cinders drifted through the air, glowing embers carried by the heat, painting the afternoon sky in flickering orange hues. Seeing the flames, Ko stood frozen, his body refusing to move. The past he had desperately tried to bury struck him like a sledgehammer to the gut. Screams echoed in his mind. Faces¡ªtwisted in terror, rage, and agony¡ªsurfaced one after another, each one a ghost clawing at his conscience. He remembered the weight of the blade in his hand, the heat of the blood that had splattered against his skin and his call to the god of death. Every cut. Every thrust. Every life he had taken in the name of ¡°strength¡±. The smell of charred skin. He recalled them all as if it was happening all over again. ¡°Your Majesty! Above!¡± upon the servant¡¯s yell, Ko looked up. Several shadowy figures were heading straight for the palace and before he could make sense of who they were, individuals wearing blue clothing suddenly crashed through the windows. Several screams rang out as people tried to flee. Why would he not move? He¡¯s supposed to protect his people even if he took their empire by force. It was the obligation of an emperor to protect his citizens. He was hoping to win their hearts through his strength alone but protecting them might be a better strategy for that. ¡°Restrain them! Ack¡ª!¡± one of the guards shouted before being cut down by a blue-robed figure. Blood sprayed across the white tablecloths, staining the once-elegant setting. ¡°Curs!¡± one of the inner martials charged at the intruders, however, he was quickly overwhelmed by just one of them, the largest one out of the group. How are they strong enough to take on an Inner Martial!? Even Ko was bewildered. Before Ko could give out orders, the big doors to the banquet hall entrance were swung open. Everyone¡¯s attention turned towards them as two individuals stepped through. One was a woman wearing a mask and the same blue colors as the rest and the other¡ª ¡°It¡¯s Funiji Kaijin! He¡¯s the one responsible for this!?¡± one of the nobles shouted. Accompanying the hourglass-figured woman was a tall handsome man with a piercing icy glare. He wore fancy blue robes that gracefully slid across the marbled floor. Despite wearing these elegant robes, one could still see his broad shoulders and muscular upper body. ¡°¡You breached the oath me made.¡± Ko said, making Funiji stop. Funiji spoke, his powerful voice reaching even the furthest corner of this large banquet hall. ¡°¡ªI agreed on the basis of our equal strength. However, due to fortunate circumstances granting me a level of strength beyond what you could even fathom,¡± he clenched his fist, that action alone sending a rumble through the banquet hall, ¡°I need not adhere to the deal we made.¡± Ko slowly walked towards Funiji. The woman was about to step in front of Funiji but he held her back. ¡°Did you offer up thousands of souls to the River of Souls?¡± ¡°Why would I want to rely on that snake that hates martials like me? Besides, seeking strength from external sources is something I would be greatly ashamed by.¡± Ko made an unreadable expression. It wasn¡¯t obvious at first but his clenched fists were shaking a bit. ¡°Standing in front of you now, I am certain it was you¡¡± he said suddenly. ¡°It was me?¡± ¡°¡It was you who released your killing intent over the empire two nights ago. Do you feel pride doing such a childish thing? Our decree dictates that once killing intent is released, blood must be drawn¡ªyet you fled like a coward from me.¡± ¡°I do not care for some decree written for humans by the Martial Gods. I myself am beyond what humans can hope to reach in a million lifetimes!¡± Funiji glanced around the room, ¡°Hmm. The insolence of lifting your heads while in my presence will be punished dearly once I kill your emperor. I will remember your faces so silently pray for your family because you will never see them again.¡± ¡°Eek!¡± one of the nobles, who he made eye contact with, fell on his butt and trembled. Taking that as a sign, the others hurriedly lowered their heads. They knew that Funiji would even cut their heads off for daring to make eye contact with him. ¡°What is your second reason for doing through all this trouble ¡?¡± Ko pointed outside the window, ¡°There must be another reason other than the martial art book.¡± In response, Funiji chuckled before walking past Ko. Then when he was right next to the window, he threw his arm to the side, making his robe flutter magnificently, ¡°Face me at full strength and then I shall indulge you.¡± The next moment he jumped through the window and vanished. ¡°P-Papa!¡± Sing, finally gaining the courage to speak, tried to call out to her father but his own shout drowned out hers. ¡°Protect my daughter! I will confront the trash responsible for this myself!¡± ¡°Aye!¡± four of the Inner Martials surrounded Sing the next moment while the rest held the intruders back. Without delay, Ko followed after ¡°Funiji¡±, both of them disappearing into the distance. ¡°W-Why is Funiji attacking us!?¡± one of the nobles shouted in disbelief, ¡°He said he wouldn¡¯t do so unless Emperor Ko falls in battle!¡± ¡°Things have worked out fine so far so what changed¡¡± ¡°You heard it yourself. He is more powerful and confident he can win against Ko.¡± Nova replied in a voice devoid of concern or panic. Even in this situation, he seemed cool to the people. ¡°H-Hey, don¡¯t his men seem a bit too strong that even the Inner Martials are struggling¡?¡± Unbeknownst to them, Arnold¡¯s clones were among them and easily fighting the Inner Martials on equal grounds. All of them were above level 90 but Arnold¡¯s clones could handle them. Chief Soryu¡ªthe tallest of the intruders¡ªwas also overwhelming his opponents without a sweat. ¡°Shit, shit, shit, shit¡! I should¡¯ve left this nation a long time ago even at the expense of my wealth!¡± ¡°Funiji is going to kill us¡¡± All of them wanted to run from this place but¡ªtoo afraid to get attacked while running away¡ªdecided to huddle close to Nova. ¡°You there!¡± one of the martials looked at Ruria, ¡°Take Her Highness to her room and pick up the lamp that¡¯s right next to her door on the floor¡ªthat will activate a magic seal that will keep her safe! I¡¯ll be right behind you!¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Got it!¡± Ruria was worried at first that they¡¯ll get in the way of the plan but this was fine too. She can just make sure Sing is safe and while running, snatch the necklace from her neck, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Princess!¡± with the chaos going on outside, she can use it to her advantage. ¡°B-but Mama! Where is she!?¡± ¡°With Lian! She¡¯s a pro with talismans so she¡¯ll be alright! We need to hurry! Look, one of the intruders is fighting on equal grounds with an Inner Martial! It¡¯s dangerous here!¡± That was probably Rasuke fighting the Inner Martial. Ruria didn¡¯t expect the former prince to be that strong. ¡°N-No way.¡± Sing never imagined there were people who could match the Inner Martials in power besides her Papa. There¡¯s a rumor going around that the Inner Martials miraculously got a power boost through some enlightenment ritual that Ko performed. This rumor wasn¡¯t that absurd since there¡¯s a legend that martial gods extended that same honor to humans back when they still lived in the mortal worlds. If it¡¯s a martial god candidate, perhaps something similar to that is possible? But how was the enemy capable of standing equally to the empire¡¯s most elite? Even though Sing knew her Papa was the strongest, she feared how powerful the leader of these men was. Could her Papa be¡ in danger¡? ¡°H-Hey!¡± Sing broke free from Ruria¡¯s grip and ran towards Nova, who for some reason, was standing idly in all this chaos. He wasn¡¯t helping anyone, as if their lives were insignificant. Be that as it may, people were cowering behind him after they realized the enemies weren¡¯t attacking him, thinking they were scared of Nova. ¡°Nova!¡± Sing pulled on his sleeve when she arrived in front of him. ¡°?¡± he glanced down. ¡°Help Papa!¡± Sing had a bad feeling about all this. She wasn¡¯t certain her Papa would survive this clash. ¡°The current Funiji is out of my league.¡± He said simply, surprising the nobles. ¡°¡Eh?¡± Sing¡¯s eyes turned blank hearing that, ¡°T-That¡¯s not true! You defeated Miss Mian and that ape face man easily! You haven¡¯t fought at full power, right!?¡± ¡°Just because the gap between me and those two are large doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s large enough for me to be near or above Ko¡¯s level. Your father could die in this fight.¡± ¡®N-No way¡¡± ¡°We need to go, Princess. I¡¯ll go find Miss Mian and tell her to help your Papa, okay? But we need you to hide in your room.¡± Ruria held out her hand to the princess. ¡°¡Okay¡¡± she bit her lip but gave Ruria her hand. The two soon left the banquet hall. Ruria clutched Sing¡¯s hand as they sprinted up the sweeping marble stairs. The palace corridors echoed with panicked shouts and clashing sounds from the chaos below. Suddenly, a violent explosion rocked the ancient walls, sending tremors down the hall. Chandeliers swayed overhead, and bursts of dust and debris danced in the flickering torchlight. ¡°Kyaah!¡± In that split second of disarray, Ruria¡¯s eyes darted to the glint of the necklace resting against Sing¡¯s collar. With a swift movement, she snatched it away before catching the princess. You would think there¡¯s some protection holding the chains together but it was surprisingly easy to snap. Sing¡¯s eyes widened in confusion and fear as they continued their frantic ascent, the reverberating blast fading into a distant rumble behind them. ¡®Geez, how many targets are they thinking of blowing up?¡¯ Ruria and Sing arrived on the second floor. She could sense someone following them. It must be the martial from earlier who ordered her to flee and hide the princess. Thinking it would be troublesome if he finds out where she¡¯s going, Ruria erased her presence and pulled Sing into the shadows with her. ¡°W-What¡¯s going on!?¡± bewildered, the little princess clutched Ruria in this unending darkness. Ruria jumped from room to room, using the shadows as footpaths. In just under 10 seconds, they reached Sing¡¯s room. ¡°I-I think I¡¯m gonna throw up.¡± The little princess held her small hands over her mouth. Shadow jumping can be disorienting for first timers so she could understand why the princess felt nauseous. ¡°Your Highness, listen to me carefully.¡± Ruria placed her hands on the princess¡¯ shoulders, ¡°Under no circumstances should you open the door. We don¡¯t know what these people want or what abilities they have.¡± ¡°B-But Mama¡¡± ¡°I¡¯ll find the empress and Lian and lead them here. I promise.¡± Since Lian shouldn¡¯t be capable of shadow jumping, Ruria will just have to create a path in the walls of the palace which she can follow. ¡°¡¡± ¡°Will you be okay?¡± ¡°¡Nn.¡± Ruria patted Sing¡¯s head before walking over to the door and picking up the lamp. Immediately after, the same kind of barrier that surrounded the mausoleum appeared in front of Sing¡¯s door. ¡®Her necklace must be the key for this door. I should come straight back after we open the mausoleum.¡¯ She looked back at the princess, noticing that she was hugging that ugly doll and trembling. ¡°¡I won¡¯t take long, I promise.¡± Ruria reassured before jumping through the same wall she entered. ** Ko and Arnold were now standing in a desolate wasteland, the scorched trees and mountains of debris a reminder of a battle that once took place here. ¡°Tell your servant to back off or I will kill her too.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t shake her off no matter how much I try so you will have to bear with it. But not to worry, I am not cowardice enough to face one person in a group. I believe that you are the one in need of allies.¡± ¡°Your provocations might¡¯ve worked in our youth but I will not fall for them now.¡± ¡®Oh? They¡¯ve known each other since they were young?¡¯ ¡°Oh, Ko Johun is a changed man? Hahahaha! Tell me, have you always sought strength through shortcuts or was this something you decided to follow through after you noticed how low your talent for martial arts truly is?¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. By seeking shortcuts, you have thrown away your honor as a martial for a little power boost.¡± ¡°And what of you, old friend? How did you become so strong? Before we discovered the book in the Sword God¡¯s relic tomb, you were considerably weaker than me. Yet after the war with the sects¡ªwhen we established the agreement¡ªyou became my equal. Such a fast power gain is not natural. I have withheld any open suspicion so far but would like to know the true reason before I kill you.¡± ¡°HAHAHAHAHA! The audacity to show such arrogance in front of your betters! You have truly gone senile after all these years! I shall tell you how I surpassed you if you can place your blade to my neck!¡± Arnold launched himself forward like a cannonball, his feet leaving deep craters in the shattered earth. In an instant, he closed the gap, his fist slicing through the air toward Ko¡¯s jaw. Ko twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the punch, countering with a palm strike aimed at Arnold¡¯s ribcage. The impact sent out a thunderous shockwave, shattering boulders in the vicinity. Arnold skidded back but regained his footing, grinning wildly as he dashed forward again, his fists blurring into a flurry of strikes. Their battle became a blur of movement¡ªpunches, elbows, and knee strikes exchanged with inhuman speed. Each collision of their bodies sent tremors through the land. The sheer force of their blows sent arcs of energy ripping through the battlefield, carving deep scars into the terrain. Arnold leaped, twisting midair to deliver a downward axe kick. Ko raised his arm, blocking the attack with his forearm. The ground beneath them cratered violently, sending chunks of rock hurtling into the sky like meteors. Ko retaliated, spinning into a devastating roundhouse kick. Arnold ducked, countering with an explosive uppercut that sent his opponent hurtling back. The moment Ko¡¯s feet touched the ground, he propelled himself forward with an even stronger force, meeting Arnold head-on. A thunderous collision erupted as their fists met once more, splitting the sky apart. A massive shockwave spread across the battlefield, flattening the surrounding forest, sending ancient trees crashing down like brittle twigs. Neither fighter was showing any signs of fatigue even though they were throwing a thousand punches nearly every second. The masked woman stood idly by, her presence untouched by the chaos. The swirling storm of destruction passed through her like mist, as if the very laws of nature was refusing to acknowledge her existence. Arnold suddenly jumped back with a smirk as he bit his finger. He then swung his arm in an arc. That arm was covered in Aether. [Scorched Blood Wave]. Not an official skill name but something he named himself. ¡°?¡± Ko was surprised by that strange action for a second. But the next moment, a torrent of pure destructive infernos that swallowed Ko. An explosion then erupted. The shockwave from that explosion ripped through the air like a calamity, tearing apart the very fabric of the land. Mountains in the distance quaked, forests were reduced to cinders, and a towering dust storm rose to the heavens. The sheer force of the detonation shattered the earth, creating a crater so deep it looked as if a piece of the world had been gouged out. For ten kilometers in every direction, the aftermath was absolute devastation. The pressure alone flattened everything in its wake¡ªtrees, boulders, even the clouds above were momentarily torn apart by the sheer force of the blast. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect this attack to be so devastating.¡¯ Arnold examined the chaos. The last time he used this energy to detonate blood was in his fight with Kalda. It was dangerous to use his own blood since the spark can travel up his bloodstream but he was already capable of stopping such a thing from happening. It¡¯s not like Aether is any different from Sword Intent¡ªwhich he has used as long as Aura¡ªaside from being astronomically more powerful. His finger was already healed by the time he wiped the blood off his mouth. When the smoke settled, a white energy was the first thing that caught Arnold¡¯s attention. But the next thing that caught his attention was a gigantic swirling pool of pure red energy in the shape of a phoenix right above Ko who was lifting his arm. ¡°Hmph!¡± with a grunt, Ko shot out his raised arm, causing the giant stream of energy to head for Arnold. Standing still, Arnold waited for the energy. Strangely, Ko¡¯s destructive skill passed right through Arnold. ¡°Wha¡ªKuh!¡± just when he was about to let out a voice of surprise, he was attacked from the side. The attack was anything but weak. Ko looked to the side, seeing a floating arm next to him. ¡®Is this Mian Xi¡¯s technique!?¡¯ he struck the arm with his sword but it went right through. ¡°Uk!¡± the arm grabbed his throat. It was ridiculously powerful for just a single arm, ¡°Kah!¡± another arm appeared and punched him in the gut. Every second that passed by, he felt himself being drained. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± Ko¡¯s robes and hair turned into living fire itself as it swallowed up this whole region like a damn that just burst. Underestimating his old friend and holding back was going to get him killed. As such, it was best to kill him right here, right now. SS Chapter 24: Dying Hope After making sure Sing reunited with her mother, Ruria and Lian left the two in the princess¡¯ room and hurriedly went down to the basement floors. ¡°¡ªStrange.¡± ¡°What is?¡± ¡°The magic item is still humming even though we crossed the barrier.¡± ¡°Does that mean there¡¯s another door with the same rune somewhere here?¡± ¡°Most likely.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it kind of strange to store a something so important in a mausoleum?¡± Ruria looked at the damp walls and stone-cold concrete floor as the two of them walked through the maze of coffins that seemed never-ending. They ahd already released the barrier that blocked Ruria¡¯s path before. ¡°You¡¯d think he would store it in some estate of his that nobody knows about.¡± ¡°It¡¯s exactly because it¡¯s weird why this is the perfect place to keep documents or scrolls hidden.¡± ¡°This whole family of three is weird¡¡± Lian glanced at Ruria from the side, noticing her frowning expression. ¡°You look like you have something on your mind. If it¡¯s something I can help with, do tell.¡± ¡°How long have you been working for this family?¡± ¡°I served in Ko Johun¡¯s army as a doctor for about a year before word of my skills reached his ears which led to me becoming the imperial family¡¯s personal doctor, a position I¡¯ve held ever since the war. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°The princess¡ Has she always been so¡ how do I put it¡ªweird?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not confident I can give you a clear answer since I haven¡¯t known her long¡ Is there anything specific you can tell me that you find weird?¡± ¡°That doll, she seems attached to it and never sleeps or bathes without it but can carry on without it when away from her room.¡± ¡°The ugly doll¡ I think it¡¯s because she doesn¡¯t like being alone. The palace might be crawling with servants and guards but none of them are her people. She¡¯s a foreigner from another country whose father took over this empire by force. That doll is the only thing keeping her company when her mother and father cannot. It was also¡¡± Lian sighed softly, ¡°The last thing that was with her when she died.¡± ¡°W-What?¡± ¡°The princess you¡¯ve been taking care of all this time was the homunculus I created in my lab, a thing that¡¯s testament to the successful experiment of playing God. Her soul wasn¡¯t in a suitable state to retain her original self so a new Sing was born when I created her. The same goes for the empress.¡± The faint glow of lanterns barely reached the high ceiling, leaving much of the mausoleum in shadow as they walked. The air was cool, carrying the scent of old stone and dust. Their footsteps echoed as they walked deeper inside. ¡°Does Ko know¡?¡± ¡°Of course he does. He was the one who requested my services. Reviving the two of them was the reason he took me out of the army, believing my skills as an alchemist was good enough.¡± She ran a hand over the edge of a nearby coffin. ¡°By the time I got to them, their corpses had already begun to rot. But with the help of certain talismans that a select few shamans put on them, their souls were barely held together.¡± Ruria looked at Lian¡¯s back in silence. ¡°It¡¯s funny,¡± Lian continued. ¡°Both remember their past lives¡ but not the fact that they died. Maybe it¡¯s because their current bodies never experienced death so now they don¡¯t remember what death feels like. They go on as if nothing changed, but each holds on to something¡ªSing to that doll, and Zhoming to her need to feel human again.¡± ¡®Goddess Melis works in mysterious ways,¡¯ Lian thought, exhaling softly. Lian also walked in silence for a moment before speaking again. ¡°What made you so interested in the princess?¡± ¡°Besides that ugly doll, she doesn¡¯t seem to like eating food unless it has crushed magic crystals mixed in. Back in the banquet hall, she sniffed a magic crystal like it was the most delicious thing in the world.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s just what homunculi typically eat,¡± Lian said. ¡°Think of magic dust like spices or salt¡ªhelps make even the worst food tolerable.¡± Suddenly, Lian held up a hand, ¡°Monsters.¡± She took out a few vials from her bag before pouring its contents on the stone floor. Immediately after a green mist drifted through the narrow hall. ¡°The humming is getting louder so I¡¯m positive our target is through here. But just to be safe, I used this decaying potion. This potion ignores all defence except magic defence, so there¡¯s no need to confront the monsters.¡± ¡°How could you tell?¡± ¡°Their scents. I used a potion earlier that allows me to have the same sense of smell as a werewolf. Although my nose is going to burn for a few days once this wears off.¡± ¡°You can make stuff for that? Do you have any for night vision? I didn¡¯t pay enough attention in my classes¡¡± ¡°Eh, why would you need those?¡± ¡°¡¡± Lian replied noticing her silence, ¡°It seems you¡¯re not just any ordinary Thief from some Thief Guild.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you a recipe for one later.¡± After saying so, she took out another vial, ¡°The decay should¡¯ve killed them by now but the fumes are still in the corridor so I¡¯ll need to get rid of those since I don¡¯t want the same to happen to us.¡± She threw the vial in the corridor. After the sound of breaking glass resounded, a white mist engulfed the corridor and a hissing sound echoed as if a fire was being put out. ¡°Let¡¯s go. It shouldn¡¯t be far now.¡± ** Panick-stricken voices echoed among the nobles, all watching in fear as the Inner Martials were being overwhelmed by Funiji¡¯s martials. Such a thing was unprecedented since Ko¡¯s personal army were considered the strongest in this entire empire and its kingdoms, not just Moon Plum city. ¡°Gah!¡± one of the Inner Martials tried to use a martial skill but his opponent wouldn¡¯t give him that opportunity. This banquet was meant to celebrate the birth of a new inner martial but it all transcended into chaos once Funiji invaded. Another Inner Martial, seeing his fallen comrade collapse, let out a furious roar and charged. His sword flashed, swinging in a brutal arc at the closest enemy. The strike was met with a swift parry, the force of the impact rattling up his arm. He pivoted on his heel and struck again¡ªfaster, harder¡ªbut Funiji¡¯s warriors were relentless. A second enemy lunged from the side. The Inner Martial barely twisted in time to block, but the sheer strength behind the blow sent him staggering. Another attack came from behind. He ducked, narrowly avoiding a decapitating slash, then countered with a vicious upward strike that nicked his opponent¡¯s shoulder. No time to celebrate. More were closing in. He had to keep moving. Another Inner Martial fought beside him, exchanging rapid strikes with a scarred warrior wielding dual sabers. The clash of metal against metal was deafening. A well-aimed kick sent the Inner Martial stumbling, and before he could recover, his opponent¡¯s blade found its mark. He crumpled with a sharp gasp, blood pooling beneath him. The tide was turning¡ªagainst them. What was once a disciplined formation was now scattered chaos. The palace guards and Inner Martials, the pride of Ko¡¯s forces, were being overwhelmed, their numbers thinning as Funiji¡¯s warriors pressed forward with ruthless efficiency. This banquet had been meant to celebrate the rise of a new Inner Martial, a symbol of strength and honor. Now, it was a massacre. The only remaining combatants left were a dozen regular martials and four Inner Martials. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. The large blue-robed figure seemed to be the most troublesome to deal with so two of the Inner Martials focused on him. Nobles scrambled to retreat, but there was nowhere to run. Some cowered behind overturned tables, others tried to push through the back exits, only to find them blocked by guards who dared not abandon their posts. A few clutched decorative daggers, their hands shaking, knowing full well they were useless. The walls of Moon Plum City had never been breached. The Inner Martials had never lost. But tonight, both those certainties were crumbling. As if on cue to scare them some more, another explosion rang out from a distant district in the city, making the nobles cower even more. No one knew how it would end. In the midst of all that chaos for anyone to even notice, a young woman appeared out of thin air, her white hair gently flowing down when she landed. Immediately, she looked at the chaos happening with widened eyes and the bodies lying everywhere. Of course, those bodies weren¡¯t that of the nobles but the martials that attacked the ¡°intruders¡±. ¡®I¡ I expected a little chaos but not to this extend.¡¯ No one seemed to have noticed Kohana. She looked around, noticing that Arnold¡¯s clone was idly standing by, looking at the conflict in a strange daze. She quickly emptied a nearby table and climbed on top of it. Tapping her delicate heel on the table with all her might, she caught the attention of the nobles and commoners. ¡°All of you, listen to me!¡± Kohana¡¯s voice rang out, clear and firm despite the chaos around her. Her loud command turned everyone¡¯s eyes toward her, and with that also the responsibility she has as the next Empress. ¡°I am Kohana of the Zhurosan Imperial Family, one of the only surviving children of the emperor that Ko slayed in cold blood during the Five Sects war! I am here to end his rule once and for all! There¡¯s no need to fear Ko anymore. You don¡¯t have to follow him out of terror or desperation! I will restore my family¡¯s legacy. I will rebuild what was lost! None of you will be punished if you stand with me.¡± She swept her gaze across the crowd, her expression a mixture of determination and desperation. ¡°This is your chance to break free from the chains of oppression! Join me, and we can forge a new future together.¡± She stepped forward, placing a hand over her heart. ¡°Ko has ruled through fear, through bloodshed, and through the destruction of our traditions. But what has he truly given you? Has he made your lives better? Have you thrived under his rule, or have you merely survived, cowering under his shadow lacking the consequence to voice any concerns about your country? Remember the war he started when we only wanted peace! When we only wanted to coexist! Innocents were slaughtered, families torn apart, a kingdom crumbling under tyranny! But we have a choice! We can fight back! We can reclaim what was taken from us!¡± She turned her gaze toward the nobles, her voice unwavering. ¡°And you, this country¡¯s nobles, you who have been used as pawns in his game¡ªdo you truly believe your wealth and titles protect you? How many of your own have been cut down simply for speaking out? How long before Ko decides you, too, are expendable? Align with me, and I swear, you will not be cast aside like trash. You will be part of something greater! A kingdom that does not rule through terror, but through unity! And I expect all of you to willingly attend your trials and admit your mistakes!¡± She then looked toward the commoners, her eyes softening. ¡°And you¡ªyour lives have been dictated by the whims of a tyrant. You have been silenced, ignored, made to suffer for the benefit of the few. But no longer. With me, you will have a voice again. You will have a future! Stand with me, and together, we will tear down this corruption and build something new!¡± Kohana gulped hard as she looked at her people. She did her best to wear a confident expression and not show weakness. Even if she could not fight, she could demonstrate her might through her composure. Sometimes even during a war, the calmest individual can come off as the most powerful. Even though she knew it wasn¡¯t Arnold, she wanted into the clone¡¯s arms and hide from the stares she was receiving. But she settled with closing her eyes. ¡°Please remember the peaceful life you had before this tyrant took this empire from us!¡± Kohana screamed at the top of her lungs. ¡. ¡ ¡ Timidly, Kohana opened her eyes after a long silence. The silence alone was about to crush her even more than simple rejection and scorn. With another gulp, she tried to speak up again. She wanted to remind them of the great emperor her father was and how her mother kept this empire safe on the frontlines. But before she could get a word in¡ª ¡°She¡¯s the cause of it all!¡± one of the nobles pointed at her with an accusatory finger. ¡°E-Eh?¡± ¡°He¡¯s right! It¡¯s no coincidence she appeared right after we were attacked!¡± Kohana¡¯s head shot around the room, noticing the bodies on the ground. Not to mention the guards desperately trying to fight the assailants in one corner of this vast hall. ¡°N-No, we did not intend to harm any of the nobles or commoners, only the soldiers who sided with¡ª¡± her voice was drowned out by their jeers and yells. Someone threw a glass at her which she avoided in time. What has gotten into these people? ¡°If we don¡¯t take her down, His Majesty will think we planned this attack on the palace and execute many of us as a warning even if there¡¯s no evidence we did it!¡± ¡°He¡¯s right¡ That tyrant will execute us just like he did the sect leaders after the war¡ I don¡¯t want to die.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to die...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to face Ko¡¯s wrath once he kills Funiji!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all her fault!¡± All of them approached Kohana. ¡°L-Listen!¡± sensing the danger, she tried to calm them down, ¡°N-None of you are in any danger even if the situation looks that way¡ª¡± ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± before Kohana could get another word in, a horde consisting of the commoners and nobles charged at her. ¡°W-Wait, everyone! Please listen to m¡ª¡± the table Kohana was standing on was pushed over, causing her to fall down, cracking her head on the marbled floor, sending stars into her vision. Before she could regain her footing, she was suddenly punched in the back of the head. ¡°Ugh!¡± she tried to get up again but a vase was thrown in her face and someone straddled her. ¡°!¡± The man straddling her punched her mercilessly. She tried to hold up her hands to defend herself but others joined him and held her arms down. ¡°S-St¡¡± Punch. ¡°Sto¡¡± Punch. ¡°Stop¡¡± Punch! It didn¡¯t matter how much she pleaded, she was punched without mercy, several teeth flying out of her mouth. Someone tore off the top of her dress and stabbed her breasts, causing her to convulse in pain, unable to break free. ¡°S-Sis!¡± Rasuke couldn¡¯t go help her because the martial he was fighting was too strong to get the upper hand. Soryu was able to take down the inner martial he was fighting but was stopped by a dozen other guards. ¡°Dammit!¡± he roared and tried to get through them as fast as he could, ¡°I¡¯ll be right there, Kohana! Out of my way! Dammit!¡± In all this chaos, the clone looked around. He made eye contact with Kohana, who was being strangled and beaten by the very people she was meant to rule. The nobles and commoners alike had turned into a frenzied mob, their once-loyal hands now tearing at her as if she were the root of all their suffering. She reached out to him, her broken trembling fingers stretching through the chaos, pleading¡ªnot as a princess, not as a ruler, but as a human being desperate for salvation. Tears streamed down her bloodied face, mixing with dirt and sweat, her lips forming silent words. A sudden hand seized her outstretched arm and twisted it sharply. CRACK. A sickening snap echoed through the banquet hall. Kohana''s entire body convulsed, her eyes wide with agony before a raw, bloodied scream tore from her throat. The crowd didn¡¯t stop. Another fist struck her cheek, knocking her head sideways, sending a sharp bolt of pain down her neck. Then¡ªa brutal punch to her jaw. A loud, sickening pop. Her scream was cut short as her jaw dislocated, hanging uselessly as drool and blood seeped from her open mouth. Her breath came in ragged, wheezing gasps, the swelling around her eyes rendering the world into a blurred, shadowed haze. Her eyes were bloodshot and bulging out of her sockets. Her once-pristine gown was in tatters, ripped and pulled apart by hands of people who once reached out to hope with them. Her body trembled, her fingers twitching as she tried to push them away, but there were too many. All of it crushed her. And then, through a bloody vision, she saw him. A silhouette stood above the frenzied horde, his form dark against the dimming torchlight. Nova. H¡He¡ Help¡ She tried to form the words, but only a strangled gurgle came out. Her swollen lips quivered, her mind barely clinging to consciousness. Then, a sudden, chilling silence. The hands gripping her loosened. The jeers turned into gasps. Then¡ªscreams. A wet, meaty slash rang out, followed by the sickening thud of a head hitting the banquet floor. Blood sprayed into the air like a macabre fountain, drenching the already stained marble tiles. The pressure on her body lifted as people scrambled back, but they weren¡¯t fast enough. Nova moved like a shadow of death, his blade singing through flesh and bone with terrifying ease. A man who had been gripping Kohana¡¯s hair barely had time to turn before his torso split open, entrails spilling out like a burst sack of wine. The nobles shrieked, tripping over one another in blind panic. A woman tried to beg, hands raised, but Nova skewered her through the mouth, silencing her in a spray of red. The banquet hall became a slaughterhouse. Men and women who had moments ago been reveling in Kohana¡¯s suffering now clawed at each other to escape, trampling over the bodies of the fallen. But there was no escape since the doors were locked from the outside. Nova didn¡¯t even attempt to approach them anymore. He could send a torrent of flames at them where he stood and roast them all alive. But he merely watched. One man, his trembling hands still clutching a shred of Kohana¡¯s dress, hurriedly dropped it and looked up just in time to see the tip of Nova¡¯s blade drive into his forehead. His eyes rolled back before his lifeless body crumpled onto the pile of corpses. Within moments, the screaming stopped. The air smelled of iron and death, thick and suffocating. Nova¡¯s bloodied face looked like a demon lurking in the shadows ready to send them all to hell. ¡°¡.¡± Nova licked the corner of his lips to taste the blood and inhaled deeply. So, this is what it feels like to kill another human. Why did it feel so fulfilling, so entertaining? Why did he feel the need to suppress the thoughts that were not his? He looked back at the survivors. All were too petrified to move so they could only tremble. When Nova was about to get ready to kill the survivors as well, a hand grabbed his pants. Then two whole arms wrapped around his waist. Looking down, he saw a bloodied Kohana, her legs barely able to support her and a trail of blood and urine trailing behind her. Her face was buried against him so he couldn¡¯t see her expression but her weak attempt to pull him back was enough to tell him what she wanted from him in that moment. After looking at her fragile trembling frame silently, the clone bent down and picked her up. In his powerful arms, it felt as if she became whole again, as if his presence alone healed her. Though her body was trembling all over and she was stained by her own urine and blood, a warm feeling surrounded her as she rested her head against the clone. As the adrenaline escaped her body, her breath became quieter. Her head fell against Arnold¡¯s chest. Then, the world became dark. The ¡°Hope of the Zhurosan Empire¡± died that day. Chapter 25: The Sovereign of Blood Two figures stood across from each other atop a barren plateau, the air between them charged with unrelenting force. Arnold, his deep blue robes fluttering like a storm-tossed sea, rolled his shoulders, eyes locked onto his opponent. Ko stood firm, crimson robes drenched in the light of the afternoon sun, his fiery red hair swaying with the wind. Neither spoke. Words had no place here. Then, they moved. The moment their fists collided, the world trembled. A deafening shockwave blasted outward, flattening distant hills and splitting the land beneath them. The force of their clash sent jagged cracks racing across the earth, devouring entire mountains in their wake. Dust and debris spiraled into the sky, blotting out the sun like a cataclysmic omen. Ko was the first to step in, his body a blur of crimson light as he drove his fist toward Arnold¡¯s ribs. Arnold caught the strike on his forearm, the impact sending a ripple through the very fabric of reality. The ground beneath them shattered like brittle glass. Yet neither faltered. Arnold retaliated. He twisted his torso, his muscles coiling like a beast ready to strike, then launched a devastating hook toward Ko¡¯s jaw. Ko barely managed to cross his arms in time to block, but the sheer power behind the punch sent him hurtling backward. His body tore through a mountain, splitting it in two before he landed, feet skidding against the crumbling earth. A moment of stillness. Then, Ko wiped the blood from his lip and unsheathed his sword¡ªa blade so black that not even light was reflected on its surface. Arnold stretched out one arm, a powerful white energy coating it like a blade. They vanished. The shockwave from a powerful clank tore the ground apart, and each consecutive attack tore away more of the earth. Even though the two of them were fighting away from any human settlements, about 100km from the nearest one currently, the cities and villages in this region still felt the powerful impacts of their clash. ¡°Huup!¡± Ko swung his sword vertically which Arnold blocked with his Aether sword. While he managed to stop the attack, Ko¡¯s slash continued behind him, creating a gigantic crevice that seemed almost bottomless from a bird¡¯s eye view. Arnold¡¯s sleeve also fell off from that attack as if it was ripped off. ¡°Is one of your lackeys tasked with retrieving the book!?¡± ¡°You could say that.¡± The two continued speaking even as their hands moved in a blur, ¡°Why the need for that when you also know where the book is located!? You could have stolen it quietly and avoided this needless battle!¡± A firestorm of black flames erupted from Ko¡¯s blade, sent straight towards Arnold, but the flames went through him as if he wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Or are you just an imposter looking to stir conflict!?¡± He hit the nail on the head there but Arnold just kept quiet, having the same shit-eating smirk on his face that perfectly displayed Funiji¡¯s arrogance and pride. The sound of their blades colliding was almost deafening, sending concussive shockwaves that carved through the landscape like divine wrath made manifest. Each clash of metal sent massive arcs of energy screaming across the battlefield, obliterating the ground and leaving nothing but charred remnants of what once was. Arnold twisted his wrist, redirecting Ko¡¯s sword mid-swing, and countered with a savage kick to the gut. The sheer force propelled Ko backward, his body carving a trench in the earth before he flipped midair and landed gracefully on a floating slab of rock that had been torn from the battlefield by their previous exchange. Without hesitation, he shot forward with [Speed of Sound], breaking the sound barrier multiple times over, each step generating an explosion of compressed air. Arnold met him head-on. The sky darkened as their god-like auras clashed. The heavens themselves seemed to tremble, and the very fabric of reality wavered as they exchanged thousands of blows in a span of mere seconds. Their movements left afterimages that persisted for moments, tricking the eye into believing there were multiple versions of them fighting simultaneously. Ko feinted a downward slash before instantly shifting the momentum of his strike into a horizontal sweep. Arnold reacted with inhuman precision, bending his upper body backward at an impossible angle to evade before retaliating with an upward slash. Ko barely dodged, but the unleashed force of the swing cleaved through a distant mountain range, reducing it to dust in an instant. This fight would¡¯ve been far easier if he had Luxtivin. Burning through this much Aether just to manifest a sword with infinite durability was going to exhaust his internal energy if he continued fighting like this. Arnold jumped further away and stood the ground with his left foot. That wasn¡¯t just physical strength alone. Pikes of pure Aether erupted from the ground, one catching a nearby deer that was trying to run away. When pierced by the energy pike, the deer disappeared into particles of light. The world ruptured as hundreds of skyscraper pikes rose to the heavens. The land also buckled under his raw strength, rising and falling like waves on a storm-tossed ocean. Massive chunks of the earth were flung skyward as gravity momentarily lost its hold over them. The sheer force of the impact sent shockwaves rippling through the entire continent, toppling structures in the distant cities and sending terrified citizens into a frenzy. Ko grit his teeth, leaping into the air as the ground beneath him shattered into sprawling chaos. Above him, Arnold had already positioned himself, descending like a meteor with his Aether sword raised high. The moment his blade made contact with Ko¡¯s, an explosion of golden and black energy erupted outward, stretching far beyond the horizon. The sky itself split apart, revealing the raw void of the cosmos beyond because the world¡¯s atmosphere just couldn¡¯t handle the power of these two demigod-like monsters. Aether and dark flame mixed together in chaotic spirals, searing through clouds and warping the atmosphere. Then, silence. The only sound was the howling wind rushing through the vast, battle-ravaged wasteland that had once been a mountainous region. Entire valleys had been turned into scorched plains, forests incinerated in the wake of their clash. Rivers had been vaporized, leaving only smoking trenches where water had once flowed. Arnold stood amidst the wreckage, exhaling slowly. His smirk had yet to fade. Ko, panting slightly, raised his blade once more. Despite the devastation surrounding them, he looked utterly unfazed. Then finally, the tyrant surrounded his body in Aether, knowing that this battle will end in his death if he held back the power he sacrificed lives for. -¡°The Thief and Alchemist have left the palace and are moving towards Old Town.¡± Mian Xi¡¯s voice echoed in his head while he was fighting Ko. She was watching the battle from afar but also watching what was happening in the palace and will tell Arnold when it¡¯s time to end this. He didn¡¯t ask her to accompany him, it was just sort of her own choice. When he asked why, she insisted not even a thousand near-death experiences would be enough to repay him for what he gave her. He didn¡¯t expect her to go that far even if he also knew how valuable the Spirit King¡¯s name is. As it stands now, he could ask her anything and she would be forced to go through with it. Of course, there was a little something he wanted her help with once he finally leaves this shadow world. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. -¡°What about Kohana?¡± -¡°I tried to bind myself with her body through spiritual connection and found that her lifeforce is flowing slower than a normal human¡¯s lifeforce should. She is most likely on the verge of death.¡± -¡°Sounds to me like her uplifting speech failed to reach her people.¡± -¡°Indeed¡ Your body double created quite the mess in the banquet hall.¡± -¡°I should¡¯ve expected this would happen¡¡± Kohana walked right into enemy lines despite not being a combatant. Maybe he should¡¯ve ordered the clones to protect her since it¡¯s pretty clear that Kohana was already on their side. Hopefully this teaches her that words are not enough sometimes. -¡°I¡¯ll handle Ko alone. Go help Rasuke and Soryu take out the inner martials.¡± -¡°Okay.¡± Mian Xi¡¯s energy signature instantly teleported to another place after she went silent. Arnold sensed her appearing near the palace. ¡®How should I end this? Ko is obviously not an easy opponent to just get rid of.¡¯ ¡°Mystic Arts ¨C [Cloud Serpent]!¡± Ko swung his arm to the heavens, sending a gigantic mass of energy upwards which made the clouds part way. Suddenly the clouds began moving as if they were alive before descending from the sky like tornadoes about to rampage across the land. Several roars echoed across the destroyed remains of this wasteland. Those twisting clouds turned into four snake-like monsters that shot towards Arnold with inhuman speeds. ¡°Humph!¡± Arnold swung his left arm, immediately after thousands upon thousands of golden swords appeared behind him. Even though the two of them were far away from the empire, the swords even appeared over the entire capital, showing how ridiculous the number of them were. For the citizens, it seemed as if judgment day has come. They believed that this was a form of ¡°Unworthy Cleansing¡±, a prophecy where martial gods send their direct disciples to clean the world of ¡°normal¡± humans and only keep those with potential to and already using martial arts. It was a cruel prophecy but one these people would no doubt accept since they revered the martial gods and believe only They can judge who can stay alive for the next century. ¡®He¡¯s never used this technique before but I recognize it! A forbidden art!¡¯ Ko¡¯s eyes widened, ¡®You did not seek guidance from demon sects, right old friend¡? We said¡ we would dismantle them together, stop them from corrupting humanity and the moral realms and preventing them from summoning more of their kind to the physical world¡¡¯ A deafening boom sounded when their skills clashed in the air. Arnold¡¯s golden swords exploded in a beautiful golden radiance. Each explosion sent powerful shockwaves through the air that made the world itself tremble. The remaining three serpent clouds chased after Arnold but shot his arms forward and opened his hands. Strings of pure Aether shot out of them and subdued the serpent clouds easily. In mere seconds, the sky was covered in these strings that could stop giant manifested serpents. Arnold closed his fists, which sent a powerful shockwave through the strings that ended up ripping the serpents apart. ¡®This technique isn¡¯t as easy as it looks. I should ask Maylim for some pointers if I ever meet her again.¡¯ Ko clicked his tongue seeing one of his skills get destroyed just like that. ** A little bit earlier¡ª Lian and Ruria still haven¡¯t found the target yet. Truth be told, they don¡¯t know if what they¡¯re looking for are maps or a scroll. Without the magic item, they¡¯d probably struggle to find it. Speaking of the magic item, the humming wasn¡¯t climbing higher anymore unlike before, so it meant their target was in this general area or floor. But it was difficult to determine the exact location. The echoes of their footsteps bounced off the jagged cave walls, blending with the rhythmic pulse of the magical hum. Lian traced her fingers along the stone, feeling the faint vibrations beneath her palm. A shudder went up Ruria¡¯s spine when she felt herself lagging behind for a second. ¡°D-Did it feel like you walked through jelly just now?¡± Ruria suddenly asked, her voice laced with unease. ¡°Yes, I believe that was a space pocket. They appear randomly in nature and teleport people to another location. That means we¡¯re not in the same part of the cave anymore.¡± Ruria looked around, her brows furrowed. ¡°So we could be anywhere?¡± ¡°Not just anywhere,¡± Lian murmured, scanning the area. ¡°Some space pockets connect places that shouldn¡¯t be reachable. This might be one of them.¡± ¡°When you felt the jelly-like surface just now, did you have a vision of all your regrets and the hardships you faced in your past?¡± Lian asked that specific question out of nowhere. ¡°No? Did you?¡± Ruria went through mental training to suppress any and all thoughts when she¡¯s on high alert. If she saw something that should¡¯ve brought nostalgia, her will mentally blocks the memory from coming out. Concentration is important for an assassin when in danger. ¡°I recalled every horrible thing I¡¯ve done throughout my life,¡± Lian lowered her head, the flame of her torch casting a shadow over her face, ¡°It felt like ten minutes went by in the second it took for me to take a step after passing through the space pocket.¡± ¡°Oh¡¡± ¡°I¡¯m quite surprised that you felt nothing back there. Are you even human?¡± she chuckled softly. As they delved deeper, the cave walls grew narrower, funneling them into a wider chamber where something cold and unsettling coiled in the air. ¡°Another mausoleum?¡± The sight before them was different from the tombs in the front section of the mausoleum. Here, the nameless tombs stretched far beyond what the dim cave¡¯s flickering light could reach. The coffins were marked only by simple, unadorned stones. Judging by the state of these coffins, they didn¡¯t seem to be older than a decade at least. Lian kneeled by one, brushing away a layer of dust and dirt. No inscriptions. No identities. Just bones and silence. She silently got up and looked ahead. ¡°We¡¯ll have to go through it.¡± There were no other passages in this vast graveyard so they could only go forward. Ruria whispered to herself. ¡°This is no ordinary burial ground.¡± They pressed on, their footsteps disturbing the thick layer of dust coating the floor. As they navigated through the graveyard of forgotten souls, Lian¡¯s eyes landed on something peculiar¡ªa series of tablets arranged in a half-circle, almost like a monument. It was right at the end of the seemingly endless graveyard. Curious, Lian approached them and read through it. ¡°The five great sects¡¯ names¡?¡± she then looked back at Ruria. ¡°I think¡ these are all the people Ko has killed in the war. These were the only sects who fought against Ko in the war. The tablet says there are 10000 people buried here, matching the number of casualties recorded in the war¡¡± ¡°He buried them all under the palace¡?¡± ¡°No¡ Like I said, this place is connected to the mausoleum through the space pocket.¡± ¡°Ah, right¡¡± Ruria murmured, still trying to process the sheer scale of what she was seeing. How far do these coffins go in the darkness that they could not see? Did Ko singlehandedly bury all these people? Did he make these graves on his own¡? ¡°Those square-shaped rocks up ahead look like doors. Maybe it¡¯s the other door we¡¯re looking for¡?¡± Lian and Ruria made eye-contact. Both nodded before walking forward. A low, drawn-out groan echoed through the chamber as they stepped forward, the humming growing more insistent. A faint breeze slithered through the cracks in the stone, carrying with it a whispered howl. The closer they got to the doors ahead, the more palpable the air became. It wasn¡¯t just dense¡ªit was charged, like the moments before a storm. ¡°Almost there¡ª¡± The two pushed the heavy doors open with all their strength. Even a trained assassin like Ruria, who went through all kinds of physical training during her youth, couldn¡¯t push this heavy door easily. They managed to open it after struggling for a while, the stone groaning in protest. Upon entering, a bright light flared above their heads, illuminating the room. The sudden glow revealed towering shelves filled with scrolls and ancient artifacts, their forms barely discernible beneath layers of dust. The air was stale, untouched by time or intruders. And at the center, a raised platform with a single coffin under a golden light. The coffin was shaped quite strangely as if it was built for multiple corpses. A gust of air whispered through the chamber, rattling the flames in the sconces. Lian stopped in front of the coffin.. ¡°Wha¡¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± noticing Lian¡¯s odd reaction, Ruria asked. ¡°¡This tombstone says ¡®To my daughter, Sing¡¯ and that one¡ª¡± Lian glanced to the tombstone next to this one, ¡°¡ªit¡ it says ¡®to my lovely wife, Zhoming Zhurosan¡¯.¡± ¡°Wait, why are the princess and Empress buried here with what we¡¯re after!?¡± Ruria¡¯s head shot in all directions, noticing that this room had no other rooms connected to it at a single glance so their target was right in this room. ¡°¡Let¡¯s¡ just open the coffin.¡± Lian tried her best not to hide her trembling and clenched fist. She bit her lip until it bled. ¡°¡.¡± ¡°¡Help me.¡± With a bloodied mouth, she looked at Ruria. ¡°O-Okay.¡± The coffin was soon open. Lian looked at their rotting corpses blankly. A pair of cold corpses lay there that didn¡¯t even look like they were in the process of decomposing. Around the edges of the large coffin were all sorts of glowing runes that Lian hasn¡¯t seen before. How did Ko manage to not only reverse them back to their original bodies but also kept their bodies, how to put it, ¡°whole¡±? Sing didn¡¯t look a day over seven and Zhoming was still youthful at the ripe age of 30. Lian leaned on the coffin since she was getting dizzy from remembering the hundreds upon hundreds of failed experiments that had to die just to create two perfect humanoids. It was because of her that the two got to live again, but it was also due to her that both of them changed, never knowing what their true selves were like or where their dead bodies lay. She pressed her lips into a thin line. Between the two dead bodies was a large scroll with a red ribbon wrapped around it. The humming, now almost deafening, vibrated through the chamber, urging her to grab the scrolls laying between the two corpses as if they were protecting it. ¡°Should we just¡ leave them here? Shouldn¡¯t we give them a proper burial aboveground at least?¡± Lian shook her head. ¡°Once Ko is dealt with, I will return here and do it myself. I feel it¡¯s my responsibility alone if Ko is no longer in this world.¡± ¡°Okay¡¡± Lian looked back at the coffin in silence, at the mother and daughter holding each other¡¯s hands. ¡®If you find out what Ko kept from you, will you hate your husband, Zhoming¡.? And will you hate your Papa, Sing¡?¡¯ Her question was not spoken aloud so obviously no one could answer it. Ruria leaned carefully over the coffin and grabbed the large scroll. It was about half her height and was quite thick. Without hesitation, she unfurled it carefully. [Oath made in the name of The Sovereign of Blood Pure Martial art] was what was written inside followed by a sketch of a nine-headed dragon drawn in only different saturations of red. As if the painting itself was bleeding, there were trails of red flowing down the sketch. ¡°It says the book is located in¡¡± Ruria¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°¡ªthe Dragon God¡¯s Lair¡¡± The grave of the Dragon God and the largest and most dangerous dungeon in existence. That is where Arnold will find the Pure Martial Art¡ª[Sovereign of Blood] SS Chapter 26: The Final Battle [Forbidden Art ¨C Sword Tribulation] was still active in the sky even as night came. Not paying attention to the thousands of golden swords above that his opponent could throw down at any minute, Ko continued attacking Arnold. Neither martial was out of breath even though they had been fighting for several hours with no signs of stopping. ¡°You should be proud¡ª¡± Arnold deflected a punch thrown his way, ¡°¡ªThis power you obtained through some shortcut is allowing you to survive this long.¡± ¡°You have truly become childish, taunting me in hopes of making me act recklessly.¡± Ko dodged all of Arnold¡¯s punches before throwing a kick to Arnold¡¯s face, which was blocked. ¡°You haven¡¯t shown me much of what you¡¯ve learned, old friend. Where are all your martial arts you have such an inflated pride for?¡± So far, Arnold has only seen the cloud serpent martial skill, and that fire-based skill he used before. ¡°The land is already devastated by our physical blows but if you are so interested in what else I learned since our last clash¡ª¡± Ko jumped back and put his hands in a praying gesture. When pulling them apart, a black cube of pure energy manifested between his hands, crackling like lightning. ¡°You are not the only one capable of using a forbidden art, old friend.¡± With a blur, the cube shot straight at Arnold. ¡°Wha¡ª¡± before he even blinked, he found himself surrounded by the same cube that had expanded in milliseconds and swallowed him. But he didn¡¯t lose composure. He breathed deeply before trying to put his hand through the cube¡¯s wall. A lightning bolt shocked his hand but he continued pushing. ¡°Tch, what is this thing made out of that not even [Void Phase] works against it?¡± Void Phase was the name he gave the technique Mian Xi taught him. Just like her, he had to keep his mind clear or any thoughts that could interfere with the skill and also keep himself calm under any circumstances. A sharp bell rang out and the walls of the black cube quickly shrank once. ¡°I was saving this technique for when I eventually face off against the Dragon Lords.¡± Ko descended from the sky and landed in front of Arnold. ¡°¡What? You want to fight the Dragon Lords? Why?¡± Naturally this piqued Arnold¡¯s interest. What possible reason could he have to fight those monstrosities that are worlds away from this shadow world? ¡°I need their souls¡ I have come to learn that not all souls are equal and number don¡¯t matter when it comes to them.¡± ¡®Did Ladiath order this guy to fight the dragons? No, then he would¡¯ve told me in advance to cooperate with this guy.¡¯ Also, he didn¡¯t mention a specific Lord, but all of them instead. This could mean he¡¯s looking to fight them all. But why? He said something about souls just now. ¡°The Death God¡ Are you looking to trade their souls to him for power?¡± ¡°I am. That power which will be used to challenge him.¡± ¡°¡Are you out of your mind?¡± ¡°On the contrary, I am ready to face whichever challenge awaits me so that I can revive Zhoming and Sing.¡± ¡®The empress and princess? Aren¡¯t they¡¡¯ Arnold¡¯s eyes widened when he recalled something that happened back in the tournament. Zhoming didn¡¯t have an energy signature, meaning she had no lifeforce as if she was an undead monster. She was clearly not a vampire or any other humanoid undead. So what could the explanation be? Well, the only logical explanation is that both Zhoming and Sing are homunculi. ¡°¡ªDid you kill them?¡± ¡°No¡ Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve always wanted to tell you the truth of what happened five years ago. Enemy troops stormed our camp one night and kidnapped my wife and stepchild. ¡°During all of that, I was unaware since I left the camp¡¯s protection in the hands of my disciples and was trying to negotiate with the Five Sect Elders to surrender 1000 humans who will be slaughtered in Thanrion¡¯s name. Only after that would I have left them in peace. But they were not all too willing to go through with it so even if I wanted to avoid conflict, a massacre would have taken place regardless.¡± Going by what he just said, his clash with the empire started long before that war. A sect doesn¡¯t just order the capture of children at a whim. It was definitely to use the two as bargaining chips. ¡°¡.¡± ¡°When neither of us were willing to go through with negotiations, they brought out their trump cards¡ªmy wife and stepchild. I wanted to kill everyone in that room and cut out the hearts of the scum who dragged them so roughly in front of me. I was given a choice¡ªswear an oath that I will leave and never return or lose those I hold precious. I was not strong enough to save them in time. The martials burned them alive at the stake. My wife and daughter¡¯s bodies were charred beyond recognition. With every soldier slain, I grew stronger and stronger until I gave the elders the fate they deserved. What is so difficult about sacrificing the lives of worthless commoners to avoid a massacre at my hands!? Why did they lack such conviction!? Why did they hesitate when the lives of a thousand could have spared countless more from my wrath?! I offered them the courtesy of telling them the reason for my appearance in their empire and they spat in my face! I begged them. I offered them mercy in exchange for a single, cruel act¡ªan act that would have ensured peace, no matter how fleeting. But they clung to their so-called righteousness, their self-imposed moral chains, and in the end, they paid the price for their hypocrisy! Do you know what it¡¯s like to hear the screams of your loved ones as the flames consume them? To watch their skin blacken and crack, their eyes melting from the heat, while your limbs refuse to move fast enough to save them? I felt their agony. I heard my wife''s last, desperate cry for me, and I failed her. I failed them both! And when I finally cut down those bastards who used them as bargaining chips, when I ripped out their treacherous hearts with my own hands, I realized¡ªwhat was the point? What was the point of all that bloodshed if the ones I fought for were already gone? So tell me, what is difficult about sacrificing a thousand faceless, nameless lives for the ones who truly matter?! Why do we pretend that human life has value when it can be snuffed out so easily?! Why did they choose to make an enemy of me, when all I wanted was to protect what was mine?! WHY?!" ¡°Protect what was... yours? No one goes to these lengths unless they have the desire to kill others.¡± Arnold spat back. ¡°What do you know!? You were born special, grew up in a country ruled by one of the most prominent sect elders, learned your martial arts before 10, had riches at your fingertips, a territory even royals wanted. You have never sought for anything in life, never needed to, in fact¡ªand you think you can preach to me about desires?¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. No, Ko was wrong. Funijji did seek something¡ªa friend. Growing up the heir of a large sect was a path filled with danger¡ªassassins, poison, corruption, damnation. Funiji survived all of that using his own strength. All of this before he even turned 15 years old. He became the most powerful heir the sect has ever nurtured and he showed the elders he was deserving of that seat of Head. And when it was finally over, when he killed the ones that wanted his blood whether family member or lovers, he was alone. And it was then when he met Ko¡ªboth seeking a different purpose on a battlefield filled with corpses. The two of them were different even if they chased the same thing¡ªKo wanted strength to triumph over everything that threatens him or his family and Funiji wanted the strength to trample over others. Forcing down that past he would rather forget, Ko clenched his fists, ¡°One final push before I am on his level¡ Just one more and I can revive you, dear.¡± He then looked up at the black barrier, ¡°This will work¡ it must¡¡± ¡°You want to kill the dragon lords just over two people! You fool blinded by your own desires!¡± ¡°I will leave one alive after taking its soul. The Dragon Lords are humanity¡¯s protectors so I cannot simply have all of them die. One should be enough to continue the bloodline.¡± ¡°Are you out of your mind!? Releasing a dragon lord without a soul into the mortal realms will have consequences! Their purpose is to defend the world against threats that can doom humanity¡ªan order given by the Dragon God¡ªif they lose their souls then their memories go with it and the remaining dragon will seek a new identity!¡± Naturally this would be troublesome for Arnold as well. Five demigods were protecting their world from threats that can threaten even the Great Nobles and Archmage. Their lineage as the Dragon God¡¯s children is enough to scare off any existential threats looming outside their world or creeping around in the Mountains of Wails. ¡°Hoh? You have travelled across the realms same as I and know this much?¡± Ko narrowed his eyes. As expected, Ko needs to die. He¡¯s not someone that can be allowed to go through with his deal with Thanrion. Rather, doesn¡¯t this mean Ko will become a threat to Thanrion? Then why isn¡¯t the Death God doing anything about it? Will he really give Ko what was promised? Ko lifted one arm, his palm facing Arnold, ¡°Enough talk. This is where we say farewell. I will be taking the Sovereign of Blood book after I hold your funeral, old friend.¡± In an instant, the cube shrunk again, this time moving quicker than before. But suddenly, the cube stopped moving. A bright radiance came from inside. Even though he put more energy into its crushing power, the cube wouldn¡¯t move. The sound of glass shattering resounded and something tore out Ko¡¯s eye in an instant, sending pain through his brain. He held his hand over his face with gritted teeth as he jumped back. ¡°What¡! Kuh!¡± not having enough time to be surprised or retreat to regain his composure, Ko deflected a lightning-fast strike that aimed for his heart. The power behind that blow was so devastating that he was thrown back a bit further. Even though Ko was using his Aether, Funiji was able to overwhelm him this much!? Before he could even catch a breath, he felt the cold presence of death at his neck. Sensing that, he held his sword over the back of his neck. A powerful blow pushed him down, cracking the landscape like an earthquake. Where did this sudden boost of power come from!? Funiji¡¯s next blow managed to hit but using a cheap trick, a piece of wood was left in his absence. He was now standing on the edge of a cliff, about 5km away from the earlier location. ¡°[Shin''ei Ky¨] (Divine Avatar Sutra) Heed my call!¡± Ko lifted his arms and did several hand signs that spelled the full chant for summoning the spirit, in Godorin. Spoken chants don¡¯t seem to work for most martial arts so martials in this world found a way to use the aforementioned martials arts by utilizing hand signs. A golden light erupted from Ko¡¯s back, illuminating the battlefield like a second sun. The radiance expanded, swelling into a towering, divine form that seemed to transcend the physical world. From Moon Plum City, 100km away, citizens gasped as they gazed upon the impossible sight¡ªa behemoth of golden light, standing with such majesty that even the clouds bent around its presence. The entity¡¯s features were serene¡ªbald head, eyes closed in quiet wisdom, long earlobes heavy with jeweled ornaments. Eight arms folded in prayer, radiating a tranquil power that belied the devastation they could unleash. A gentle smile graced the spirit¡¯s face, but its presence alone caused the very air to tremble. The pressure it emitted was suffocating. This was clearly a being that could take on a Dragon Lord. The colossal being slowly unfolded its arms. Before sound could even register, one of its hands had already struck. The force was incomprehensible¡ªthe earth split apart, the cliff Arnold stood on crumbling instantly. The delayed shockwave blasted through the air, tearing through the surrounding landscape with divine force. A mountain in the distance¡ªone that had stood for millennia¡ªwas reduced to rubble in an instant. But Arnold had moved. The Avatar¡¯s colossal palm, meant to flatten him where he stood, was parried. Before the echoes of destruction could fade, another palm shot forward¡ªfaster than the last. Arnold twisted his body, his sword intercepting the strike with a flawless counter. The force sent him skidding back, carving deep trenches into the battlefield. One blow. Two blows. Three. Each parry sent another wave of destruction across the land. A chain of mountains collapsed in on themselves, their peaks reduced to rubble and the sky itself trembled under the relentless exchange. Ko, standing amidst the chaos, felt his pulse quicken. Funiji¡ was keeping up with the martial arts Ko was saving for his clash with the Dragon Lords. The golden behemoth unleashed a flurry of strikes¡ªeight arms moving at speeds imperceptible to the human eye. A thousand blows per second. A hurricane of pure destruction¡ªone an avatar of Martial God Sutra¡ªharboring a tenth of its original¡¯s true power¡ªand the other a simple human. Not even a Demon Lord, besides Oriel of course, should be able to withstand this power. ¡°!!!!¡± One of Sutra¡¯s hands were parried to the side and torn off by Arnold¡¯s blade, making its horrific scream echo throughout the lands. Its face twisted like a toddler¡¯s. ¡°Get off him so I can kill him, bastard.¡± Arnold lifted his arm. The clouds parted ways. Looking up, Ko noticed that the golden swords were gathering at a single point but was unable to see what it was since a divine light was brightening the sky. The light scattered once all the swords gathered at that single point and in its wake¡ªa giant golden sword measuring hundreds of kilometers in length. ¡°I¡ Impossible¡ To think a human could control this forbidden art to this extend¡! Even users of Pure Martial Arts cannot do so!¡± A horrified expression appeared on Ko¡¯s face as he looked back at the Empire. His wife and stepdaughter were there. For their sake, he had to win this. ¡°Descend, [Giant Killer].¡± Arnold casually swung down his arm. The behemoth of a sword travelled at breakneck speeds and before long its shadow appeared above Ko. ¡°[A Million Palms of Su¡¯yern]!¡± the Sutra avatar made several handsigns upon Ko¡¯s command. Its fists were then covered in a golden light. Steeling itself, the avatar pulled back its arms then in less than a second, it threw countless punches through the air, its fists becoming a blur. Upon closer inspection, it looked almost as if the next flurry of punches were sending the previous punches forward like some kind of force pushing something. Even the Dragon Lords¡ªdemigod beings¡ªwould stare in awe at this destructive display of power that belonged to just two humans. ¡ Unfortunately for Ko, the Sutra avatar¡¯s technique barely registered in the giant sword¡¯s path. In fact, the sword went right through the flurry of punches. That¡¯s right¡ªArnold has mastered Mian Xi¡¯s martial art to such an extent that not just his blade, but even his martial arts could not be stopped. ¡°¡No¡ No¡! Ahhhhh!¡± the moment the behemoth weapon dug into the avatar¡¯s shoulder, a piercing howl erupted from its fat belly, and a large gash appeared on Ko¡¯s shoulder, spewing a fountain of blood. ¡°Don¡¯t rest yet.¡± Arnold raised one arm. -[Leviathan Storm] has been activated. The system¡¯s window popped up for a second. Strangely, when Arnold thought of [Storm of the Water Dragon], the skill that activated was his evolution skill. Unlike when he was in Failed King Oriel¡¯s demon factor form, he could now control which of the two he wants to use but right here and now he was unable to control it since he was driven by pure murderous intent and subconsciously sought to use the greatest power in his possession. He wanted to end Ko. He won¡¯t let ¡°that¡± person have the courtesy of doing so. A roar shook the heavens, the clouds parted way and coming from the sky was a gigantic head of a dragon. In a split second, its full body manifested once it showed itself, stretching for hundreds of kilometers. The sky split as the dragon roared, its voice a shockwave that flattened mountains and ignited the air. The Sutra avatar struck back, fists blurring, each impact shattering the earth and hurling molten rock skyward. Then the dragon fell. A hurricane of destruction followed, its claws shearing through golden limbs, its maw snapping shut with pressure beyond comprehension. The avatar¡¯s body crumpled, torn apart midair before being slammed into the ground. The impact shattered the land¡ªmountains crumbled, biomes vanished, and the sky itself darkened as the dragon¡¯s final wrath consumed all the sun¡¯s light in its overwhelming power. The avatar¡¯s screams began to sound more distant as its form began to fade away, too damaged to even stay manifested in the material world. Left behind was Ko, face upward toward the sky and on his knees. Arnold approached the man who was near death. An Aether blade appeared around his arm again, ready to chop off Ko¡¯s head. ¡°P¡ Please¡ No¡¡± ¡°I will not extend mercy to someone like you¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªI¡ I¡¯ll¡ a¡ accept¡ my death but¡. One last time¡. Just once¡ I want to see them¡ My Sing and Z-Zhoming¡ I need to¡ tell them¡ the truth¡¡± tears streamed down Ko¡¯s face. The only sound that followed after his plea was the howling of wind. SS Chapter 27: Rest First, Revenge Later Kohana didn¡¯t know what happened after she lost consciousness. She only remembered being lifted, cradled in strong arms, before darkness pulled her under. When she woke up, the world felt distant. The room was dimly lit, its shadows stretching long across the walls. The air was thick with the scent of aged wood and faint traces of incense. The muffled noise outside¡ªthe distant clatter of armor, hushed voices¡ªtold her the fighting had stopped. She blinked, adjusting to the dim glow of the lantern flickering beside the bed. Next to the lantern were several empty potion bottles. This room¡ Slowly, she sat up, her fingers sinking into the silk sheets. The heavy curtains, the ornate wooden dresser, the lacquered wardrobe¡ªit was all the same. Nothing has changed. This was her parents¡¯ bedroom. How long has it been since she was in this room? A memory washed over her. She remembered a chilly night, curled up under these very blankets, snuggled against her father¡¯s warmth. His voice, deep and steady, wove stories of the great Martial Gods¡ªtheir trials, their triumphs, their unwavering resolve. "A true warrior does not wield strength for destruction, but to protect." That was what he had told her, stroking her hair as her eyelids grew heavy. After her mother¡¯s death, these nights became routine. She had slipped into his bed every evening, burying herself against him, afraid that if she let go, he would disappear too. And then, one morning, she woke up alone. The sheets were cold beside her. The halls outside had been filled with hurried footsteps, frantic voices. Servants rushed past, their expressions tense, their gazes avoiding hers. Martial warriors in dark robes lined the corridors, their presence suffocating. Kohana had been too young to understand. She had searched for him, calling his name. Tugging at sleeves. "Where is Father?" Someone finally answered. "An emergency request. The border." That was the last time she saw him. The whispers followed soon after. The ones she wasn¡¯t meant to hear. Ko¡¯s massacre had already begun. It didn¡¯t start in this empire¡ªit started across the border, in a neighboring town. Thousands dead. No ransom, no demands. Just bodies left in his wake. And among them¡ª Her father. Her heart clenched. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to cry. It¡¯s been five years. Five years since he was taken from her. Five years since she had last heard his voice, felt the warmth of his arms around her. And now¡ the very people her family had protected for centuries refused to even listen to her. She had poured her heart out, pleaded with them, tried to reassure them that Ko would never haunt them again. She only wanted them to see¡ªI am not your enemy. But they hadn¡¯t. Maybe it was the way she arrived. The way it must have looked as if she had stood with Funiji. The timing had been too cruel. Too damning. She could have explained. If only they had let her. If only they had believed in her, not went straight to punching her in the face. A choked sound escaped her lips. She pressed her hands to her face, trying to suppress the sobs wracking her body. The tears came regardless. Silent weeping turned into shaking, gasping sobs. She clutched the sheets, knuckles white. Then, without thinking, she swung her fist. The pillow crumpled beneath the blow. But it wasn¡¯t enough. She hit it again. And again. Her breath came in ragged gasps. Then she screamed. A raw, broken sound ripped from her throat, filling the room, bouncing off the walls. She screamed until her voice cracked, until her chest ached, until there was nothing left inside her but emptiness. And then¡ silence. She slumped forward, forehead pressed against the mattress, shoulders trembling. While her head was facing the nightstand next to the bed, she noticed a knife lying next to cut-up apples. Slowly, she crawled out of bed and grabbed the knife. Her whole body was trembling but strangely enough the hand gripping the knife, did not. Lifting the knife, it was inches away from her throat. Then suddenly it fell down after she recalled Rasuke¡¯s face if he were to find out that the person he looked up to the most killed herself. Immediately, the tears started to flow again. ?? As the battle far east of here began to slow down, the blue robed individuals retreated, only a few casualties resulting from their ambush. In comparison, more than half of the palace guards were killed and two Inner Martials were killed by Chief Soryu, who was at his last legs so Rasuke had to help him escape. The crowd, still terrified at the scene left behind by the assailants, were escorted out of the palace by the guards once they confirmed it was safe. Besides Nova murdering a bunch of people in the banquet hall and some being trampled to death in this crowd during the frenzy, only a small percentage of common folk were injured, mostly from stray throwables, tools, and even falling over each other. ¡°¡ªYour Majesties.¡± Ruria appeared in Sing¡¯s room, finding the mother and daughter huddled together on the bed. The windows were barricaded¡ªnot that it would make a difference. The barrier in this room extended even to the balcony. But Ruria couldn¡¯t blame them for their caution. ¡°Lily¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªI¡¯m sorry.¡± Before Zhoming could say anything, Ruria lowered her head. ¡°Miss Lian and I are involved in the Revolution.¡± The words landed like a thunderclap. Zhoming¡¯s breath hitched. Without hesitation, she grabbed the fruit knife from the table, stepping in front of Sing. ¡°M-Mommy, she¡¯s going to hurt us, isn¡¯t she¡?¡± Sing sobbed, clinging desperately to her mother¡¯s dress. ¡°I will protect you, my sweet girl.¡± Zhoming¡¯s voice wavered, but her grip on the knife remained firm. She gently placed a hand over Sing¡¯s trembling fingers, offering what little reassurance she could. ¡°I am not here to hurt you¡¡± Ruria spoke softly, cautiously, as if any sudden movement would shatter the fragile trust in the air. She reached for the hem of her maid dress, lifting it slightly to reveal the leotard hugging her thighs. Then, one by one, she unfastened her utility belt and let it drop to the floor with a dull thud. Her hidden weapons followed¡ªdaggers, vials, throwing needles¡ªall tossed aside. ¡°Stay back!¡± ¡°Do you want me to strip naked to prove I have no weapons?¡± Her voice held frustration now, but her posture remained open, non-threatening. ¡°W-What do you want from us?! Where is my husband?!¡± ¡°¡ªYour husband is alive but barely breathing.¡± The voice came from the door. Zhoming flinched, spinning toward the sound. Sing gasped, burying herself further behind her mother. A tall figure leaned lazily against the doorframe, arms crossed, a smirk playing on her lips. ¡°L-Lady Mian Xi¡?¡± Sing¡¯s small voice was laced with confusion. ¡°You?¡± Ruria¡¯s body tensed. In a flash, she grabbed her utility belt, fingers wrapping around the hilt of a dagger. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t give me that look.¡± Mian Xi stepped forward, unconcerned by the hostility. ¡°Just like you, I¡¯m not here to harm anyone. Oh, and my master is looking for the book.¡± She puffed out her chest as if expecting applause. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Ruria narrowed her eyes. ¡°Lian has it. Wait¡ªwhat do you mean by your master¡?¡± A sick feeling twisted in her gut. Was she working for Funiji? Had he somehow uncovered everything? ¡°Ara, do you not know?¡± Mian Xi¡¯s smirk widened. ¡°I am now Lord Nova¡¯s subordinate. The first member of his organization tasked with killing Oriel!¡± ¡°WHAT!?¡± The words burst out before Ruria could stop herself. Zhoming and Sing exchanged a glance. ¡°Since when!? How even!?¡± Ruria¡¯s thoughts reeled. Just yesterday, they had been fighting! Who is Oriel even, was what she was about to asked before Mian Xi replied: ¡°Forget the details, Thief.¡± Mian Xi waved a dismissive hand. ¡°I received a transmission from Master. He wants me to take the former princess and empress to the City Square, where the gallows are.¡± Silence fell. Zhoming¡¯s fingers twitched against the knife¡¯s handle. Sing whimpered, her grip tightening on her mother¡¯s dress. It¡ It couldn¡¯t be that, right? ** Kohana stood on the edge of the balcony. During her youth, she used to watch the festivals and lively city from this very balcony. -¡°I will rule these people someday.¡± Used to bring her so much joy. The expectations of the people, the responsibilities as Emperor, and the hope as a leader to her people¡ªshe wanted to answer them all and exceeded what was expected of her. During her sleepless nights preparing for the eventual Revolution, she never once hesitated or got cold feet. But maybe it was due to how fast everything was going that she thought she couldn¡¯t face the road ahead? Or was it merely Arnold¡¯s presence in this situation that unintentionally made her want to rely on him? The ferocious battle that will be sung in legends even a thousand years from now, calmed down and the earth stopped trembling. To think, a man more powerful than Ko Johun was on their side and never once had he expressed the desire to trample on them as Ko did. Would things have been the same if the book wasn¡¯t the reason he was here? Maybe to others but Kohana believed Arnold isn¡¯t someone who just becomes evil for his own enjoyment. As someone who has read many stories about heroic martials¡ªeven wishing she could be embraced by such a powerful man¡ªshe knew firsthand what it takes to bring a man to change so much that he seeks to destroy and trample upon others. But that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s justified. She doesn¡¯t know what man Arnold will become in the future but for now she¡¯ll believe he was the better of the two evils. ¡°¡ªThe fight is over, Empress.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± hearing that voice, Kohana turned around, seeing Arnold standing there still in Funiji¡¯s robes. Only Arnold stood there. Not even her brother was here for her, which left her feeling a little empty. She tried to be happy and smile but after what happened, she couldn¡¯t even do that to show her savior how grateful she was. Silently, he approached her. she thought he was about to hug her, to comfort her, which she desperately wanted right now¡ But he leaned on the balcony. A sigh came out of him, one to express his exhaustion. He didn¡¯t seem to be injured from a glance but the robes were quite tattered. ¡°Do you want to know why Ko destroyed the five great sects and killed your father?¡± ¡°I¡ I don¡¯t know¡¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯ll tell you anyway¡ He did it all for power.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡?¡± ¡°The Death God bestows wishes to mortals who bring him offerings. You don¡¯t need to go to the River of Souls for this. All you need to do is slaughter about a thousand people and call out his name while covered in their blood. If you don¡¯t pledge the dead to him, then the souls of the dead will get lost in the River of Souls, meaning he won¡¯t be able to use the souls for his own benefit. He is only a guardian of the river and benefits from its power but to him power isn¡¯t what he wants.¡± Kohana silently listened to Arnold. ¡°He can¡¯t influence the real world¡ªjust like any other god besides the Goddess of Fate who controls and sees every event in our lives. Without this, he can¡¯t take people¡¯s souls from them. But he can let others do it for him and in return he gives them power. But this power triggers destiny because the person looking for this power did not get it naturally, only through death of others. You could call fate a road that plans out your whole life but one side dirt road can disturb the peace. If you walk through that road alone¡ªmeaning if you make a wish for your own benefit¡ªthen your vision will be darkened. But if you walk with others behind you, then their vision will be darkened. The thing is that you can¡¯t look back if those people behind you fall into a pit of spikes or take a wrong turn and walk into a horde of monsters that end up killing them. Ko wished for power to protect others. And this is what took away his one motivation to finding more strength.¡± What would be so precious to him that he would sacrifice thousands for his selfish wish for strength¡? ¡°I won¡¯t talk about Ko as if I understand him because I would never seek strength to protect others, only myself. If I did¡ I¡¯d be just like Arthur.¡± The railing he was gripping crumbled in his hand like sand. His expression was composed but his trembling hand told a different story. Kohana timidly placed her hand above his. Even in this moment, standing beside the man who saved her nation, she was trembling. Arnold just continued talking, ¡°¡The consequences that resulted from that war is why he sought even more strength and an army strong enough to aid him. But this would¡¯ve changed nothing because he was still selfish and would¡¯ve sacrificed more lives just for his goal. It is also due to this,¡± Arnold stood back up, ¡°¡ªwhy I must kill him.¡± ¡°W-What?¡± ¡°He wants to offer the souls of dragon lords to the to the Death God. You should know that even a billion mortal souls isn¡¯t worth even one Dragon Lord¡¯s soul. If there is really no limit to how much power the Death God can you give then Ko would¡¯ve become an unstoppable force.¡± Just killing Suarif Elipis alone wouldn¡¯t create as big a problem as killing more than half of them and taking away the surviving one¡¯s soul. All leaving one survivor will do is place a bandage over a severed arm. ¡°No way¡ he wants more strength¡? How could anyone ever hope to beat him if he went through with that¡ Y-You said you want to kill him but what about the person we talked about¡?¡± ¡°We still need him for Funiji. I hear Funiji¡¯s army is tenfold what Ko possesses, right? I¡¯m not going to war with that many armies when all I came here to do was to get that book.¡± He continued, changing the subject. ¡°Another thing¡¡± ¡°Ko is at the gallows in the City Square.¡± Kohana gulped. A day she never thought would come¡ A day where Ko will be on his knees, his head seconds away from rolling. It was a day she dreamt of many times but it always seemed so far away. ¡°Put on some clothes and I¡¯ll take you there. As the Empress of this empire and the head of the Zhurosan Family, you should be there to witness the execution.¡± ¡°¡.¡± Kohana lowered her head. ¡°¡I know what happened at the banquet hall. They didn¡¯t welcome you with open arms.¡± ¡°¡¡± The two of them stared at each other. Kohana¡¯s eyes began tear up. She gripped the hem of her night gown, the tears silently falling. In an attempt to hide them, she turned around and began to furiously wipe her face. Maybe it wasn¡¯t such a good idea to bring that up¡ Just when he was about to say he¡¯ll give her some time and postpone Ko¡¯s execution, she turned around. ¡°¡ªLord Arnold!¡± then suddenly she grabbed his hand, ¡°Please marry me and become this nation¡¯s Emperor!¡± ¡°W-What?¡± Even he was taken aback by this sudden ¡°request¡± of hers. She quickly took off her robes and showed him her naked body, a beautiful and supple youthful form that glistened in the moonlight. ¡°As your wife, I promise to serve you until my dying breath, to follow every order, listen to all your troubles and help you fix them, bear strong children who you can be proud of¡ª¡± ¡°Princess¡ª¡± before he could get a word in, she put her arms around him. ¡°With you, they will kneel. With you, I won¡¯t be weak. With you, I¡¯ll have the strength to continue on this path as Empress¡!¡± ¡°What will you do if I refuse? Kill yourself?¡± Her breath hitched in her throat. ¡°¡Arnold.¡± She looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes. ¡°Please. Stay with me.¡± Instead of answering her, he closed his eyes for a second and sighed softly before looking behind her and calling out¡ª ¡°Mian Xi.¡± ¡°Yes, My Master.¡± Mian, now dressed in her usual purple attire that exposed more than even the attire of a high-class courtesan, appeared out of thin air. ¡°E-Eh? The lady who was in the tournament?¡± Kohana looked between the two in confusion. ¡°You swore to devote yourself to me, right?¡± ¡°Arnold¡?¡± ¡°Yes, what you have given me is worth more than any reward in the entire nine realms. Simply teaching you my martial art was not enough to repay such a gift.¡± ¡°You made an oath to me¡ªwhat was it?¡± ¡°I swore to serve you until I help you defeat the Failed King, Demon Lord Oriel and take his soul from your body.¡± ¡°And you are willing to do anything until that day comes?¡± ¡°Yes, if you wish for my arm, then I will cut it off. If you wish for my body, then I shall give it to you. If you wish to use my womb, then I shall bear your children. If you want me to humiliate myself naked in the streets of Zhurosan then I shall do it without hesitation.¡± ¡°That pleases me.¡± A smile appeared on Mian Xi¡¯s beautiful face. ¡°Mian Xi, I have two tasks for you and expect you to follow them without complaint.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°First.¡± Arnold looked down at Kohana who was still clutching his hand, ¡°You will serve Kohana and offer her guidance. As someone who has lived hundreds of years, you should have some wisdom to share. You will listen to each and every one of her orders and you will kill those who want to harm her.¡± ¡°As you command, My Master.¡± ¡°Second, you will look through all the dungeons and relic tombs that Ko sealed off and search for Cardinal Artifacts and magical artifacts crafted by Goddess Urion.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Since she¡¯s a Yokai, she should be able to split up her physical form at the cost of reducing her powers. On one hand, she can protect Kohana and on the other, she can look for artifacts. Goddess Urion was one of the most prominent magicians in the Divine Realm¡¯s history and has crafted many artifacts specifically suited for magicians. Her creations were also his max level equipment in the game. Arnold still hasn¡¯t given up on magic. He¡¯ll get that intelligent stat no matter what. ¡°When the time comes for us to face Oriel, I will come get you. Until then, you will stay by Kohana¡¯s side.¡± ¡°As you command, My Master.¡± ¡°Dismissed.¡± She disappeared without a word as soon as he dismissed her. Feeling the princess¡ªno, Empress¡ªsqueezing his hand, he looked down at her, ¡°I will not stay here in this world now that I¡¯ve found what I¡¯ve been looking for.¡± ¡°¡You¡¯re mean¡¡± the Empress bopped her head on his chest. ¡°All the people are gathering in the City Square. We need to hurry before your brother gets impatient and cuts off Ko¡¯s head.¡± ¡°Right¡ Please give me a few minutes¡¡± Soon, Kohana let go of him and silently picked up her nightdress and gown before retreating back inside. ¡°Ahhh¡. This journey finally came to an end after so long.¡± Arnold said that but he was barely gone a month in his world. It felt as long as a year, though. He had met the cold elf, Rafaela. Then the Ice Mage Queen, Siana, and her army. He had fought a demigod-level threat and miraculously won using a power meant for nothing more than deflecting arrows. After that, he obtained the relic Gergois, a tool capable of utilizing runes to enhance abilities and heal its wearer. Then came Gederick, the one who could track him by scent alone. Their battle had nearly ended in his demise¡ªuntil a dungeon storm pulled him away to safety. And then¡ he reunited with Arthur and the others. That almost ended in the largest genocide known to both mankind and godkind, had Madilith not been killed. -¡°Will you truly kill Arthur once you find him, Master?¡± ¡°Since when can you talk?¡± he looked down at Luxtivin. -¡°The human form allowed me to control my vocal cords.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense¡¡± thinking back to Luxtivin¡¯s question¡ª ¡°I want to. But how will I face Anais again after I kill her brother? She won¡¯t forgive me for killing the man she loves and the brother she grew up with.¡± -¡°Why do you care what she thinks of you? Are you afraid she may take revenge? She is no threat to the strongest human in the realms.¡± ¡°I know that.¡± But that doesn¡¯t eliminate her eventual [Death Flag]. Arnold wants to avoid collecting those. -¡°What if she tries to stop you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡¡± -¡°I can feel that you will not be able to go through with killing her so why not overwrite that love she has for her brother? Make her depend on you more, make her want to defend you more, give her more attention than her brother ever will, create a rift between the two that creates a distance that will only expand¡¡± ¡°¡.¡± -¡°Well, I will not attempt to put you on the spot. You have more than enough time at your leisure so relax for now and we can continue this conversation again.¡± The sword went silent. Right, he had time to relax now. Leave Arthur for when he¡¯s had some rest. What else does he have to do after this? There¡¯s no way he¡¯s doing anything other than resting. Oh, that¡¯s right he still has to visit his city for Siana¡ Caerwyn also wants to cut his hair. What awaits him after his ¡°date¡± and trip to the barber is a life of relaxation and debauchery. Just thinking of tearing apart Victoria¡¯s clothes and finally seeing her breasts again after so long¡ Forcing his lewd thoughts to go away, he reminded him that there were things to wrap up. And that wasn¡¯t just getting the martial book. Rafaela¡¯s face appeared in his mind when he closed his eyes. ¡°Before I kill Arthur and Suarif Elipus, I¡¯ll try living a slow life for now.¡± The strongest human in all the nine realms, decided from that moment forth, he will take things easy before getting his revenge.