《The Rise of the Sura King》


 The End and the Beginning

    ¡°...Why, Mina?¡±


    On top of a certain hill, two figures stood out with the stars and the full moon in the background. If people were to see the scene from afar, every single one of them would immediately assume that the two were having an intimate moment. The male was cupping the female¡¯s face with his right hand while he pulled her up to his body. It looked as if he would lean in and kiss her at any moment.


    The man was around six feet tall. He had long black hair that was tied together into a ponytail which reached down to his shoulder blades. His face looked rough with a long scar that went from the corner of his left eye to his lip. On his body, he wore fine leather armor which was laced with small pieces of metal. A halberd and helmet, which the male discarded, laid on the ground beside them.


    The female, on the other hand, was a little over five feet six inches tall.She had long, sleeky, black hair went down to her chins, which complemented her almond shape face. Her skin was snow white and looked very gentle. She wore a tight fitting red dress which showcased her slim figure and long legs.


    As one looked closer at the scene though, they would start to notice that something was off. The two were surrounded by dozens of corpses that laid out in almost a circle around them. The stench around them was also horrendous as the smell of blood and bodily fluids wafted throughout the area.


    When looked upon from even closer, you would also be able to see that the scene of the man embracing the girl also seemed off. From in between the two, a small stream of red liquid was flowing down the man¡¯s body. On the ground below the male¡¯s feet, a pool of blood was beginning to form.


    ¡°Why? Because this was the plan from the start, of course.¡±


    The soft, feminine voice that rang out sounded plain, void of any emotions. The female¡¯s facial expression seemed bland as though she was looking at something boring.


    ¡°Tens years ago, during the battle of Cesius, the commander that you killed was my father. Four years ago, during the battle of Wazenkus, you killed both of my older brothers. To think that I would really love you, that must be the funniest thing I¡¯ve ever heard.¡±


    As the female spoke, anger and ridicule slowly began to permeate into her voice. The originally bland facial expression also began to turn into one of ridicule. Hearing all of that and seeing the change in her expression, a self depreciating smile formed on the male¡¯s face.


    ¡°Haaa, it must have been hard trying to act like you loved the person who killed your family members, huh? How were you able to hold on until now?¡±


    Truthfully, the male had noticed a long time ago that something was off with her. Even when they showed affection toward each other, he felt a sort of coldness radiate from her. It was just that he loved her too much and decided to act as though he didn¡¯t notice it. Slowly, he began to ignore that feeling until he didn¡¯t notice it anymore.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how much I wanted to puke when I acted intimate with you. Still, it was also laughable to see how you ,Hwaryeong, the strongest general of the Long Kingdom, fell so helplessly in love with someone that you would ignore everything and rush into a trap to save your lover.¡±


    As Mina¡¯s cold voice echoed out into the night, she slowly pulled away from the man. As the distance between them increased, one would be able to see that in her hand was a bone dagger which was coated in blood. Losing the support of the her body, the male collapsed down to one knee as a fountain of blood flew out from the wound in his chest. After watching him collapse, Mina turned around and slowly began to walk away. A couple of steps in though, she suddenly stopped and stayed still for a moment.


    ¡°Still, if there truly is an afterlife, I hope that we will be able to meet with a better circumstance.¡±


    Mina¡¯s voice was so soft that Hwaryeong was barely able to hear what she said. With those words said, Mina once again started to walk away. As her figure slowly disappeared from his view, his eyesight started to blur.


    Even though he was dying, Hwaryeong didn¡¯t feel any pain. If he wanted to, he was actually capable of using the ki in his body to slow the bleeding and he might be able to hold on long enough to go to the nearest village and try to find a doctor.


    Just as Mina said, his situation was pretty laughable. With his skills, it was basically impossible for someone as weak as her to be able to stab him. Even the dozens of ambushers weren¡¯t able to cause him any injuries. If he hadn¡¯t been so worried about Mina and stopped his flow of ki in relief that she was alright, the dagger wouldn¡¯t have been able to pierce through his skin no matter how hard she tried.


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    Still, he didn¡¯t move from his position. Even if he somehow miraculously did make it to the nearest village, he doubted he would be able to find a capable enough doctor to heal his wound. Also, he truthfully felt as though there wasn¡¯t much to continue living on anyways. While those depressing thoughts went through his mind, he started to recall memories from the past.


    Numerous scenes began to float past his eyes. The time he first saw Mina. The times he used to go on walks with her. The first time he hugged her. His first kiss with her. All the different memories he had of the time he was with her flashed by. As he watched those scenes, a sad smile appeared on his lips.


    While he viewed those memories though, Hwaryeong started to feel emotion that were not his rise in his mind. Noticing the familiar feeling that came from the emotions, he picked up his halberd and looked at it tenderly. With the little energy he had left, he tried to sound upbeat as he spoke with a hoarse voice.


    ¡°Ah, Moon¡¯s Reflection. It seems like this is as far as I can go with you. I¡¯m sorry that I won¡¯t be able to accomplish the promise I made with you. I hope that your next owner will be someone who will be able to fulfill their promises.¡±


    Most people who saw the scene of a dying person talking to their weapon would assume that the person was hallucinating at the end of his life. The thing was though, as Hwaryeong spoke, the halberd seemed to vibrate and release a light blue light. Seeing the halberd¡¯s reaction, Hwaryeong raised his left arm with much difficulty and patted the weapon.


    The people who were close to Hwaryeong, however, would know differently. Moon¡¯s Reflection was actually a weapon that had sentience. It was said that in ages long past there were master blacksmiths whose skill were so advanced that they were able create such fine masterpieces that they were able to place sentience into their products.


    The knowledge of such skills, however, was slowly lost over the passage of time. All that was left as memento of those ages were the few remaining weapons that were passed down through the ages. It was said  that there were only five such weapons left now.


    Moon¡¯s Reflection was such a weapon. It was also the Long Kingdom¡¯s national treasure. When Hwaryeong was promoted as the Commander of the Long Kingdom¡¯s army, he was bestowed with Moon¡¯s Reflection as a reward.


    He still remembered the wonderful feeling of being able to sense the halberd¡¯s emotions. He swore to the halberd the first time he received it that he would use it to become the strongest person in the continent and ensure that all the people would acknowledge that it was the strongest weapon. Thinking of how he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep that promise with his partner made Hwaryeong fill regret.


    By that point in time, everything in his field of vision was now a blur and he wasn¡¯t able to make anything out. The only reason he was able to pat the halberd was because he was holding onto it. Soon, even the blurs disappeared and all he was able to see was black. The sense of touch soon started to disappear and he wasn¡¯t able to move his body anymore.


    As his body began to lose its function, the halberd slipped out of his hand and began to fall toward the ground once again. Just as it was about to hit the ground though, the halberd flew forward on it¡¯s own. After traveling forward for ten feet, the halberd turned around and flew back toward Hwaryeong.


    Just as his soul was about to leave his body, the halberd that was rushing toward him finally reached him. The halberd, which should have pierced through his body, strangely seemed to lose its corporeal form and began to disappear as it hit his body, leaving no traces that it was there in the first place.


    Hwaryeong never noticed any of this, however. By that time, he had already lost all of his sense. At that time, he felt as though he was swimming in a sea of darkness already.


    For an unknown amount of time, Hwaryeong¡¯s soul remained in the state of floating in the darkness. At some point though, a faint light began to appear in the all encompassing darkness. Noticing the light, it felt as though his soul was being slowly pulled to it.


    As he moved closer, the faint light slowly began to become brighter until it reached the point where his whole vision was covered by the light. When he finally arrived at the source of the light, his soul continued forth and passed through the light...

 Chapter 1 - Reynald Frostmoon

    "....Haa.¡±


    A youth was currently lying down in a large clearing. The boy was drenched in sweat as he breathed heavily, attempting to replenish his body¡¯s supply of oxygen. There was a serious expression on his face.


    The boy was a little over four foot six inches tall. He had messy, short auburn hair with large, round hazel eyes. His frame was skinny. The drenched clothing he was wearing were made from fine silk that exuded a noble and expensive feel.


    ¡°This goddamn body still won¡¯t react exactly as I want it to. Haa¡­ I guess it is to be expected from the body of a child. I wonder how much more I¡¯ll have to train to get complete control over my body again¡­. Still, I should probably head back before mom notices that I snuck out.¡±


    As the boy finished saying those words, he got up to his feet before he started jogging out from the clearing and headed out of the forest. After jogging for around fifteen minutes, he was able to see the outline of a city on top of a large hill and quickened his pace.


    ¡°Welcome back, young master!¡±


    The guards who were stationed at the city¡¯s gates stood up straight and saluted the small boy as he entered through the main gates. The boy, in return, smiled at the guards and waved at them to relax as he hastily ran past them and headed toward the middle of the city.


    After walking for around thirty minutes, the boy finally arrived in front of a large estate that was surrounded by large, thick marble walls on all sides. Using a secret passage that he discovered long ago as a child, he quietly sneaked back into the estate before rushing to his room. Once he finally arrived, he let a sigh of relief out and began to change into a different set of clothes.


    ¡°And where are you coming back from, all drenched in soak, Reynald?¡±


    Just as he took off his shirt though, a voice rang out from the corner of his room which caused him to jump in fright. Quickly turning around, the boy saw a female standing in a space that, just a second ago, was empty. Hastily putting his shirt back on, his face contorted into an awkward smile as he replied back.


    ¡°Hey mom! I heard that there was something interesting going on in the city so I thought that I¡¯d drop by to see what the fuss was about.¡±


    The woman in the corner of the room stood at about five feet three inches in height with long strawberry blonde hair that reached her lower back. Her figure was slim and she wore a long blue dress that fitted her body quite well. Even though her age already passed her thirties, many people would automatically assume the lady was still in her early twenties with her beautiful face and smooth skin. The woman was the Marquees of the Moonshadow region, and mother of Reynald, Elizabeth Frostmoon.


    Elizabeth humphed at Reynald¡¯s explanation while she maintained a stern expression as she listened to Reynald fumble through his explanation. Seeing the cute expression on Reynald¡¯s face though, the seriousness in her face slowly melted away as it was replaced by adoration and care. When she noticed the change in her expression, Elizabeth tried to change it back, but Reynald noticed the minute change.


    Using the knowledge, he used his final trump card to placate his mom.


    ¡°Mom, while I was walking around the city, I found this and thought of you so I bought it for you.¡±


    Saying those words, Reynald hastily scrambled through his pockets before his hands came back out. Stretching his hand out, he turned his palm up to show that the object that was inside of palm was a beautiful teal stone that¡¯s surface resembled glass.


    Seeing the beautiful stone and Reynald¡¯s pure expression, Elizabeth finally wasn¡¯t able to hold her stern expression anymore and walked forward to hug her son. After maintaining the hug for a dozen seconds, she finally released him while receiving the stone and patting his head.


    ¡°Oh honey, thank you for the beautiful present. I¡¯ll treasure it greatly. Anyways it is time for dinner. Hurry up and change so we can go eat.¡±


    Saying those words, Elizabeth stood back up and exited the room. Reynald could¡¯ve sworn that he was able to see a little hop in his mom¡¯s footsteps. Seeing his mom leave the room, he finally let out a sigh of relief, congratulating himself for always carrying around an emergency mother¡¯s gift. Once he was finished changing clothes, he rushed out of his room and went to the dining room.


    After eating a scrumptious dinner, Reynald was just about to go back to his room when his mother called out to him.


    ¡°Hey, honey. Mom¡¯s going to have to go on a trip tomorrow. I¡¯ll be gone for a week or so.¡±


    Elizabeth¡¯s face was filled with regret and guilt as she said those words. As her husband, Reynald¡¯s father, died a long time ago during a battle, she was the only parent Reynald had. Unfortunately, due to her work, she had to leave Reynald alone at home with the maids and servants a few times every year when she went on long trips. Reynald was simply too young to accompany her on these important duties.


    Even though she didn¡¯t have any other choices, it still left Elizabeth in guilt, having to leave him by himself. Seeing his mom¡¯s expression and knowing what she was thinking, Reynald¡¯s purposely tried to smile more brightly as he hugged his mom.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, mom. I¡¯m not a little child anymore, you know? Just go and do what needs to be done. I¡¯ll be able to take care of myself until then, okay? I¡¯m not a little boy anymore, after all. Just make sure to bring back something tasty, okay?¡±


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    Elizabeth wasn¡¯t able to help but smile as she patted his messy auburn hair. After the two spent a few more minutes to talk, Reynald excused himself and went back to his room. Making sure his door was locked, he sat down cross legged on his bed before he slowly closed his eyes. Feeling the ki in his body, he started to circulate it around his body through his meridians. After spending a couple of hours repeating the same action, he finally opened his eyes as he stretched his body in a relaxed manor.


    ¡°Even though I have a long way to go still, my progress is still somewhat faster than my previous life. What do you think, Azul?¡±


    ¡¯I¡¯m not sure what your state was like when you were young, master, but your ki level is indeed already close to what an ordinary adult would have.¡¯


    ¡°Haha you¡¯re right. Still, it¡¯s amazing that people can use magic in this world. It¡¯s a shame that I wasn¡¯t born with such talent though¡­ I wonder why I¡¯m able to use ki in this world when no one else is able to¡­¡±


    ¡¯Like I said before master, it most likely has to do with the fact that I fused with your soul before you passed away.¡¯


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the only thing that would make sense. Still, it¡¯s crazy that you were able to gain a conscious when you fused with my soul, Azul.¡±


    ¡¯It was a shocking development for myself, also.¡¯


    ¡°Still, I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re here with me, Azul.¡±


    Reynald had retained the memories of his past life from the beginning. From the start, he noticed that there was a foreign presence within his soul back then and panicked. At first, he tried to use any method he was able to think of to push it out of his soul, but he soon started to realize that the even though the presence was foreign, it felt familiar. In the end, Azul woke up a couple of years later and to his great shock, he discovered that she was the conscious of his former partner, Moon¡¯s Reflection.


    He had to admit though, it felt uncomfortable at first when Azul regained her consciousness. Still, as time passed he grew accustomed to the feeling and now thought of it as being natural. Also, there were a few perks that he discovered after doing a couple of experiments.


    The range of his senses seemed to have improved tremendously. Even though he was only an eight year old child right now, his senses were already able to encompass a range of over a hundred meters already. Also, his meridians were abnormally large and sturdy, allowing him to spend much less time attempting to strengthen them. Finally, the quantity and quality of his ki were even better than when he was alive before.


    The only unfortunate thing was that he was not able to use the high level skills that he knew from the past yet as his body and meridians weren¡¯t able to handle them at the moment. Still, he was able to tell that in the future, he would definitely be able to surpass his past self in strength by several fold.


    One of the first things he noticed in this new world, to his great shock, was the use of magic. He still remembered how a young maid dropped of a vase which shattered in thousand of pieces. The young maid at first panicked and profusely apologized to his mother. Elizabeth, on the other hand, just patted her on the head before she pointed her finger at the broken vase.


    At first, Reynald was wondering why his mother was just standing still and pointing at the vase. He assumed he was pointing at the vase for a servant to come clean it. Boy, was he dead wrong.


    Not long afterwards, a green light appeared at the tip of Elizabeth¡¯s finger. While he was amazed at the sudden green light that appeared, he found out, to his amazement, that the shattered pieces of the vase soon started to reassemble in the air. Not even ten seconds later, the vase was back into it¡¯s original shape, floating in the air. Thanking his mother once again, the maid took the vase and headed to her original location.


    Later on, when he grew a little more and was able to fluently speak the new language in that world, he asked his mother what she did back that day. When he found out that it was magic, his eyes opened wide in shock and he pestered Elizabeth to teach him magic. Unfortunately, he would soon find out afterwards that he had a rare body which wasn¡¯t capable of storing mana, which made it impossible for him to become a mage.


    He was still able to recall the look of disappointment that flashed across his mother¡¯s eyes when she found that out.  After all, even warriors were able to use mana somewhat to increase their body strength. With Reynald¡¯s rare disposition, it looked as though he wasn¡¯t fated to become a strong warrior or mage.


    Even though he knew all this, Reynald wasn¡¯t very disappointed. After all, he already guessed somewhat that it would happen since his body possessed ki still. He was just curious in using magic, just like a kid was excited to try out a new toy. Still, seeing the disappointment flash across his mother¡¯s face, he was determined to make a name for himself once again in this world just so she wouldn¡¯t have to feel disappointed ever again.


    ¡°Anyways, Azul. Tomorrow let¡¯s head out after mom leaves and train. I still need to get more familiarity with your new form.¡±


    ¡¯Understood, master.¡¯


    ¡°I wonder just how much I¡¯ll be able to improve compared to my old self.¡±


    With eyes full of anticipation, Reynald began to plan for his training session tomorrow.