“I’m still a long way from reaching the level of the venerable kings of old, and I don’t like flattery.”Hadjar felt Traves trying to say something, but failing to do so. He’d been gagged and blindfolded, then chained to the floor.“Excuse me, Your Majesty,” the second voice continued speaking after a moment’s pause. “Should I get things ready for a public execution?”The Emperor said nothing. He approached Traves, who tried to reach for him to no avail.“I told you the truth, my enemy. I had nothing to do with the death of your wife and child. By the High Heavens, what kind of monster would raise a hand against a baby?! I swear by my ancestors that I’ll find them and grant them a fate worse than death.”Hadjar, like Traves, didn’t believe this usurper. Long ago, Gargan had been dishonorable enough to not only stage a coup in the capital, but to also completely destroy the entire Imperial family, including their cubs…“You were deceived. I understand your rage. I understand it, but I
No one had expected for a senior heir of such a warlike clan to lose to a Tarez who had specialized in trading and financial speculation.Well, at least one Dinos lost their duel, Hadjar thought with a half-smile.He knew perfectly well that he had completely and utterly lost to Tom. Of course, he could’ve lied to himself and justified it by pointing out how Dinos had used Imperial level artifacts and Heaven level battle Techniques, but that was also a part of any cultivator’s power. In a real fight, Hadjar wouldn’t ask a foe to not use their Techniques or armor just because they were better than his own. After all, Hadjar had his Call, the dragon’s heart, and the Black Blade of the Enemy himself. Everyone in this world had their trump cards. Hadjar’s had simply proven worse this time.I wonder, Hadjar thought as he struggled out of bed, how many years has it been since I lost a fight? In all the years that Hadjar had wielded a blade, he had almost never lost a battle. His defeats cou
“Hera said that Einen would recover in half a month…”Hadjar suppressed a gasp of surprise. Over the years, he’d gotten used to Einen always being around. They’d been through thick and thin together, so the thought of not having anyone to watch his back for two weeks made Hadjar look around more often.“By the Great Forest, I need to relax.” Dora sighed and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Would you like to go on a mission with me, Hadjar? That will give us an opportunity to get to know each other better.”Hadjar looked at her. She kept stumbling. She didn’t need a mission, but a good rest instead. However, telling another cultivator what to do was considered an insult. Any free man (or elf) had the right to decide their own fate.“I don’t think I’ll be of much use to you,” Hadjar said, trying to politely refuse. “I’m just a disciple of the outer... I’m just a fully-fledged disciple.”“You fought Tom Dinos on almost equal terms,” Dora spat. Mentioning Tom made her sick. “Y
There were several things about the letter that rubbed Hadjar the wrong way.First of all, it had been written on the day he’d fought Tom, which meant that Orune had been watching their battle.Second, Orune was way too familiar with how injured Hadjar was, as he had attached a Pure Stream pill to the letter. The mere sight of this alchemical miracle had made Dora twitch nervously. It cost as much as a Heaven level artifact, but Orune had given it away as if it were a piece of candy.Per the man’s instructions, Hadjar had immediately swallowed the pill. Since he’d been diligently treated by healers for several days beforehand, it had taken the medicine only an hour to heal all his wounds. It had even replenished the energy reserve in his core. What was strange about that, you might ask? The fact that the letter had been written a few days ago, which meant Orune had cared enough to estimate what he’d need and when…Third, scrolls concerning ancient tombs were very rare and valuable. Fo
‘Rukh’s Wings’ was docked at the very end of the pier and it didn’t look very presentable compared to the other ships. In fact, it looked like it had been cobbled together from various garbage, with mended sails, and didn’t give the impression of a ‘worthy ship’ at all. The magical artifacts that kept it afloat looked like oars topped with feathers. From a distance, the ship really appeared to have wings.The ladder that led to the upper deck, where the young sailors were mounting guns, looked ready to fall apart. If Hadjar had been a mere mortal, he would’ve never risked climbing it.“Well, if this is the fastest way to get to the fort…”Hadjar shook his head; he had no business judging anyone for being poor.He wasn’t all that different from this ship, wearing tattered clothes that he hadn’t mended since leaving Lidus.“Did you come here looking for us?”Hadjar raised his head. A cultivator was looking down at him, in more ways than one, from the first deck. The ship had three in to
After four days, the names of the ship’s numerous parts had been firmly imprinted in his memory. Despite its modest appearance, the ship flew at a very decent speed and maneuvered well.Once, the coxswain had fallen asleep during his night shift (he had later lost some teeth because of it), and they’d had to tack between the peaks of a mountain range, a maneuver which had been as fascinating as it had been frightening. “Hadjar!” Someone shouted from the deck. “Come here! Let’s play!”Soldiers didn’t help maintain or fly the ship. All they did was sleep, drink, and gamble. The five soldiers who’d invited him to join them had put aside their simple Heaven level weapons, and were now throwing dice and playing cards, laughing at the sailors as they went about their business. Someone was always scurrying about the deck, tending to this or that.Hadjar served as a watchman. He didn’t need coin or food, as he could live without food and water for a month thanks to his abilities.As for the
“You demon children!” The boatswain spun the rudder furiously. “Go to the port side! Load the cannons with explosives! Divert half the power to the cannons! Let’s show these bastards their place! Soldiers, board the ship!”“Board the ship, sir?”“Yes, you bastards, board the ship! If we don’t stick close to them, we’ll know what it feels like to be a pancake in a frying pan in a couple of minutes!”The ship was lurching to one side and slowly losing altitude. If this continued, they would soon crash.“Bring me the watchman! I’ll rip out his spine and beat him with it.”Hadjar, who’d taken down several cannonballs with another slash of his sword, was too late to react to Frig’s order. Turning around, he found himself face-to-face with the tip of a very sharp dagger aimed directly at his Adam’s apple. Holding it was a girl with short hair and an ugly, round face. This struck him as odd, as the girl was at the peak stage of the Heaven Soldier level. Hadjar wondered how ugly she’d been be
“I knew you’d be here.”Hadjar was sitting on the edge of a cliff, his feet dangling in the air. There were clouds below him, and birds and other, much stranger, winged creatures occasionally flew past. Behind him stood a black passage in the mountain that served as the entrance to Underworld City.Two months had passed since his conversation with Rahaim. During that time, he’d become accustomed to his new abilities as a Heaven Soldier. He’d managed to grasp his new power, and the sharper senses that came with it. Even the odd change to his thinking was something he’d learned to deal with, for the most part.Nowadays, while looking at an object, Hadjar’s thoughts would often stray and turn into some deeply philosophical musings. Even the simple flight of a bird could make him wonder about the depths of the Sword Spirit’s and the Wind Spirit’s path for hours.He pondered Rahaim’s claim that, whatever he did in the future, he would never be able to return to the Wind Spirit’s path. Ther