That was his last breath. The Blue Blade finished its feast. Instead of a mighty man in scarlet and golden armor, a shriveled mummy now lay next to him.Hadjar was waiting for Morgan’s move. The Regent Mother’s plan had succeeded — she’d stripped both armies of their defenses, and now she could end this war, and do what Tan had failed to do. But, of course, Morgan had already made his move…Hadjar, like many others, sensed the vibrations in the World River. How could she obliterate both armies if she didn’t have a Technique like the one that the Scarlet Swordsman had used? By using the World River, which permeated all things. But how would she attack something ephemeral and illusory? With an artifact. How much energy would this require? More than any mortal could ever dream of. Where could she get so much energy? From a lot of other artifacts. And from her own soul… The Garden of Satyrs. The little Emperor’s reception.The mighty Regent Mother, who was equally as powerful as Morgan… S
“What will happen tomorrow? Five other Empires will come for us. They will come for our very souls! The war has weakened us! We’ve lost our best and brightest! We’re weaker than ever! But we’re only weak alone! Together... together, we’ll be stronger than ever! Lascan, Darnassus... Forget about that! Once upon a time, before Erhard died, the Last King created a country in which there was no hatred! Where people saw others as their brothers and sisters, and not enemies on the other side of the border! Today, we’ve seen what our endless hatred will lead to! So, we should restore what we’ve lost instead! What was taken from us! Like Erhard once did, I, Morgan the Fearless, will form a new country and unite the seven Empires so that this war will be the last!”There was silence once again, and then…“Nonsense!”“Who do you think you are?”“We won’t go to war with the other Empires!”“This grand unification of yours will only lead to more wars!”“What’s the point?”“Are we going to fight s
“Emperor Morgan... He’s stronger than the Scarlet Swordsman!”“He’s stronger than anyone in the seven Empires!”“He might be as strong as Erhard was!”“Maybe… he really will be able to unite our Empires!”“And then we’ll overthrow the Ruby Palace!”“Emperor Morgan!”“My Emperor!”In just a few heartbeats, Morgan the Fearless became a symbol of strength for humans, an example of what they could achieve on their path of cultivation. He’d singlehandedly, in a single move, destroyed four monsters that had come from ancient legends.Hadjar was the only one who could see how pale and weak the Emperor truly was right now. Blood trickled down his face and hands. He could no longer see and was swaying with exhaustion, but he continued to stand. Morgan’s heart kept beating erratically. Hadjar had no idea how the Emperor had overcome the shackles of the blood oath, but apparently, it had come at such a high price that there was no turning back. How could a dead man walking, someone with only a f
This placed him at the fourth level of the Spirit Stage, which was equivalent to the initial stage of the human Heaven Emperor level.The pressure that radiated from this creature was beyond anything that could be imagined or described. It made everyone who was currently in the steppes, the landscape of which had changed so suddenly, bow down. Even the great heroes fell to one knee. It was an all-encompassing, horrifyingly potent power.“Behold, humans, the true power of the Lords of the Heavens!” The dragon, who had until recently been a loyal ally of Darnassus, roared. “From this day onwards, the tribute that you didn’t even notice before will be collected with no secrecy! No Emperor will ever make a single move without our permission ever again! We have allowed you to live with the illusion of freedom for too long! It’s time you found out what your reality is! You can blame one person for that — Morgan the Fearless! No, Morgan the Stupid!”Hadjar looked at the Emperor, who was bare
“To have an open mind,” Hadjar replied loftily.Dora swore under her breath so that Shakur, who was obviously listening, wouldn’t hear her. “The Emperor is here to see you.”Hadjar suddenly looked serious, “In the office?”Dora nodded.Hadjar silently walked over to the house that had once belonged to his Master. He climbed the stairs, running his fingers along the mahogany banister. He looked at the paintings and tapestries, enjoying the way his feet sank into the shag carpet.Einen’s office was wide and spacious. The figure of a man clad in the imperial robes attracted a lot of attention. He was standing by the window and staring out at the richest avenue in Dahanatan. It was overcrowded at the moment.“You weren’t at my coronation,” the Emperor said, sounding a little annoyed.Hadjar leaned against a rack of scrolls and tablets.“Isn’t that tomorrow? I’ve even got my clothes ready and-”“You know very well, great swordsman, that it was seven months ago.”“Seven months?” Hadjar gasp
Prologue of the second half of the seriesThe huge throne room was magnificent, but empty. This combination inspired both a sense of awe at its splendor, and a longing for the former glory of a place where lavish feasts and balls had once been held, making the Lascanian Palace famous across all seven Empires.The clinking of the cavalry corps captain’s spurs echoed off the high walls. The marble slabs of the floor polished to a mirror sheen, the majestic columns, the artful fountains, and the small gardens in this beautiful hall only added to the sense of majesty from a bygone era. In his black, soot-covered armor, he looked like a dirty smudge defiling the snow-white hall, which was flooded with daylight that was seeping through the tall stained-glass windows.The captain strode up to the snow-white throne made from magic marble. To the left and right of it stood various fountains, through which water hadn’t flowed for a long time. The garden beds, enclosed by a white metal fence, on
“Yes, Regent Mother.” The cavalryman bowed again, and, still in a half-crouched pose, backed away. Then, turning abruptly, he sped up in order to leave the hall as quickly as possible. As a man and a warrior who’d fought in many wars, he didn’t want to see her breastfeeding that three-year-old boy, a future warrior. Sekiya understood that, no matter how their war with Darnassus ended, Lascan had no future… Well, at least he got to fight for a once-great Empire.In a shack that stank of old, wet wood, dog fur, and something musky, a boy lay curled up on a small sofa that served as his bed, covered only by a hole-riddled blanket made from an old sheepskin coat and some rags.The boy was trembling, and he was muttering in his sleep and wincing. There was a deep furrow between his brows. It was obvious that the child was afraid. He was so scared that he wanted to wake up more than anything else, even though it was midnight outside, and the sky was full of heavy winter clouds. A blizzard h
The demon, who had assumed a human form, was wearing a wide-brimmed hat that hid half of his face. Only a single, glimmering scarlet eye could be seen. In his hands, he held a bleeding, crimson sphere, and black blobs — people’s nightmares — swarmed around his legs. They currently looked angry, and even somewhat upset.“Hello, my old enemy,” The demon bowed slightly. “You chose an unpleasant way to call me here.”Despite the freezing cold and the blizzard, the wizard was wearing simple clothes and a straw hat. His patched cape fluttered behind him, and a small canvas bag was attached to his belt.“This night is awful even without your nightmares, Helmer.” There wasn’t even a hint of fear in the wizard’s voice, despite the fact that he was speaking to the Lord of Nightmares, an ancient demon who served as the Emissary of the Prince of Demons himself. “I took it upon myself to help that poor child.”“No one has the right to interfere with my nightmares, Ash,” the demon said, slightly pe