"Is that the division leader? And the Chief of Staff? And the Director of Logistics? And is the last one our commander?"When Rivera's soldiers saw all the officers coming off the Eagle-10s, they were numb with shock. Rivera's legs almost buckled. 'The division leader? The Chief of Staff? The Director of Logistics? And the commander himself? W-What's going on?' he wondered.While Rivera was still in a stupor, the burly, uniformed Draco and his officers were already coming closer. Following them was Ferguson.Draco was about 6 feet 5 inches, his arms hanging down from his sides like a gorilla's. His face was as fierce as a panther. Draco Fort, also known as Leeroy Fort in his younger days, was one of the most arrogant, wildest, and hardest-to-tame soldiers of the south. But Nox managed it.Eventually, Draco became one of the Four Generals, and he became known as Draco. He had Nox to thank for his glorious life, and he was grateful for Nox. Draco was now the commander of a million so
Nox was in the room, sitting cross-legged. And then someone opened the door. A soldier said, "Commander, division leader, he's in there."Draco Fort, creator of Black Dragon Pool and a great warrior, stopped in his tracks. He stood at the doorstep, trembling."Commander?" Mervin called out to him.Draco took a deep breath and looked at the underground chamber tremulously. "Mr. Weeks, are you sure my lord is alive, and he's in there as we speak?"Alexander nodded with a smile. Draco straightened out his uniform and strode into the dark chamber. The moment he did, he was met with a figure he was very familiar with. That man was an invincible warrior. He alone took down the fighters of the ten nations.When Draco was told of his death, he abstained from food and water for seven days to mourn for him. He had sworn fealty to this man for life. "Milord, is that you?" Draco called out, his voice trembling.Nox slowly turned around, and a smile curled his lips. "Been a while, you old git
Not too long after, Rivera and Gold were brought into the chamber like criminals. Rivera quickly went down on his knees. "Commander, division leader, please, have mercy on me. I'm sorry!"Draco said coldly, "You bastard. I told you to attend the ball, and you let your nephew run amok and took in my lord? Only death awaits you! Guards, drag him away and shoot him dead."Rivera felt all the strength in his body sapped. "Commander, please, have mercy!"Draco would show none. Rivera was dragged away, and a bang echoed in the air. The lieutenant colonel was no more. Gold was already scared out of his wits, and now he wet his pants.Draco shot Gold an icy look. "And you. You raised your son to be nothing but a scum, and he tried to challenge my lord. From this moment onward, your family's wealth is confiscated, and you're exiled from this city. Forever. Now scram!"That command alone stripped Gold of all his wealth, and he was but an exile now. Then Draco turned to Nox. "Milord, are the
Draco shot up from his seat, and so did Alexander. Both did not look happy at all."Milord, how is that possible? Aphrodite is your…" Draco couldn't finish his sentence. He had no idea how."You're wondering why my erstwhile fiancee tried to kill me, yes?" Nox asked."Yes."Nox revealed a smile, but it soon turned into a twisted one. "I did not expect Aphrodite to stab me in the back either. The weaklings were no match for me. They could send out the strongest Legends, and they wouldn't even be able to defeat me. My 'demise' was thanks to Aphrodite."Hatred flared in Nox's eyes. "That night, she served me alcohol laced with poison. She used the strongest poison, Kirin Firepoison, against me. If it were not for her, no one could've defeated me," he hissed.Draco and Alexander were flabbergasted. This was the first time Nox ever told anyone about the truth behind the Battle of the Ten Nations. Everyone thought Nox defeated the ten nations by giving up his own life.They had no ide
Draco could understand that. As Nox said, the Mousse Family's strength was immeasurable. Not even Nox knew how powerful they were. After all, the family had survived for a thousand years.Legend had it that they had enough wealth to rival a country. Some said they had powerful warriors lining the family. Even their servants were top warriors.Draco clenched his fists. "Damn that family. Someday I will make them pay for harming my lord."After telling them the truth about the battle, Nox said, "Let's put this to rest for now, Draco. Just remember to keep the news of my survival a secret."Draco nodded solemnly. "I understand."Nox stretched his arms."Milord, do you know of the cure for Kirin Firepoison? If you require my services, I will do anything to hunt down the cure," said Alexander.Nox said, "It's alright, Alex. No one can cure this poison. Unless you can gather three cold herbs that are a thousand years old each and make a dose of Bloodchanger, nothing can cure this pois
George thought he was seeing things. He rubbed his eyes, but he still saw Nox and Alexander standing together. His jaw went slack. It almost felt like Alexander was the servant, while Nox was his master.Nox and Alexander made small talk, and Alexander left, while Nox went into the residence. George was starting to get uneasy as Nox came closer.He wondered, 'How'd he come back so soon? Didn't the Joshtons capture him? Did Alexander save him? But that's not right. How did he know the richest man of Riverton? Wait, did Queenie ask Alexander for help?'A light bulb lit up in George's head. He thought, 'I bet it is.' He thought his daughter must've begged Alexander to save Nox, and he got all proud and important. He mused, 'My daughter's awesome.'Nox saw George, and he said, "Hello, Mr. Sanders."George harrumphed. With mockery, he said, "Oh, you're released fast. Not bad."Nox smiled, but he said nothing."Greenshade, was that Alexander Weeks who took you back?"Nox didn't expec
She trudged into her house and saw her mother. Yvette quickly approached her daughter."Queenie, you're back." She then saw her daughter's puffy eyes and the tears hanging on her eyelashes. She asked, "Why'd you cry? Tell me, what happened?"Queenie was reminded of all the things that had happened, and she burst into tears. "Mom, Nono didn't kill anyone. He only said that to save me! Please, trust me! Help Nono!"Yvette was puzzled. "What are you talking about? I thought you saved Greenshade."Queenie's crying stopped at once, but she was bemused.Yvette said, "I mean, you asked Mr. Weeks to save Greenshade, didn't you?""What? Nono's back?" Queenie shouted in disbelief."Yeah, he came home in the afternoon. Don't you know that?"Queenie paused for a few moments, and she quickly asked, "You're not lying to me, are you? Is Nono really back?""Why would I lie to you? He's back. Just go to his room and see for yourself."Queenie ran upstairs and charged at Nox's room like a madw
Nox couldn't tell Queenie he did kill Silas. She was just a civilian, and the truth would scare her.Just like that, the Joshtons' fiasco was over, but Queenie couldn't understand why Nox was released for no reason. She thought the Joshtons actually did it out of the kindness of their hearts. She came out of Nox's room and felt a lot brighter.George appeared all of a sudden. "Queenie.""Dad? Why are you here?" Queenie asked curiously."Come here, Queenie. We need to talk," said George mysteriously."About what?""Just come over and you'll find out." George beckoned at his daughter.Queenie really wanted to know, so she followed her father into the courtyard. She asked, "What is it, Dad?"George looked at Nox's room and asked, "Queenie, tell me. How did the talk with Alexander go?""What talk? What are you talking about, Dad?" Queenie was speechless."You think you can keep it a secret? You're dating Alexander, aren't you?"Queenie couldn't believe it. "What are you saying,
Their targets were the relics around the altars. The moment the whirlpool showed up, the black energy conjured black walls and kept Brundela on lockdown, cutting off all communications.Possessed by evil spirits, gods from ancient civilizations came back to life. In the underground graveyard, the dead came bursting out of their coffins, and skeletons with phantom flames flickering around them charged at the holy knights and James' secret agents.Nothing more needed to be said. The holy knights' leader led the charge. The other knights resolved to fight to the death as they battled the skeleton gods.James and his secret agents fired off at the enemies, but the bullets did nothing to the skeletons. All they managed was to light a big spark. Only grenades and howitzers could deal damage to them, and even then, the damage was light.The battle was fierce. Though the knights did not fear death, they were still weaker than the prehistoric gods. These skeletons were nigh invincible, and
Nox was hovering higher than the Ice Temple Lord, and he got everyone's attention."Who's that?""It's a Faeastian!""My God, it's the Nine-State Lord!" Nox was known throughout Faeast and the world. Brundela's council members had recognized him the moment he showed up. They had nothing but fear for gods, yet Nox was the strongest man in the Mortal World, so they respected him.The clouds in Brundela's skies were hanging heavily over the ground, and the icy aura they radiated was making everyone shiver. Winter seemed to have come early for Brundela. The temperature was dipping fast.Back in the control center, intelligence agents were watching the surveillance footage closely, and they noticed the altar. The Twilight Order and Ice Temple cultivators were there, strengthening the altars' seal the best they could. There were soldiers guarding the altar as well.For some reason, the secret agents had a feeling something bad was going to happen. Murphy's Law, as they said.Suddenly,
A sliver of energy flew out of the puppet and gathered natural energy around it. Then, the temperature rose at a blistering rate. Fortunately, Bard's reminder came just in time, and Vermilion Bird was prepared for this. She led her team away from the spot.A pillar of fire engulfed the building, and heat waves shot off in every direction, lethal and deadly. The light eventually faded, and all buildings in a few hundred yards were razed to the ground.If Vermilion Bird had killed the puppet without thinking just now, she would have lost all her men and suffered serious injuries. "That bitch! I'm going to make her into a human swine one day! I'll give her hell!" she cursed.Bard gasped. 'Yeah, women can be really terrifying.' Not one General was a normal person.This incident didn't escape Nox, of course. He saw it through his divine sense. "Heh, you can't fight the flow of history? You say that, Aphrodite, but you've done the same thing more than once. Schemes and plots when your ey
Aphrodite was a master manipulator. She knew the weaknesses of Nox's underlings, and she praised Bard, "At least you know where you stand, Bard. You never overreach. Though we failed to make you one of us, I still thought it'd be a shame to kill you."Bard smiled. "Oh, you're such an actor, Ms. Mousse. You know why we don't like you? Queenie is a genuine lady, just like our lord. You're far inferior to her. And don't flatter yourself. Of course, I know where I stand. I can't even reach the pinnacle of martial arts, let alone cultivation."No matter how smart I am, my lack of talents holds me back. I can never be made an important leader." He was only spared because he couldn't become a threat to the Mousses.Nox didn't use schemes because he didn't need them. Absolute power could trump any plot.Vermilion Bird clenched her teeth. "What is the meaning of this? The lord knows that the bitch is here?"Bard shook his head. Vermilion Bird was a smart woman, but Aphrodite made her lose
Aphrodite felt nothing but sorrow, and Vermilion Bird burst into laughter. "I expected nothing less from these people. Your men are just like their employers. Hey, knights, you guys want to find out more about Faeast martial arts? See those Mousse guys? They're masters. Deal with them."Vermilion Bird gave her orders. She knew these people would escape the moment she showed up. The knights flew off, going after the escaped Mousses. The Mousses were a family of warriors, while these knights were cultivators, to an extent. They wore mystical artifacts, and the Mousses' guys didn't have something like that.The battle was fierce but short. The Mousses' powerhouses were taken out, and the rest were dealt with by the Shadow Division."And now only you're left. Interesting, isn't it? Karma always bites you in the ass. You betrayed my lord, and now your men betray you. You deserve this," Vermilion Bird cursed."Yes, I deserve this, but as long as he wants to be the Nine-State Lord, then w
'The beating heart of this land?' The woman's underlings looked grim. They were supposed to be the master tacticians here. Yet, Nox played them like a cheap kazoo. 'He's a far better tactician than we expected!'Nox began his counterattack not long after the Ocean of Death incident. This woman was none other than Aphrodite, Nox's old flame. When she saw Brundela's fate stabilizing, she knew right then that things had gotten out of her hands."Tell the Mousses in Eropa to retreat right away. There is no need to stay here any longer. He's not attacking us because he's waiting for us to do the same. The moment our men try to start anything, he'll swoop in and take them all out. "No one can beat him if he decides to go all the way. Not even me," said Aphrodite.Suddenly, the Mousses' powerhouse noticed something. "I sense bloodlust. Who goes there? Show yourself!" The powerhouses unsheathed their weapons and stood around Aphrodite, protecting her.A group of black silhouettes appeare
Now they had one, and it was Elizabeth. Her speech awakened the bravery and courage lying within the people of Brundela. An overwhelming majority of the council members stood up and chanted, "Long live the queen! Long live Brundela!""Good." Nox noticed something. The fate of Brundela stopped its downward shift and was stabilizing."The Mortal World and mortals. The Realm of the Gods has been here for millennia, and still, I can't figure out how mortals work." The Ice Temple Lord was confused. These mortals were prone to deception and scams. They were weak and frail. Yet, they had the potential to unleash strength that could shock even the gods."It's solidarity. You guys wouldn't get it. You call yourselves gods and lock yourselves up in the Realm of the Gods. You try to enslave the world despite being so out of touch with it."Do you know why I call you false gods? True gods are omnipotent. Their word is law. They can change the rules that govern this world just by saying it, b
Ice Temple's Lord didn't even look at Dickson. The man was so crushed that there wasn't even a hint of arrogance left in his soul. The Ice Temple's Lord's technique locked his spirit. So, it was not severely weakened. Thus, He would die very soon, even without the Ice Temple's Lord attacking him."Please, leader of gods. You are the only true god. I swear my undying loyalty to you. Spare me, please!" Dickson begged for his life.Dickson finally met his match. The arrogant would-be king couldn't even do anything against the Ice Temple's Lord."Oh, I can save you, but what makes you think you're worth it? You're lower than scum, and you think you have the right to ask for my favor? Repent and pray, then I might make it quick for you. Refuse, and only unending hell awaits."That threat scared Dickson. He cried and begged for mercy. He cursed his own soul and put his faith in a god stronger than his master."And you think you deserve the gift of life, maggot? Open your eyes, mortals
Two cultivators were fighting in mid-air, while the other Ice Temple cultivators made an invisible barrier to keep them in, or the council hall would be destroyed from the impact of the fight.The battle was awe-inspiring, and Dickson became smug. So what if his enemy was a leader of gods? Perhaps he was no match for one, but the Assad gods could easily destroy him if a slave could fight him for a prolonged period.Ice Temple's Lord realized that Dickson couldn't feel pain as the essence had nearly devoured his spirit. He was nothing if not feral, and he did not fear death at all. A brilliant idea appeared in his mind. He could create an army of fearless gods if he could get his hands on this technique.Nox said telepathically, "How much longer are you going to take? He's just a useless tribute. Do you honestly want to keep this up until he burns himself away?"Ice Temple's Lord's pupils contracted, and he looked at Nox. Nox looked up from his book. The Ice Temple Lord thought th