"I trust you also know of His Majesty disappearing into the underground chamber?" Nox said.Everyone present nodded. Nox observed their reactions with a closed eye. Except for Atlas' worry for his nephew, everyone else was preoccupied with the war that would be happening in seven days. It was as if no one cared that Quilo might have died.As people used to say, the ascension of a new ruler was the start of a new government. Now that Faeast's new fate was born because of Nox while also being centered on him, his influence greatly surpasses Quilo's.However, Nox was not happy to see that. He knew he was not as good at governing the country as Quilo.Deep in his thoughts, Nox continued, "His Majesty ordered that I take full control over Faeast's military."I hereby announce that Atlas will be taking over as the Viceroy of the North, Black Tortoise as the commander of the Nox Army, and Marquis Strohm as the Governor of Northstate, standing guard over Vertolt. As for the rest, you will
Nox knew what Nineve was worried about but chose not to bring it up."What's wrong, my princess? Who's upset you? Is it Awesome again?""No. I'm just worried about the battle you'll be facing," Nineve muttered as she crouched down."About the battle? I'm leading a righteous army to strike down those who harm Faeast. With the nation united, what's there to fear? Besides, I've fought battles much harder than this. A mere Winterosch is nothing," Nox said dismissively.He had defeated even the mighty armies of the Ten Nations. Thus, Winterosch was nothing worth mentioning since it had long faded from the world."You can't say it like that. Behind Winterosch stands the Assad Temple. I also know a bit about Mystia's affairs. The world is divided into Faeast and Mystia. Winterosch lies in the north of Mystia, where the Ice Temple and Assad Temple rule the lands. Although the two temples have never gotten along, they will undoubtedly join forces if you lead troops against Winterosch. Whil
"Grandpa Limerent also said that you will be the Emperor who appears only once in five hundred years! It's common for dynasties to rise and fall. I'm fortunate it's you ascending to the throne. In other dynasties, the old royal family often meets a tragic end. We have fulfilled our duty, and now it's up to you to complete the unfinished revival of our heritage!"Nineve spoke with undeniable logic, saying exactly the words any new ruler would want to hear. However, Nox did not want to hear them from her."Who taught you to say this? Was it Atlas? Of course, he has already established his authority in my army. Now that one of the Four Great Generals has returned, we need him all the more. He is a prince outside of the royal bloodline," Nox said with a firm tone.Nineve stared at him in disbelief. She could hardly believe that Nox would say such things to her as if he no longer trusted her.Anger filled her, but she dared not offend him since she needed to secure a way out for the old
Nox carried Nineve in his arms and placed her on the seat."Nox…""Let me finish," he said softly, placing two fingers on her lips. "I am capable of stabilizing the country, but I am no ruler. You have the knowledge and have interacted with the civil ministers constantly. They are afraid of me, so I can't use them. As for military strategy, the soldiers admired you as you led the resistance against the invasion of Winterosch. With no talent for governance, I think the position of ruler should…"As Nineve heard his words, her expression changed drastically. Then, she stood up and said, "Nox, I'm not the person you think I am. I never expected you to come. I never intended to return alive after gathering the soldiers and leading the tanks to Vertolt!""Calm down, Princess. Let me finish," he said, forcing her back into her seat. "There are seven days left until the battle, and I need you to guard the northern territory for me during this period. I must return to Imperia.""Imperia?
"Besides, you should know me by now. It doesn't matter if you're a princess or not. Even if you become a queen one day, you're still my woman. There's no escaping that.""You're so infuriatingly domineering! But I like it!"Just as the two were lost in the moment, Keith cleared his throat from outside the door.Keith felt goosebumps all over as he heard their conversation."What's he doing out there? How dare he eavesdrop on our conversation?!" Nineve, who was just nestling in Nox's arms, suddenly put on a serious expression. Her aura turned imposing, radiating the unmistakable authority of royalty.Watching her, Nox couldn't help but sigh inwardly. 'This is the benefit of being born into the royal family. With just one battle, she has shed all the pretense. Poor Queenie, though.' As he thought about it, his heart ached for Queenie.Unlike Nineve, he loved Queenie's kind heart. However, he had no comment on her martial arts. As Douglas said, Queenie lacked talent in this area. Af
What Atlas said gave Dylan a wake-up call. Aldric only succumbed to the Mousses because he wasn't strong enough. Though Aldric was already a Supreme, he only did it through his martial strength. He was no match for the Mystian Supremes, who gained their power through absorbing natural energy.The Mousses had allies in Mystia, and Aldric alone couldn't fight that. "So, you mean to say…""Don't say it out loud. Just keep it in mind." Atlas shot Dylan an icy look, and the old general shut up. Atlas scanned the other generals as well. He was making an example out of Dylan. Some of the generals were members of the Nox Army, and they were displeased with Atlas.Nox arrived, and his voice carried through the air. "Well, look at you, Your Highness. High and mighty, are we? Perhaps you'll be the new commander of Nox Army in no time."The voice thundered, and Atlas was horrified. Before Nox even came in, he knelt. All the generals bowed to Nox as well. Nox walked into the hall. Instead of
"Good to know that. Still, this is a fair system we have here. Contributions are rewarded, while bad behavior is punished. Stay on the straight and narrow." Nox looked at the generals. "Men, I came here for one thing and one thing only: to power you up."'To power us up?' Dylan snapped out of it, though he still wondered why Atlas told him to keep his mouth shut."His Highness doesn't want you to tell anyone about what you'll experience. We've vetted everyone before letting them in," Nox said and looked at Atlas again.Atlas cleared his throat. "Men, you're all accomplished warriors in your own right, but you share one flaw: you don't have enough talent. Without external help, you'll never get to the next level. General Strohm is, for the lack of a better word, a naive person."If news of my lord's actions reaches the wrong ears, we'd have rumors about the lord giving out favors to his friends going around before you can even say Faeast. It'd cost more than just the general's job i
A military aircraft coming from Northstate flew into Imperia's airspace. The passenger within was Nox. A while later, the aircraft landed at Northriver Military Airport, a place on the outskirts of Imperia.Douglas watched the aircraft land, looking worried. The moment Nox disembarked, he quickly approached Nox. "Lord Nox, the frontlines aren't looking well. You cannot just do as you please! If you had planned on coming back, you shouldn't have challenged Winterosch to a battle! The army needs its commander. "'He's blocking all my exit strategies!'Nox scanned Douglas. "And the nation needs its leader, Mr. Gaia."Douglas gasped. "This is different. I've shown you the emperor's decree. If he were to die, you'd take his place as leader!""Are you trying to say that you're making all the preparations for a change in leadership?"Douglas froze and frowned. "That is not what I said!""Good. I have my reasons for this," Nox said, but he didn't elaborate."Milord, the fleet is waitin
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