The nation of Faeast was in mourning, lamenting the death of Lord Nox.Queenie Sanders sat on the beach of Riverton. She was in a bikini, revealing all her perfect curves, but her brows were furrowed as she stared at her phone."Mourning? In the morning? And the whole Internet does it? Who's the deceased? Why's everyone going so far for him?"Queenie stared at the screen for five minutes before she clicked on the headlines. She was met with a big title in red, but all of them talked of the same thing across different news outlets."Today, we mourn the death of a god of war. The day before, our Lord fell into the ambush of ten nations' warriors, and he was felled in the Ocean of Death."So great was the battle it drenched the ocean crimson. So terrible was the battle that corpses decorated the ocean's surface."Even though Lord Nox has fallen, he took down a million soldiers from the enemies' nations all by himself."Queenie's jaw dropped, her eyes still glued to the headlines.
The man was unconscious, buffeted by the waves. The kind Queenie went straight to saving the stranger. Fortunately, she was a decent swimmer. With one hand, she dragged the man, and with the other, she swam toward the shore.Her strength was all but expended, but Queenie finally got the man to the shore. A long sigh escaped her lips, and Queenie checked for breathing. He was breathing, but barely. He's alive?Queenie looked at the stranger once more. He was lying on his belly, his clothes drenched and soggy. Queenie flipped the man over, and she was stunned by his looks.The man's face was the color of clouds, possibly because of his soaking in the sea for a long time. His lines were sharp, his features handsome. "He's hot." Queenie felt her heart race, but she wasn't one to fawn over every handsome man she came across. She took a deep breath and quickly did CPR for the man.A few dozen repetitions later, the man's breathing felt stronger. Queenie had saved him. "Finally."She heaved
"Dad? Uncle George? Why are you here?" Queenie was stumped. She couldn't believe it was her dad and uncle here."What are you doing, Queenie? And who is this man?" George roared. He almost had a stroke seeing his daughter together with a naked man in bed.Queenie finally realized why her father was reacting hugely. She quickly stood up and said, "Don't take this the wrong way, Dad. I don't know this man.""What? You don't know this man? And you slept with him? Are you mad?" George roared."Listen to me, Dad. I don't know him. He's—"Queenie was about to explain herself, but Hogs sneered. "Well, well, well, George. Your daughter slept with a total stranger, and on the cusp of her wedding with Centersea's heir. Now tell me, how should we deal with her?"George was shivering in rage, his eyes crimson. "What did I do to deserve this? You insolent child. What have you done? How dare you?"George raised his hand against his child, but just before the slap could land, someone grabbed George's
Queenie got changed and kept watch over the unconscious stranger. He was handsome if anything, and he had the air of a king. If he wasn't out cold, he would be the man of every woman's dream. "Who is he, and why was he in the ocean? And how did he send my family's bodyguards flying that easily?"Those questions and more were racing in Queenie's mind. Driven by curiosity and something else, Queenie wanted to know more about the man before her, but eventually, Queenie rested her head on the edge of the bed and fell asleep.She heard something rustle, and groggily, Queenie opened her eyes. What she saw made her shout.The man had awoken and was standing right in front of her. Scared, Queenie quickly scuttled backward and asked with caution, "W-What do you want?"The stranger had a dazed look in his eyes. He scanned his surroundings before turning his attention to Queenie. "Who are you? What is this place?" He had a deep, husky voice, but there was confusion in his tone."Queenie Sand
Queenie sighed again and looked at Nox. "Fine. You're hot, so I'll finish what I started. No matter what happens, I'm taking you back to town, and then it's straight to the hospital."See if we can get your memory back. And please explain everything to my family if you do," Queenie said."I'm going to pack my stuff and make preparations to return to the city. You watch some TV or whatever. Don't run around, and don't touch my stuff." Queenie turned on the TV for Nox.Nox nodded dumbly and turned to the TV. It was airing the Battle of the Ten Nations, specifically the part where the Ocean of Death was concerned.Black smoke billowed from the fleet of battleships, and countless aircraft were swirling around overhead.Amidst the smoke and screams of war, the warriors of Faeast were fending off the invaders from the ten nations.The moment Nox saw that, his mind went blank, and then pain shot up once more, only to be followed by a stream of memories.'Lord Nox. That's me, Nox Greenshade. I
A few minutes later, Queenie was done packing. She came out of the room while Nox was still standing in the living room, acting like he was an amnesiac."Let's go, amnesiac." Queenie picked up her suitcase and left the house without looking at Nox. She muttered, "This is all your fault. My family wouldn't have thought I was a… Now, how should I explain myself?"Queenie sighed. She came to a white Mini parked outside the house and placed her suitcase in the trunk. "Get in," she said.Nox grunted and got into the car. It was pink inside and smelled nice.Queenie got in a moment later. "It's your lucky day. You're the first man to grace my car."Nox secretly chuckled, but he said nothing."We should get back to the city now." Queenie revved up the car and drove away. On the way back, she listened to the radio while Nox closed his eyes and ran his inner energy around his body to heal himself up.Queenie would sometimes steal a glance at Nox. He had a handsome face, twinkling eyes,
When Nox saw the smoke and noticed the scent of something charred coming from the circuit board, he knew what was going on. Being the one and only Lord Nox, a broken-down car was nothing to him.He quickly went to the trunk and whipped out a wrench. Nox then quickly turned the screws on the engine, trying to open the lid.Queenie was still making a call when she saw Nox fiddling with her car. A momentary pause later, she trotted up to Nox. "What are you doing?" Queenie watched Nox in surprise as he took off the engine's lid.Nox said nothing. He was going unscrewing the screws and checking the circuit."Wait. Are you trying to repair my car?" Queenie asked curiously.Nox said nothing and kept going on with the repairs. About two minutes later, Nox finally connected the broken wire. "Done."Queenie was flabbergasted. She stared at Nox in disbelief. "You're done? That was fast. You sure that's right?"Nox grunted. Queenie had more questions, one of them being why an amnesiac knew
While Nox was watching the motorcade in reminiscence, Queenie watched him. "Hey, what are you looking at?"Nox quickly turned around. "Nothing.""You were enthralled, though. Why?" Queenie asked.A smile played on Nox's lips. "Maybe because they feel familiar.""They feel familiar? You're an amnesiac. There's nothing to feel familiar with, especially not with cars from Draco. Wait. Were you a soldier?" asked Queenie.Nox was speechless again. He thought, 'A soldier? I was more than that.'Since Nox was quiet, Queenie smiled. "Don't worry about it. I bet you were a mechanic. When we get back to town, I'll take you to a big hospital. They'll help you get your memories back. I'll be cashing in on that favor when my car breaks down."Hearing that, Nox smiled dryly. Three hours later, Queenie and Nox finally came back to Riverton, a city filled with skyscrapers. Nox looked around, but he kept his silence.After she came back to the city, Queenie got a call from Lara. "Where are you,
Dominic's energy formed a barrier, and his sword merged with his astral form. This was a true fusion between man and sword."Do you want to die that much, old man? It's not too late to back out. I can set up an exit, and your astral form can leave. Refuse, and I will snuff you out." The empress' face contorted. She was a demoness, and not an ounce of her beauty was left on her face.Dominic laughed. "Death does not scare me. It is not the end. Glory is what I seek. Generations to come will know me as a saintly swordsman, but none will remember even your name. You failed even after seventy thousand years. You will not get what you want! Give up on your delusions and accept reality!"There was a hint of death wish in Dominic's will-of-the-sword. Should he die in this battle, his name would be known throughout Faeast. He wasn't scared at all."Damn you. I will kill you! None of your faction will live!" The empress' third eye was bloodshot, and then the crimson strings came crawling ou
Aphrodite didn't react much. She said, "If she kills you, it's a good thing. Proves that you're a capable person. It's easy to kill someone. Not so much when it comes to controlling the heart. She doesn't have the power to control your soul just yet.""What the hell are you talking about? Same difference. Just tell me what I should do now. My sacred beasts are running out of energy. I can't ask them to put their lives on the line. They're practically an endangered species! They mustn't die!" Kirin had no choice but to call back the sacred beasts that'd exhausted their energy and dispel them.The Generals weren't sacred beasts, but they were Kirin's friends. He couldn't watch them die here."Oh, pipe down. There's nothing to worry about." Aphrodite snorted."So you have a plan?" Kirin thought they had hope, seeing that Aphrodite was so calm."No. I did everything I could. Everything is in fate's hands now," said Aphrodite."Dammit! What do you mean you did everything you could? I
"We're out." Dominic and Queenie were back in the real world. He saw the demonic mountain and the desolate world around him, and he wondered if this was another formation."We're out, master. This is the real world. Nono said Flame Emperor's trapped under the mountain," said Queenie solemnly."No, it's not the mountain that has him trapped; it's the empress." Dominic gasped. "No, that's not right. She doesn't have the right or authority to do that." He frowned. "And where's Nox?" he asked curiously. He only got out thanks to Nox's guidance, but the guy was nowhere to be found.Nox and Nineve fell into another illusion formation, and this time, they were transported back to Imperia. The formation carved out the whole city, and Nox was surprised it managed that. Nineve's head was spinning. She grabbed Nox's arm and wouldn't stop talking."Are we back in Imperia? You killed that bitch, Nox?"Nox was speechless. "No, we're in another illusion. Dammit, this can't trap me, but figuring
"What is he doing? Is he going to put everything on the line? No, he's trying to take the domain's control from me. How dare he! No, the golden kirin is something much more ancient than I am. If he activates some sort of secret spell, he might actually pull this off!"The empress would not leave this battle to chance. One mistake, and she would lose everything. She had no choice but to do everything she could to stop Kirin. However, using her eye power meant she would be distracted.And an opening was created.Nox was in the mist, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Weird. The mist is growing thin. The empress' eye power is weakening?" This might be a trap, but Nox didn't care."Eight Saintly Techniques, Blazing Holy Eyes." Nox's golden eyes appeared and dispelled most of the mist. Right away, he found an opening. "Heaven's Demise! Shatter this thing!"He cast a Forbidden Art, and flames burned everything. A talisman sprang forth and burned into a crisp. The moment its ashes w
Nox, Nineve, Queenie, and Dominic were in the mist, all worried about one another. Back in Celestial Domain, the spirits' attack was growing fiercer. Some were even close to devouring the sacred beasts. Kirin had to call back the sacred beasts and send them away to keep the bloodline going."There are too many people who have died in this place over the last seventy millennia. We can't hope to kill them all. We can't last much longer at this rate." Kirin himself was bearing too much weight. He couldn't join the fray."I think it's time," Aphrodite suddenly said."What? Is it the final moment?" Kirin asked solemnly."No. I mean the empress is backed into a corner. You might think she's still relentless, but I think she's at her wit's end. Time to give her the final push. She's too tense, and one little distraction is enough to create an opening," answered Aphrodite seriously.Kirin had no idea what she had in mind, but he knew she wasn't lying. She was doing this for a reason. "Wha
Queenie was a little shocked. 'Next time? Please, no.'"I knew something was wrong. Nono wasn't sure if Nineve was Flame Emperor's descendant, but the one in the illusion was certain. I knew it was fake, but I couldn't help myself." Queenie sighed. She still couldn't get over herself.Dominic laughed. "You need some confidence. Be arrogant if you have to. It's better than to be craven. If Nineve is a Sovereign's descendant, then there must be a reason for your being here. Let's see if we can uncover the mystery."Dominic was about to take Queenie into a search for the truth, but Queenie stopped him. "Tell me the truth. Since you're an astral form, does that mean you're a sacrifice too?" she asked solemnly."No, not exactly. I can't break the formation, but I can enter it, though that comes with a price. It can't hurt me, but going out won't be easy." It was pointless to lie now, after all."So the empress can't hurt you for now, but if she wants to drag everyone down with her and
The empress didn't want Queenie to kill herself. She needed Queenie's willpower to crumble so she could plant her soul technique inside her. Once she controlled Queenie, Nox would have to relent if he wanted her freedom.Queenie was slowly walking into an abyss. "If my death can make you happy, then I will sacrifice myself, even if it can only take a bit off your shoulder."Sacrificing herself for Nox was a way for Queenie to fulfill her wish. Just when the empress thought she would succeed, a flash of holy light burst through the ground. Dominic had arrived, sword in hand."What?" The empress' eyes went wide. She thought, 'The old man entered my formation with nothing but his astral form just to save her?'Dominic harrumphed. "Surprised? Never thought I'd risk my own life?" He turned to Queenie. "Don't listen to her bullshit, Queenie! Nox has always been a straightforward man. No one can force him to do what he doesn't want to do! He's nice to you because he wants to!"No guilt t
His body was decayed, and violent energy radiated from head to toe. He was like a beast. Queenie had never seen him like this. Even though she knew this was an illusion, it still scared her. Perhaps this was what Nox would be like if he turned to the side of evil. If he wasn't a Sovereign, he would be a demon.Just like Nameless, he would be infamous. Nox slowly stepped toward the beach like a demon who'd clawed back out of hell. The sea was dyed red from his demonic energy. Everywhere Nox stepped, black, pungent lotuses bloomed."Look what you did to me, Queenie. Why did you save me? I am a loyal man, but I had to abandon Aphrodite to repay my debt to you! Who do you think you are? Even without Aphrodite, I have Nineve! She is royalty. A princess. A descendant of Flame Emperor."It is just right that I marry her. We are the perfect match! You keep hounding me just because you saved me. You made me marry a commoner! Do you know how hard I had it? I had to put on an act every day, te
Dos took a good look. Dominic did look like he was dead. "What is this? I can't sense any aura from him. But he's powerful enough. He shouldn't have walked into her trap." He thought Dominic might be trapped in a formation. If he didn't step into it, he wouldn't see Dominic. But if he did, he would be trapped, just like Dominic.Then, a ripple of energy came out of the training chamber. Dos was on guard. He mused about it and realized Dominic was trying to contact him. Obviously, Dominic saw him.Back in the mist, Dominic's astral form saw Dos. "Don't be stupid, Dos. They want you to walk into the formation. Remember why I called you back," said Dominic solemnly.At the same time, Dos was thinking hard. He was a master of talismans. This was probably why Dominic called him back. "I understand. Even if I can't help you, I won't walk into this trap." He made a few runes in the air and called upon a few powerful mystical artefacts to form a formation.Then, a formation appeared, and r