William recounted his ordeal with the Voxlian killers back in prison.'Oh, so that's why they're all here to thank the lord,' mused Alexander.The Sovereign's Society member felt more respect for Nox after hearing the story.Suddenly, Keith shot a look at Faye and Mr. Inkheart. "You guys again?"Faye held on despite the icy pressure, and she stepped ahead tremulously. "Commander Moon, we're just here for a visit.""I think you're here to disturb my lord again," said Keith, his voice an icy blast of wind."No, please, Commander Moon. This is just a simple visit, nothing more!" Faye gave Alexander a look of plea.Alexander quickly stepped in. "Commander Moon, I can attest to that, and I'm the one who led them here. Please, forgive them."Keith didn't care. He snarled, "You'd best not disturb the king. These rats are not worthy of an audience."Alexander was lectured, and Sovereign's Society members felt humiliated. They were the rulers of the western frontier, and Keith showed t
It was a surprising scene for Nox. Keith and Alexander were not out of the ordinary, but Riverton's leaders and Sovereign's Society were. Nox scanned all his guests. "We have a big turnout, I see."Jebediah answered, "Apologies, milord. I let them in. Apparently, they're here for a visit.""Is that so?""Yes." Jebediah turned to Alexander and Keith.Keith went over to Nox. "Milord, the politicians wouldn't stop bugging me, so…" Keith pointed at the Riverton leaders. Nox turned his sights to William and his colleagues."Do you remember me, sir?" William stepped forth. "I'm William Langdon, the governor of this city. This one's the Head of Appointments, and this is the Chief of Press and Communications. We were trapped in Riverton Prison during the assault, but you saved us."The Head of Appointments and Chief of Press and Communications greeted him as well.Nox smiled. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Langdon.""The pleasure is all mine. I did promise a proper offer of gratitude, henc
George was still out cold despite all the abuse he suffered, but eventually, he stirred. Everywhere he looked, he saw darkness. "W-Where am I?" His mind was foggy.George tried to move a muscle only for it to tear in pain. "Ow!" He thought his bones were broken while his hands and feet were tied."What happened to me? Who did this?" George was petrified."So, you're finally awake, you bastard," a voice echoed."Who goes there?" George's heart skipped a beat."Me!" Thalia approached George, her hands on her hips.George couldn't believe his eyes. "Who are you, you brat? And what is this place? I demand you let me go!" George roared furiously."Listen up, old man. The name's Thalia Wood!""Never heard of you. Now let me go!" George wriggled and squirmed, trying to worm a way out of his bondage."Oh, but I've heard of you, cur. Are you the succubus' old man?" Thalia kept her eyes on George."What do you mean I'm a succubus' dad?" George was speechless."You have a daughter. San
George finally relented. He thought he was on top of the world only because no one in his family would take him down a peg or two. Not even Nox would do this to him. Thalia, however, would never hold back. George thought this was unfair and mortifying."Can't believe you insulted Greenie. Trash like you should know your place, and I'm the perfect girl for the job." Thalia grinned, but that was the sign that another nightmare would come for George.While Thalia was having fun torturing George, Nox was dealing with his guests. It was then he noticed the little commotion in the backyard."What's with the backyard?" Nox asked.Jebediah smacked his head. He had forgotten about George. "The snob barged into the estate, so I took him prisoner, milord.""The sno— Queenie's dad?" Nox frowned."Yep, it's that donkey."Nox was dumbstruck for a moment. "Lead the way." He stood up."Yes, of course."Screams of agony tore through the air as Thalia abused George in her room. Then, the door c
Thalia heard everything, and she was about to blow up. Jebediah clenched his fists tightly. If Nox weren't here, they would've turned George into mincemeat."Who dares insult my lord?" A roar rumbled the house, and a burly silhouette appeared seemingly out of thin air."You again?" The sight of Keith sent George reeling. He scrambled backward, fearing Keith would kill him again."Those who insult the lord shall die, especially useless pieces of shit like you!" Keith shouted, "Shadow Division!"The Shadow Division members unsheathed their blades. "Your orders, commander?"Keith pointed at George. "Take this piece of worthless trash out of my sight and cut off his head!""Yes, commander!" The Shadow Division members were about to attack George, and he was petrified."W-What do you want? You can't kill me! I'll call the cops!" George screeched as he kept retreating."The cops? Best joke I've ever heard!" Keith ordered, "Get your ass here right now, William! You and your politician
"What's happening here? Why're they bowing to him?" George was flabbergasted. This was his worst nightmare.Alexander finally could speak his mind. "Sanders, the lord has forgiven your insults time and again, but you spat in his hand. If he hadn't taken a liking to your daughter, I wouldn't even give a moment of my time to you!""Mr. Weeks!" George couldn't believe what he was hearing."It's all thanks to the lord your family still lives. You're nothing without him," said Alexander. "And he bailed you out of the Joshtons' revenge. You ignored that and insulted him incessantly. That's unforgivable."Every word pierced George's soul, and he slumped. 'What is going on? The richest man in Riverton just called Nox his lord. And Nox helped us? He bailed us out of that crisis?'William chimed in, "My sentiments exactly. You're an embarrassment to this city. Insulting a hero of the city? Unthinkable. It's an honor having him with us."George was quaking in fear. As if Alexander wasn't en
Again, Nox said, "I'll spare you only for Queenie's sake. You should feel lucky you have such a good and kind daughter. But remember, you'll run out of luck one day, and when that day comes, I will kill you.""T-Thank you." George groveled, professing his gratitude to Nox for sparing him."And you can't tell anyone about this, not even Queenie. It's going to ruin our relationship. Fail, and you die," Nox warned.Shivering, George promised, "I swear my mouth's zipped. No one will hear a word, not even Queenie.""Good. Now piss off."George couldn't remember how he got down the mountain due to the shock. Half his body was numb from fear. He was even slurring. The day had been a nightmare for him. All this time, he had nothing but disdain for Nox.All of a sudden, he found out that Alexander, the governor, the leaders, and even the commander, bowed to Nox. George wondered, 'Who is that man? I thought he lost his memories.' George shuddered at this thought.…The sun had set. Queen
"Dad, what happened? Who did this to you?" Queenie had a lot of complaints about her father, but she was still worried about him.George grabbed Queenie's arm. "Queenie, I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He broke into sobs again.'Huh? Did he just say sorry? Why? Oh no, Dad's gone mental!' Queenie couldn't believe her father would apologize."Dad, say something. What happened? Who did this to you?" Queenie quickly asked.George wasn't about to tell her. He was too terrified to. If he said a word about the encounter, Nox would kill him. "No more questions, Queenie. I'm fine. Just cleared my mind and realized I've been mistaken all along. From now on, you can date whoever you want. I won't butt in! Your relationship is yours."George started crying again. Yvette and Queenie found it confusing. After all, they didn't think that George, who was usually demanding at home, would change so drastically. The fact that he promised Queenie she could date anyone gave her the clue she needed.She wasn't
Queenie did as she was told and flew into the mountain. She was met with a gigantic furnace, and Flame Emperor was trapped within, suffering the burn. His astral form was extremely weakened."Look closely. This is not your usual fire. It's making me into an elixir, slowly refining my providence and funneling it into the coffin. The coffin's connected to Celestial Domain, and that place transfers my providence to the witch. She wishes to use my providence to gain greater heights."The empress is now a Five-ring Minor Saint. One step, and she'll be a Great Saint," explained Flame Emperor."She's using Nox to become a Great Saint?" Queenie asked."Exactly. If Nox relents and sacrifices himself for her, she can absorb his providence and become a Great Saint. The moment she does, she will activate Celestial Burtial and absorb the providence of all civilizations around the world. She wants to sacrifice the whole world for her own success."Queenie had her answers, but what confused her
Dominic was fighting with his life, buying time for Queenie. Suddenly, the empress' eye power weakened, and it couldn't even fight Dominic's will-of-the-sword. "What is this? What's Nox doing?"Dominic's will-of-the-sword noticed the scent of death coming from Nox. This mustn't happen. Nothing must happen to Nox, or his sacrifice would've been for nothing. "Stand up, Nox! You're not giving up here!" Dominic called out to Nox with his will-of-the-sword. As a fellow swordsman, Nox noticed the call."I want you to live Nox. I don't want you to die with me. I know this is all fake, but I just want to confirm what my father told me before. If someone's dying here, it's me!" Nineve lunged at Nox and held him tightly."Very well, then we're killing our way out of here!"Nineve nodded. Nox used his eye power to break the formation by force. With will-of-the-sword, he carved a path out of the formation. At the same time Nox and Nineve ran for their lives, Queenie was making her way to the m
"Nineve, Queenie is at risk right now! If I don't stop the empress, she will use her spell to control the whole world! Faeast will be gone! We will never rise again!" Nox said solemnly. He was worried this might happen. He wasn't scared of any illusion, but the rules would change if Nineve was in the picture.Her wish would affect Nox. When Nox brought Queenie up, she cried. "So you care about her the most. Go to her, then! No one loves me! I deserve this! I did this to myself! I should've given up everything to save you! I don't care about anything now. I just want to stay right here and be with my father!"Nineve had given up, and Nox wanted to scream. He wasn't sure how he should explain it to Nineve. Love needed no explanation, however."What do I do, Your Majesty?? I can't give her up for Nineve, and I can't give up Nineve for her. I can't make a choice." Nox was in a dilemma. No matter the decision, he would regret it. From a big picture perspective, he should save Queenie. Ho
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