Chapter 39: The Emperor’s Stress

Chapter 39

“HELL.”

The young diviner screamed at the top of his lungs, as if his entire existence depended on it.

Then he collapsed.

Lifeless.

His eyes turned hollow, empty, as though his soul had fled his body. Yet what truly happened was far worse than anyone present could comprehend.

The emperor clenched his fist slightly, irritation flashing through him.

That cursed word again.

Hell.

What was it supposed to mean.

Was the diviner claiming that Hell itself was tied to the Crimson Night and the destruction of the small kingdom. Or was he warning that whatever treasure or force caused the phenomenon would eventually unleash true hell upon the world once it matured.

He could not tell.

And now, he never would.

He was certain of one thing. The moment they spoke that word, something tore their souls away.

“What is happening.”

A deep unease settled in his chest.

“And why do I have such a terrible premonition about this entire Crimson Night phenomenon.”

There was more to this than what had been discussed during the meeting. Much more. Apart from Essos of the Hwanna Kingdom, there were unaffiliated regions beyond Ardentia’s influence. Once news of an entire kingdom’s destruction spread, and it would spread, those regions would move.

Probing attacks. Silent pressure. Opportunists testing the waters.

It was inevitable.

“Renly.”

The emperor called.

From nothingness, a figure clad entirely in black appeared, kneeling on one knee.

“Yes, my lord,” the warrior replied.

Though he stood right there, no one else in the hall acknowledged his presence. It was as if his existence itself was hidden from the world.

“I have an important task for you,” the emperor said calmly. “Order Warmaker and Death Slayer to guard the northern entrance of the kingdom. You and the rest of the Ar Force will secure the southern region. Inform Jack and his men to man the eastern side.”

Renly nodded.

Then hesitated.

“My lord,” he asked carefully, “what about the western part of the kingdom. I believe Essos has dispatched men for a probing attack. I heard there are several grand martial experts and high level mages among them.”

The emperor smiled faintly, though none could see it.

“Do not worry about the west. I will handle it personally.”

His voice turned cold.

“I would like to see Essos myself. Ask him whether he knows anything about the Crimson Night.”

A pause.

“And if he is behind this… then this long war has gone on long enough. I will end it myself.”

Renly bowed deeply and vanished.

The emperor turned just in time to see another diviner step forward.

A girl.

Barely a teenager.

“Stop.”

He reached out, attempting to forcibly halt her divination. It was already clear their efforts were useless. But the rewards he had promised were too tempting. Too many were willing to gamble their lives.

He was too late.

The divination completed.

The young girl let out a piercing scream, pain twisting her features. She managed to force out a single letter.

“H.”

Then she collapsed.

The emperor’s fist clenched even tighter.

He already knew the rest.

Hell.

He waved his hand sharply.

“Enough. All of you, leave now.”

The remaining diviners were escorted away, dragged from their trance despite their reluctance. The emperor glanced at the bodies scattered across the hall. A faint ache twisted in his chest.

Then his gaze fell on the girl.

He sighed.

“I am sorry.”

And vanished.

Unbeknownst to him, the girl was not dead.

Her eyes fluttered open weakly. She stretched out her hand toward the spot where the emperor had stood moments earlier.

Her lips trembled.

“V… vas… vastr…”

“VASTRO.”

The moment the name left her mouth, her entire body convulsed.

Then she disintegrated.

Erased from existence.

——-

Meanwhile, at the border separating the Hwanna Kingdom and the Ardentia Kingdom, a massive army advanced.

They were not hundreds.

Not thousands.

They were tens of thousands.

Each one a significant warrior, every step measured, every breath controlled. Elemental fluctuations rippled through the ranks. Some wore flowing robes, mana spiraling tightly around their bodies. Others stood clad in heavy battle gear, raw qi surging from their flesh like a storm barely restrained.

This was not an army of fodder.

This was an army of experts.

Leading them was a man mounted atop a warhorse. His long black hair was braided neatly behind him, his face hardened by countless battles. The aura leaking from his body alone was enough to send shivers down the spines of even peak cultivators.

Before long, they reached their destination.

A colossal wall loomed ahead.

The soldiers stationed atop it turned pale the moment they saw the approaching force. Their fear was not born from numbers alone. Nor was it merely the crushing pressure of tens of thousands of experts advancing in unison.

It was who these warriors were.

The hardened aura. The blue and red markings woven into their clothing. The unmistakable insignia etched onto armor, flags, and even flesh.

A dark shark swimming through a black ocean.

Essos.

Warriors of Essos.

The sworn enemies of the Ardentia Kingdom.

Few truly knew the origin of the hatred between the two nations. Only that the emperor of Ardentia harbored a deadly feud with Essos himself, one of the primary rulers of the Hwanna Kingdom.

The man with braided hair raised his hand, his voice booming across the army.

“We are blessed.”

His words carried power.

“Blessed to be chosen to aid the great Essos in delivering vengeance upon the vile Ardentians.”

A surge of fervor rippled through the ranks.

“We were sent to wipe out a few sinners and return. To prepare for greater annihilation.”

He sneered.

“But why settle for something so small. So unworthy.”

His eyes burned.

“The great Essos has given us an opportunity. A chance to prove ourselves. To bring purification to this filthy kingdom.”

His voice rose higher.

“We will not stop at destroying a few regions. We will erase everything. Their kingdoms. Their capitals. Their families. Every single thing they hold dear will be cleansed by our destruction.”

He raised his clenched fist.

“Today, we bring down the Ardentia Kingdom.”

A roar exploded from the army.

Mana and qi flared violently, intertwining into an overwhelming pressure that nearly crushed the soldiers atop the wall. Some trembled so badly they almost collapsed.

Almost.

They did not fall.

They steadied themselves, faces set with grim resolve. They knew this might be their last stand. That death awaited them. But they would meet it standing.

In honor.

Spells ignited.

Grand mages began weaving devastating formations, layers of magic stacking upon each other as others moved to enhance and amplify the destruction. Warriors readied their strongest techniques. Sword arts. Spear arts. Archery formations.

The air itself trembled.

The sheer force of the charging preparations was enough to make the defenders shake uncontrollably.

Last stand?

And yet.

Who said anything about a last stand.

They would not even know how they died once those attacks were unleashed.

The protective walls might have been able to stop them before.

But that protection had limits.

With thousands upon thousands charging up destructive attacks, and grand level experts joining in, the barrier would never hold.

When the attacks reached their peak, the mages thrust their hands forward.

The sky erupted.

Destructive forces surged out at full power, traveling at such insane speed and pressure that they shattered multiple sound barriers. Blades of mana, torrents of qi, roaring elemental waves streaked toward the walls in a storm of color and death.

The soldiers braced.

Then, just before the attacks could descend and turn everything into ruin, a vast golden dome of energy suddenly appeared.

It sealed the skies.

The attacks slammed into it.

The collision detonated with catastrophic force, shockwaves tearing through the air, light swallowing everything. The explosion shook the battlefield, rattling bones and bending space itself.

Then the smoke cleared.

And the Essos army froze.

Standing on the opposite side of the barrier was a lone figure.

He hovered calmly in the air, facing them. Plain black robes. Simple. Unadorned. His face was completely obscured by layered spells, impossible to discern.

But no one needed to ask.

No one needed to guess.

They all knew who he was.

It was the emperor of the Ardentia Kingdom.

For the soldiers on the wall, it was salvation.

For the Essos army, it was a nightmare.

The man who had been shouting about justice moments earlier felt cold sweat pour down his back. His throat went dry as he swallowed hard.

He was strong. Very strong.

But this was a man rumored to stand on the same level as the great Essos himself.

How was he supposed to fight that.

If Essos could end him with a flick of his wrist, then this man could do the same.

The emperor closed his palm.

The golden barrier vanished.

His gaze settled on the Essos army, his voice calm, almost lazy, yet laced with irritation.

“I am in an extremely bad mood today.”

A faint golden sphere formed above his hand.

“And I was looking for someone to vent on.”

His eyes gleamed beneath the spell.

“Good thing Essos sent me targets.”

The entire Essos army froze.

In that instant, their instincts screamed a single truth.

They were already dead.

To be continued.

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