Seven years had passed, forging Xerxez into a nineteen-year-old warrior, his spirit honed by the fires of vengeance against the tyrannical King of Moonatoria. Alongside the elder Matheros, he trained in the secluded forest, their shared resolve blossoming into a burgeoning rebellion.

“Don’t stop, don’t let your fear reign in your heart.” Matheros encouraged him as Xerxez feel hopeless. “Be brave!”

Though during his immense training he tirelessly sought answers about the mysterious dagger and the voice that echoed after its electric pulse, Xerxez remained cloaked in uncertainty. Yet, he was resolute: he would alter Thallerion’s destiny, despite the grim truth that he, too, was becoming an instrument of war—a sorrowful reality that war forever scars hearts with pain and defeat. He led his burgeoning rebellion, secretly infiltrating Thallerion’s districts to ignite the flames of resistance among the enslaved.

Day and night, the slaves toiled, their sweat mingling with blood, a grim testament to their suffering that no hand could wipe away. The once-plentiful now gnawed on hunger, the robust withered from thirst, and those once fragrant were cloaked in the stench of rags. Women’s dignity was trampled underfoot, and the elderly were mercilessly driven to labor—how much longer could they endure, their very teeth worn to nubs?

The land, chosen by Orion himself, wept crimson tears under the Bear’s iron grip. Each day brought forth fresh complaints of the whip’s relentless sting, like thorns endlessly pricking, delivered by the Moonatorian soldiers who, seeing the slaves writhe in agony, merely choked back chuckles of cruel delight. Thallerion had long yearned for the dawn, yet the night persisted, cold and unyielding, like a statue bound by vines, silently watching the encroaching wilderness.

But even the longest night yields to the stars! And bright they would shine, like a plummeting meteorite! For when the Bear, ensconced in its cave, slept soundly, a lazy, grizzly snore echoing through the silence, the opportunity arose.

Under the cloak of night, the slaves of Thallerion united, galvanizing around Xerxez’s audacious plan to revolt against Moonatoria. Like bolts connecting disparate points, their resolve solidified. The Moonatorian soldiers, however, merely scoffed, buzzing dismissively that Xerxez’s challenge was akin to merely poking a sleeping Bear. They fully expected him to flee once the slumbering giant awoke.

Nevertheless, Xerxez, emboldened, fearlessly challenged the King of Moonatoria himself, vowing to reclaim the very race and nation of Thallerion from King Hedromus’s unbearable oppression. Upon learning that the son of the Thallerion King yet lived, Hedromus did not refuse; indeed, he reveled in the prospect, intent on Xerxez’s demise.

Thus, in the hallowed grounds between the districts of Mintaka and Rigil, now transformed into a colossal gladiatorial amphitheater, the blood-pact for a momentous wager was struck!

“Why engage in strife with all our forces,” King Hedromus boomed, his voice resonating through the hushed multitude, “when we might instead decide this fate by personal encounter—a duel ‘twixt you and I?” He brushed his belt, an arrogant smirk playing on his lips, as he tilted on a carriage borne by groaning slaves, weapons heavy at his waist.

“Hearken, ye souls forlorn! For the one of us who falls shall be declared the conqueror!” Every soldier, every commoner, hung on King Hedromus’s every word. “Here stands the covenant! Should Xerxez prevail, he shall reclaim the dominion of Thallerion; but if I triumph in the fray—all of the Thallerion kindred shall forever pull the ropes of my magnificent chariot!”

He snickered boastfully, flaunting his colossal physique, and, in a shocking display of contempt, seized a spicy chicken thigh, devouring it before Xerxez’s allies—an unparalleled insult to all of Thallerion.

The bodies of the Thallerion trembled, a collective shiver of dread, at the Moonatorian king’s challenge. For he was a fire Ursa, a formidable monarch who could manipulate flame through his very being, possessing the strength of a hundred bears, capable of wielding the heaviest of weapons.

King Hedromus was brimming with confidence, certain of victory due to his mountainous frame and vastly superior fighting experience compared to a mere youth like Xerxez. His mastery of the sword and combat was beyond dispute. Yet, arrogance was his twin, blinding him to Xerxez’s true capabilities. In King Hedromus’s mind, Xerxez’s life already dangled precariously on the precipice of his sword!

“I accept!!!” Xerxez’s defiant echo pierced the silence.

“Aye???” Hedromus’s eyes widened in amazement at Xerxez’s audacious confidence.

Xerxez strode forward, confirming his acceptance of the king’s terms. From his waist, he drew forth a palm-sized dagger, raising it aloft, its surface gleaming ominously in the eyes of the onlookers. This very dagger, a treasure found in a flowing stream, had electrocuted him once, and from that moment, he had kept it as his personal weapon throughout his arduous journey.

Then, with a deliberate motion, Xerxez slit his own palm. The wound, a mere ant’s bite, stung sharply as living blood welled, yet no trace of pain marred his stoic face. But the eyes of his allies bulged, and their mouths hung agape, like forgotten scraps of food, at his shocking decision. A spoiled, sonorous disbelief filled the air!

A heavy burden settled upon all of Thallerion, a foreboding weight akin to a meteor poised to strike. Even in their dreams, they found no hope in Xerxez’s choice. It felt as if the star they had looked up to at midnight would merely commit suicide in the Bear’s gaping maw. A growl echoed in their collective despair!

But Xerxez, within him, felt something far more extraordinary surge from every nerve after the dagger bit his palm—an electric energy pulsed through every vein. His eyes blazed with the clarity of a great tactician, as if every momentum was precisely measured. The Bear’s next move was calculated. Fate’s judgment had been reversed; between Moonatoria and Thallerion, they bore witness to how fate truly judged—and it did not side with the King of Moonatoria. His dagger flared, a powerful weapon capable of tearing through any flesh and weakening any entity in its path.

“Xerxez didn’t use a sword to fight the fat bear?” Astonishment rippled through the crowd at Xerxez’s inexplicable courage.

“It looked like he used the Dagger of Orion to kill the beast,” observed the elders, their eyes fixed on Xerxez.

The colossal Bear was slain by Xerxez, its immense form falling as everyone stared, frozen like stone, mouths agape. The Ursa entity felt a powerful energy, resisting all Moonatorians from shifting into their bear forms, as if their power was restrained by a mighty force. Then, suddenly, his mind and vision returned to normal.

“What were those energies?” Xerxez pondered the inexplicable event that had coursed through his body during the duel. Moonatoria’s weapons lay scattered like dead hair, falling harmoniously, chaotically. He stood atop the fallen bear, clutching the impaled dagger. The entire Bear’s army trembled, scattering like squeaking rats as the Thallerion soldiers rejoiced. Many surrendered, accepting their clear defeat as per the solemn agreement.

“The chain that binds the land chosen by Orion is broken!!!” a soldier roared. “Thallerion has triumphed!!! Praise Xerxez!!!” Xerxez, a living trophy, was paraded and lifted high by thousands of rejoicing hands.

All Hail Xerxez!

The chains of tyranny, forged in the fires of King Hedromus’s cruel reign, lay shattered! Xerxez, the dawn-bringer, slew the night, allowing the radiant sunlight to once again drench Thallerion. No longer shall you grovel, no longer shall you be slaves! Cast aside the ropes that once bound you to the tyrant’s heavy carriage, for a new age dawns—an age of prosperity under a king most just!

The whispers of the Moonatorian king’s demise echoed through the lands, turning the dreams of other nations into nightmares. Who could have foreseen that a mere youth would fell the “Fierce Bear,” as the Moonatorians had so grimly dubbed King Hedromus?

Like mushrooms after a cleansing rain, rumors sprouted and spread across Thallerion. Was Xerxez the next champion of Orion? Or was he the prophesied one, destined to reshape the very fabric of their world? Though the memories of yesterday’s sorrow faded, the gratitude of Thallerion burned bright. Every heart swelled with joy, for all that was stolen by the Moonatorians was now reclaimed!

Every Moonatorian soldier, every mercenary in the treacherous Bellatrix district, was driven from their soil, expelled without so much as a coin to their name! BEHOLD, citizens of Thallerion! Your new king, appointed by the venerable council led by Matheros’s parents, was none other than Xerxez himself! Let the anthems of exaltation ring out!

Thus began the glorious reign of Xerxez. With every fiber of his being, with every ounce of his soul, he poured himself into serving as an exemplary king. Under his guidance, the army of Thallerion swelled in strength, becoming a formidable force. His tactical brilliance, his unparalleled skill, garnered the respect and admiration of nations far and wide. From distant lands, rulers and strategists journeyed to seek his counsel, cementing Xerxez’s renown across the known world.

Yet, even amidst triumph, a silent lament echoed within his heart. The hero of Thallerion, though victorious, bore a hidden sorrow. A sigh escaped him, unheard by all. His weary eyes drifted to his father’s empty seat, and the silence in his room, once filled with his mother’s loving voice, now pressed in on him.

Gazing into the mirror, a stark truth enveloped Xerxez. His reflection showed a man handsome, robust, and undeniably strong, yet utterly alone. Another sigh escaped him, heavy with unspoken burdens.

Then, a glint—the dagger caught the light. In the silence, the mirrored scene of his duel with King Hedromus returned. The moment he had slit his palm, something stirred within him, something he could not comprehend. He knew, with an undeniable certainty, that it was magic.

He recalled the duel’s climax, the unforeseen truth that had unfolded in his mind. An electric current had surged through him, igniting not only a raw, physical strength that made his muscles hum but also a blazing, super-calculus within his very brain.

“I don’t understand… but this dagger pulsed with an electric energy that surged through my veins.”

As the beast—a charging grizzly of fiery fur and enormous muscle—lunged, the fiery bear’s attack fractured before his eyes. It wasn’t mere anticipation; it was an explosion of overlaid data, iridescent schematics shimmering over reality. Each arc of the bear’s claws, every subtle shift of its colossal weight, resolved into a complex series of vectors, mass coefficients, and kinetic energy projections. His vision became a canvas of physics formulas, glowing faintly around the bear, presenting themselves for his immediate solution.

“Was someone trying to help me use that ability? Or does the dagger itself possess the power to awaken one’s ability?”

There was no hint of any helping entity, not a single sign. Yet, he was certain: it was an awakened ability that demanded cultivation. “But how… how can I access that ability again? Is it by slitting my palm?”

A profound sigh escaped him.

“Whether someone is helping me or not, entity or whatever it might be, I will still be the Xerxez who is willing to take a risk, for my people, and for my country.”

He couldn’t shake the memory of King Hedromus transforming into the Fire-Ursa beast. He didn’t just see the next move; he calculated it. He didn’t see one outcome, but a thousand branching probabilities—the exact point where the bear’s momentum would peak, the fractional angle of its claw that would inflict a fatal wound, the precise amount of force needed to deflect its charge, even the most efficient use of his own breath. It was a grand tapestry of cause and effect, mathematically solved before the enemy even committed to an action. He didn’t merely react; he pre-acted, his body moving with a chilling precision that astonished even himself, a silent equation of motion already perfectly resolved in his awakened mind. The duel wasn’t a fight; it was an elaborate, predetermined dance, and he already knew every step.

“If the Orion entity was truly there, then why did he let Thallerion fall into Moonatorian hands? Such an irresponsible protector!”

From this day forward, Xerxez resolved to cast aside thoughts of the Orion entity. What happened during the duel was a culmination of his own arduous cultivation in Wendlock. His path now lay clear: to face the reality of his people, to embrace Thallerion’s new beginning. If any country, infested by other entities, dared to threaten them, Thallerion would not falter. For now, they possessed stronger military forces, capable of facing beasts or entities, magic or spell. For in the end, one truth remained—human is human; they are all mortal beings, perhaps merely infested by those unknown entities.

However, since Xerxez first felt the surge of extraordinary strength and ability coursing through his veins, each dawn has heralded the resonant call of a man’s voice, echoing his very name.

“XERXEZ!”

It is the selfsame voice that once spoke to him by the hallowed stream, yet now, its merest whisper is enough to shatter the bonds of sleep and draw him forth into the awakening world.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep