"Your Majesty! Please calm down and leave the situation to us. Lord Terra ensured the gate and it'll not collapse as long as she is there." The golden-armored knight, Roye, politely calmed the furious emperor. As the leader of the kingdom, the emperor was pushed to retreat first even it's against his will. He was teleported by Terra together with his right hand, Roye, directly back into the main castle to alert the other Imperial Knights about the invasion.
The Serkoff Emperor's prowess is on par or even on a higher grade than any of the experts in Serkoff. He had reached the pinnacle of Deity, half-step to being Heavenly Deity. In the entire Eastern Continent, he is considered as one of the top cultivators.
Reaching Saint may take 12 - 15 years old on average. Deity rank takes 20 - 30 years while reaching Heavenly Deity rank is rumored to be a bit difficult and many cultivators perished while attempting to break into this rank due to the harsh tribulation. Human cultivators who reached a rank higher than Heavenly Deity were so rare that can be counted by only fingers. Some of these cultivators were either in seclusion or in a journey to temper their selves.
Reaching the peak of Deity rank can be already considered as a miracle and heaven-sent within the Eastern Continent.
"I cannot just le--" The Serkoff Emperor was just about to retort on Roye's suggestion when a ragged-looking golden armored knight came running towards the emperor.
"Your Highness, the North Shadow Sea people are being pushed back by a mysterious expert!" The ragged-looking golden knight genuflected and his eyes shone with hope.
The emperor looked at the kneeling knight and said, "My-Mysterious expert?!?"
"Y-yes Your Majesty! Rather... It is a child!" The ragged-looking knight exclaimed shyly.
Roye, who is standing beside the emperor, looked at the other knight with a '???' look.
"A-A Child?!" The emperor can't help but exclaim in the ridiculous statement.
[Heck... If the expert is a child, then I'm a baby!]
"Y-yes Your Majesty! What I'm telling is the truth! It seems like the child was someone who was brought back from the ancient realm... H-he was with the masked b-beta!" The ragged knight explained as convincing as he could. He was after all scared of the emperor that he might not believe him.
"From the ancient realm?" The emperor felt his hair stood up.
"Could it be..." Roye gulped his own words and looked at the emperor for confirmation.
"A contract beast..." The emperor nodded and his eyes shone with awe.
"A contract beast who is able to shapeshift to a human is someone who had a rank higher than a heavenly deity." The emperor added.
"Are you sure it was the beta who brought it?" Roye asked his subordinate one more time.
"Yes, My Lord." The ragged knight honestly replied. Roye is the leader of the Imperial Knights so it is natural that the ragged knight would address Roye as his Lord.
"I'm going back to the portal." The emperor firmly declared.
"Wait... Your Highness, it might be danger---" Roye opposed but then he was abruptly cut by a cold glare.
"Don't underestimate your emperor too much... My son is still there, how can I leave him alone?" The emperor said resolutely.
"..." Roye wanted to retort but he knew that it would be fruitless. If he was a father, he is sure that he'll do the same.
"I understand... I'll get the other knights and come with you." Roye replied solemnly.
With that, the ragged knight immediately stood up and followed the emperor and Roye out of the King's Hall.
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"AAAAHHKK! Retreat damn it!" An elder wearing a black robe cried out as he put a pressure on his bleeding left arm.
"Y-YOOOOUUU AHHHH--" Even before he stood up and run, the pending sword had hacked his lower body and upper body into two.
Everyone who had seen the bloody scene can't help but tremble and immediately retreat like hell broke loose.
"I can't believe it- I can't believe it- That can't be a beta! Shit! F*** RUN NOW!" The survivors frantically flee out of the hall but who knew that a random vine will randomly grab their body making them unable to move.
"AAAHHHH!"
The hall which is supposed to be festive had now turned into a slaughterhouse. The North Shadow Sea people who invaded the hall was now being oppressed.
Yulrir did not bother to chase upon those who flee from his range. He doesn't have time for it. He turned around and his masked face looked directly into the concealment array. A relief of sigh had made its way out of his stiff body.
Unlike back then, Yulrir showed no qualms about taking the lives of these people. To his eyes, even they look like humans they do things that a human should not. A certain hatred had sparked within Yulrir that drove him into resolute killing and it was when he saw his half-beaten lover, Theo.
"WEENNNGG!"
A sound of a barrier being opened and Yulrir walked into the concealed area. Inside the area are elders of different martial institutions who were critically injured. They looked at Yulrir with awe and shock. In the middle of the concealed area was the person that Yulrir is familiar the most. Yulrir gasped and in a blink of an eye, he moved right next to this person.
"What happened..." Yulrir stored his sword into his storage ring and extended his jade-like hands to the face of the tan-skinned man in front of him. A sad yet frowning face was reflected behind Yulrir's mask.
"An expert we speculate who reached a rank of heavenly deity had led these black-robed bastards into the welcoming banquet. A lethal poison that can kill anyone even the deity-leveled experts had spread throughout the hall... oppressing the kingdom's force. Good thing I was here!" Theo responded with a faint smile while trying to maintain the spatial barrier around them. Although he is smiling, his stature isn't as good as you think it is. His hoarse voice sounded so weak.
Yulrir lowered his head and saw a deep wound across Theo's body and his eyes watered with so many emotions. Yulrir quickly brought his hands and muttered a soft chant. A blue light had softly covered Theo's wound stopping the bleeding but regardless, the wound never closed or healed.
Yulrir gasped and looked at Theo with a frown, "This wound... who gave this to you? Even with my Water Healing Spell... it doesn't work!"
Theo chuckled and shook his head. "I believe it was a poison master... He was wearing a mask so I have no idea who he is. He rescued those North Shadow Sea disciples that Lord Huma had sent out of the realm first." Theo responded weakly.
"It's poisoned?!? Wh---" Yulrir was about to panic but Theo had touched Yulrir's lip with his index finger.
"Don't panic... I had the poison contained. I just needed it to extract out of my body but my current strength is not sufficient. We can just ask Small Seed to do the extraction." Theo smiled faintly and caressed his wife's cheek.
Yulrir pursed his lips but his demeanor calmed after hearing Theo's statement. He leaned his head on Theo's hand and held it.
"Release the spatial barrier. We're safe for now... I'll ask Small Seed to help you out immediately." Yulrir instructed. He wanted Theo to focus on restraining the poison inside his body. He is afraid that Theo might push his body to the limit.
The other wounded elders around the two youth seem to look at Theo with envy and awe. A youth who barely past his mating age had found a dependable partner.
Theo naturally obeyed his wife and with a faint 'Weng' sound, the barrier concealing them had fade away. Naturally, Small Seed who was not so far from them had noticed his adoptive parents and immediately flew towards them without any hesitation.
"Daddy suffered a lot ah!" Small Seed arrived in a blink of an eye and reached his cute little hands towards Theo's wound.
"Come and let Daddy be healed." Theo smiled wryly.
Yulrir smiled at Theo's confident remarks and gave Small Seed a faint nod.
"..." The people who heard Theo's and Small Seed's conversation can't help but gape their mouths open.
[What? You're already a father?!? Wasn't that child the one who erected that mysterious plant outside?] It's their inner shout.
"Ehn!" Small Seed huffed and a black blob of liquid poured out of Theo's wound. Small Seed waved his right hand and the blob immediately evaporated into nothingness.
"It's good now! Small Seed had already eradicated the bad poison!" Small Seed proudly tapped his chest.
Yulrir immediately placed his hand on Theo's chest and a warm blue light had once again enveloped Theo's wound. It was indeed the 'Water Healing' spell that Yulrir mastered from his mother. The wound visibly closed and with Theo's natural White Tiger Bloodline, the wound recovery was faster than what Yulrir had expected.
Yulrir withdrew his hands and looked at Theo with relief. "How was it? Are you okay now?" Yulrir drew his face close to check on Theo's expression. He wanted to make sure that Theo is far from danger.
Theo touched his chest and the only thing that remained was the blood in his clothes. The deep wound was no longer visible and even not a scar was left. He stared back at his masked wife and maintained his serious look.
"Kiss me my wife and I'll be better!" Theo said with conviction.
"..."
"..."
"It seems like you're all good now." Yulrir flicked Theo's forehead and stood up.
"COUGH COUGH COUGH" The elders around them seem to cough out a lot of blood. They didn't know if it was from the wound they had suffered earlier or from what Theo had said.
"This shameless brat! You never change!" A familiar deep voice reverberated from the Hall's Entrance.
"Old man!!!" Theo stood up and smiled proudly.
"M-Martial Uncle!" Yulrir cupped his fist.
The headmaster hurriedly went over to the two and released a sigh of relief. "It's good that you're both safe..."
"I failed to chase the poison master and the other disciples... They had a spatial magician with them." The headmaster frowned and gave Theo a solemn look.
Theo shook his head and said, "It seems like they only invaded to rescue those little bastards..."
"Your big brother, Juno..." The headmaster started but Theo cut him off.
"He is not my brother... Clearly... those North Shadow Sea values Juno a lot eh." Theo coldly spat out.
"..." Yulrir gave the headmaster an apologetic look.
"Small Seed can tell that the poison master is someone of a higher Heavenly Deity rank." Small Seed muttered while jumping into Yulrir's arm.
The headmaster turned his head on the small child and was stunned by the child's statement. "Correct... How did y-- Wait... Whose child is this?"
"Small Seed is father's and daddy's child!" Small Seed tapped his chest proudly.
[Ah... Like daddy like son...] The crowd who was eavesdropping can't help but inwardly thought.
"Father and Daddy?" The headmaster took his time to buffer for a while and gave Theo an 'explain-this-to-me' look.
"Who else was it... He's pertaining to Yulrir and me... Isn't it good? You're already a Martial Grandfather!" Theo proudly confirmed.
"..." Yulrir would like to explain further but he was too conflicted on how to explain it in detail so he just let Theo do the talking. He honestly wanted to dig a hole right now and hide.
"..."
"Ah... Daddy... Father's face is turning red ah!" Small Seed exclaimed while trying to console the embarrassed Yulrir.
"..." The headmaster.
"..." The crowd.
The bloody battle was long over... The moment that Small Seed personally moved to 'punish' the bad people --- The situation turned favorable on the Serkoff's part.
Not far from where they stood, Terra silently withdrew the spatial barrier surrounding the Ancient Portal and heaved a sigh of relief. The disciples that had arrived earlier like Yulrir can't help but look around cautiously. When they arrived, they saw a bloody fight where a small child and the familiar masked beta singlehandedly took care of the black-robed people. They didn't know what was happening to start with so when Terra had told them they'll be safe with her, they stayed behind the spatial magician.
Just like a timed coincidence, more and more disciples had stepped outside the ancient portal. Most of them were those who Yulrir and Theo recognized.
These disciples, just like Yulrir, were expecting a festive welcome but what they had seen the first thing they arrive was the aftermath of a bloody battle. They can't help but panic and ask the nearest elders about what happened.
Simultaneously, a group of Golden Knights had marched inside the hall in a uniform way. They formed a neat formation with the emperor in the middle.
"Apprehend all the enemies!" The lead knight threw a battle cry.
"For His Majesty!!!" The knights replied in unison.
"EH?!"
"Where are those damn people?!"
"AH?!"
"???"
"..."
Silence.
"..."
"You're late." A monotone voice broke the silence. It was the voice of the headmaster.
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A/N:
(ಥ﹏ಥ)(ಥ﹏ಥ)(ಥ﹏ಥ)(ಥ﹏ಥ)
AAAHHH! JUST LIKE THE EMPEROR AND THE KNIGHTS... I'M SO LATE AH!
IM SO SORRRYYYY QUQ I REALLY MEAN IT. *KOWTOWS*
SO MANY THINGS HAD HAPPENED AH! QUQ WE'RE SO SHORT OF MANPOWER SO I HAD TO WORK DOUBLE AND OVERTIME... THE MONTH-END DEADLINES ARE COMING... OH ZEUS MIO... WHY FEBRUARY ONLY HAD 28 DAYS AH? *CRIES*(ಥ﹏ಥ)
AND READER-SAMAs PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR NOT REPLYING ON MESSAGES. QUQ ALSO MY INBOX WERE COMPLETELY FILLED WITH SO MANY QUESTIONS AH... I APOLOGIZE... I WANTED TO KEEP THE STORY AS MYSTERIOUSLY AS POSSIBLE SO I CANNOT ANSWER SOME OF THE SPOILERS QUQ... ALTHOUGH SINCE I'M AWAY FOR WEEKS, LET ME ANSWER SOME MOST QUESTIONS THAT MOST OF THE READER-SAMAs WERE ASKING.
[Okay... I'll uncapslock now... quq Sorry... I just wanted it to be so intense... haha]
[1] Will there be a threesome?
Answer: I managed to receive 24 messages about it... apart from the comment section ah... Since a reader-sama had already replied to it... I guess there's no need for hiding ah. quq... There won't be one... I wanted to develop the characters as originally planned... It's up to Yulrir-sama at the end. I won't elaborate on it since it'll kill the mystery of the plot but I assure the reader-samas will not be disappointed. *I hope... quq let this potato roll around with fingers crossed ah*
[2] What will happen to Azazel/Vaughn now?
Answer: I'm thankful that many had fell in love with Azazel/Vaugh's character quq I'll just give you a hint... Vaughn is currently a human right now... he might have his original soul... but he is still currently a human :)
[3] How often you update?
Answer: I usually update once or twice a week... but I currently just broke my promise so I sincerely apologize *bows head*... except for month ends or special occasions... please expect at least an update in either Sat/Sun or Mon quq
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Thank you so much for reading up until now.
This potato is really grateful quq *kowtows*
It's already 1.30 am here in my place... I wanted to stay awake longer but my eyes is already on its limit.. QuQ
XOXO