The Thunder Empire suffered another defeat, and this time, it was a disastrous one. The Eastern and Western Fronts, along with the Guardian Knight Order, represented a scale of conflict unprecedented in a millennium. Typically, even in clashes between imperial powers, the military forces involved would be on this level. Moreover, wars between imperial forces, short ones lasting a few months to longer ones extending over a year or more, would usually see both sides battling for a considerable time before a victor emerged.
However, the Thunder Empire dispatched two Grand Dukes and its Guardian Knight Order, and in less than half a month, the war had not only barely begun but had also completely ended. Even more bizarrely, there were no survivors. Nobody knew exactly what had happened. Even by the standards of this world's history and its wars, such a battle was unheard of and unseen.It was incredibly hard to believe, utterly baffling why such a thing would happen, yet it had indeed occurred.
In an instant, the entire empire, from top to bottom, was plunged into panic and despair. The very foundations of the empire were severely shaken. The spread of the Demon King's influence had almost reached a point of complete uncontrollability.
Upon receiving the news, Emperor Frelio XVI slumped onto his throne, overwhelmed not by rage but by an unprecedented sense of defeat and shock.
"How could this happen?" he murmured. "The mere Chaos Forest! How could it possibly possess such power?"
Only a few trusted ministers were present before Emperor Frelio, the most prominent among them being Marquis Gabrulain, the Empire's Prime Minister, along with several other top-tier, influential figures of the empire.
The Emperor clung to a sliver of hope, questioning, "So far, we haven't seen a single soldier who has fled or been defeated return. Could this be an illusion crafted by Darkness City, a rumor they've spread?"
Marquis Gabrulain responded gravely, "The likelihood of that is extremely slim, as both the Duke of the West and the Duke of the East have indeed perished."
There were many ways to sense whether someone was still alive in their world. Figures of the Dukes' stature would undoubtedly have left a soul imprint within the empire and their respective families. A soul imprint served as proof of life; as long as one was not entirely deceased, their soul imprint would not vanish. Conversely, once a soul imprint disappeared completely, it signified absolute death.
It wasn't just the two Dukes; the soul imprints of the Guardian Knights and the Empire's Chief Knight, Kroft, had also vanished. With these three pivotal figures lost in battle, how could the empire's army possibly stand undefeated?
Emperor Frelio exclaimed in anger, "If that's the case, why haven't we seen any defeated soldiers? How could an army of over a million be entirely wiped out?"
"That is indeed... very peculiar," Marquis Gabrulain admitted, lowering his voice. "We have yet to reach a conclusion and are still investigating. Our immediate priority should be to devise a response strategy."
The others nodded in agreement.
Emperor Frelio furrowed his brows deeply. The annihilation of the knight orders from the eastern, western, and southern regions, as well as the empire's core Guardian Knight order, undoubtedly dealt a tremendous blow to the empire's strength. Yet, as a force of imperial caliber, its foundation wasn't just limited to that. The empire's heartland still housed other elite troops and numerous formidable individuals.
Among the four regions, the northern territory, known for its strongest military might and highest concentration of masters, had not yet deployed its forces and top fighters. It was too early to despair or consider the situation hopeless. Even with a significant portion of its strength severed, the empire still retained much of its power.
The issue was that Emperor Frelio had realized they had missed the optimal opportunity to suppress Darkness City. Even if he were to personally lead the campaign and mobilize the entire nation's resources, it might not be enough to subdue Darkness City.
Marquis Gabrulain spoke up, "Our strategy from the beginning was flawed. We aimed to annex the territories of the Sunset Empire and the Azure Water Federation, focusing all our war preparations and objectives around these two powers. The Chaos Forest seemed too insignificant, merely a stepping stone toward our goals, leading us to overlook the threat posed by Darkness City and allowing its Demon King and forces to grow increasingly powerful. Now, the situation has almost become uncontrollable."
With a furrowed brow, Emperor Frelio said, "What's the use of saying all this now? What solutions do you have?"
Marquis Gabrulain quickly responded, "At this juncture, relying solely on our nation's strength may not be enough to completely eliminate Darkness City. Even if a full-scale national effort could lead to victory, the cost would be enormous, potentially taking at least a few hundred years to recover from."
"The best course of action would be to seek assistance. With the Azure Water Federation now in disarray and unable to help, our only hope lies with the Sunset Empire. Given Darkness City's current momentum, the Sunset Empire must also feel threatened."
Emperor Frelio nodded in agreement. Marquis Gabrulain was right; Darkness City had become the greatest threat to the empire. Relying solely on the Thunder Empire's power might not be enough to counter this force. They needed to involve another imperial-level power.
Previously, the Sunset Empire would have likely remained a bystander, watching the situation unfold from the sidelines. This was because the emergence of the Chaos Federation could act as a counterbalance and weaken the Thunder Empire, thereby restoring equilibrium to the regional powers.
However, with the Thunder Empire on the brink of collapse, should it fall entirely, the balance in the region would be utterly disrupted. Would the Sunset Empire still have peaceful days ahead? The most critical issue was the rapid growth of the Demon King forces. If even the Thunder Empire couldn't withstand the Demon King invasion, once the Demon King assimilated the Thunder Empire, their power would likely swell to several or even more than ten times their current size.
By then, crushing the Sunset Empire would be as effortless as a hawk preying on a chicken.
Despite the political turmoil within the Sunset Empire, they were not fools. They would undoubtedly recognize the urgency of the situation and take action. Emperor Frelio was about to convene an inter-empire-level meeting when, unexpectedly, the palace's barrier was suddenly breached by some external force.
Emperor Frelio, Marquis Gabrulain, and the others, being top-tier powerhouses, sensed this intrusion immediately, and their expressions changed drastically.
"How dare?!"
"Who goes there?"
"Who dares to intrude into the royal palace uninvited!"
Marquis Gabrulain waved his hand, and a crystal staff appeared. He shouted loudly, "Protect the Emperor!"
Everyone quickly gathered around the emperor to guard him. At the same time, hundreds of the palace's foremost warriors teleported in, surrounding Emperor Frelio with a protective circle. The security within the royal palace was extremely tight, with various experts, barriers, and prohibitions. Anyone capable of bypassing these obstacles to directly breach this location must possess unfathomable strength, warranting extreme caution.
Countless shadows emerged in the grand hall of the palace, eventually coalescing into three figures. The one in the lead was dressed in simple, tattered clothes, appearing entirely unremarkable. His face was hidden under a large hood, and he held a similarly unassuming staff, with an eerie aura swirling around him.
Behind him stood two other figures, also heavily concealed, but their silhouettes suggested they were not human. The aura emanating from them was even more formidable than that of most individuals present, including Marquis Gabrulain, indicating they might both be Level 6 monarchs or higher.
With such fearsome beings accompanying the lead figure, one could only wonder at the strength of their leader.
"Who are you?" Marquis Gabrulain demanded, "Seize them!"
Hundreds of palace guards rushed forward. Each of them possessed the strength of Level 5 or 6 overlords. Their collective assault was formidable, posing a serious threat even to someone of Satoru Sato's caliber.
However, at that moment, the mysterious old man raised his staff. An invisible yet invasive energy, like flowing water, surged outward, passing by everyone and then a bizarre scene unfolded. The movements of all these individuals became incredibly slow, and some even appeared to be frozen in place.
Undoubtedly, this was a powerful control skill.
Marquis Gabrulain's expression darkened, "The power of time? You are that legendary Prophet of Doom!"
The old man chuckled, "Indeed, I do carry the moniker of the Prophet of Doom. You may also call me Primo, the 55th ranked Hero in the leaderboard!"
The tales of the Prophet of Doom were widespread across the lands. Rumor had it that he was an extraordinarily powerful magician with a rare, once-in-a-millennium talent for time manipulation, capable of foreseeing the past and future. This is why he was dubbed a prophet. He was a legendary figure. Numerous empire-level powers had extended olive branches to him, offering generous terms such as the position of Imperial Chief Magician or even a national advisor. Yet, he remained indifferent to such offers, showing no interest whatsoever.
The Prophet of Doom rarely intervened, but whenever he did, it was earth-shattering. Thus, despite his immense power, he remained an enigmatic figure. Who would have thought such a being would also identify as a Hero? And ranking 55th in the Hero leaderboard? Could there really be Heroes stronger than him? That seemed impossible!
The Prophet of Doom, Primo, spoke slowly, "In the recent battle in the southern borders of your empire, a powerful Hero tragically fell. He was the Formless Sword Saint, ranked 498th on the Hero leaderboard."
"As the foremost among the Seven Sword Saints of the Sunset Empire, he possessed the strength of an emperor. Yet, he still met his end, which only serves to highlight the overwhelming power and danger of the Demon King. He must be ranked within the top fifty, perhaps even the top thirty among Demon Kings, and has now fully come into his own. Your empire alone cannot contend with him."
The listeners exchanged looks of disbelief. For Emperor Frelio and the empire's elites, this was the first time they had heard of rankings for Heroes and Demon Kings. The leader of the Seven Sword Saints of the Sunset Empire was merely ranked around five hundred among the Heroes?
How formidable, then, must those ranked in the top few dozen be? Perhaps they had reached the legendary Level 7!
After pondering for a moment, Emperor Frelio gave Marquis Gabrulain a look, and the latter immediately dismissed the surrounding elites.
The emperor approached: "So, you mean to say, Prophet Primo, that you have come here for this Demon King?"
"Indeed!" Primo replied. "Although I'm ranked 55th among Heroes, currently, I'm the only one who can arrive in time to assist you against him. Otherwise, this empire faces complete destruction."
The expressions of those present soured slightly.
Marquis Gabrulain inquired, "This Demon King led to the total annihilation of our million-strong army without a survivor. We cannot fathom his insidious methods. What makes you believe you can confront him?"
Primo chuckled, "Because I am the Prophet of Doom. No secrets can remain hidden from me."
Intrigued, Emperor Frelio asked, "Is that so? Then perhaps, Prophet Primo, you could enlighten us, at least to understand the cause of our defeat."
"No problem," Primo assured. "I will personally visit the southern front. No matter the secrets or tactics the Demon King possesses, they stand no chance of remaining concealed from my eyes that can peer through time!"