The One King

The Birth of a New Era

Azrael's declaration had not yet truly ended.

His words continued their journey across the world, carrying with them the echo of his power and the majesty of his presence.

The technique "Roar of the Titans" had carried his voice over mountains and plains, across forests and deserts, over seas and oceans, reaching remote islands and isolated regions whose inhabitants knew nothing of what had happened to the Rain Empire.

In a small village on the outskirts of one of the continents, an old cultivator sat before his house, quietly drinking tea.

Suddenly...

The air trembled.

The old man stopped moving and slowly raised his head.

Then he heard the voice.

"To all beings across every continent..."

The cup slipped from his hand and shattered against the ground.

In another city, people rushed out of their homes, looking toward the sky, unable to understand where that terrifying voice was coming from.

Deep beneath the sea, enormous sea beasts stopped hunting and raised their heads.

On a remote island, an ancient beast opened its eyes after sleeping for hundreds of years.

It stared toward the sky.

"That voice..."

Its pupils contracted.

"Who dares make such an announcement?"

In an ancient sect, an elder was sitting in meditation when Azrael's voice reached him.

His eyes suddenly opened.

The content of the announcement was not what frightened him the most.

It was the fact that the voice had reached him from thousands of kilometers away without losing any of its overwhelming force.

He muttered:

"Who is this man?"

And the entire world began to move.

After the announcement ended, the continents erupted into chaos.

Messages began racing between empires, sects, clans, and ancient powers.

"The Rain Empire has been destroyed!"

"Who did it?"

"The man who declared himself the ruler of the Supreme Council Clan!"

"The Council Clan? What clan is that?"

"Search the ancient records!"

"Send spies toward the region!"

"No one moves until we know the strength of the other side!"

Inside royal palaces, ancient records that had not been opened for thousands of years were brought out.

Elders flipped through ancient pages with nervous expressions.

"Nothing."

One of them spoke impatiently.

"Search the older records."

"These records are already tens of thousands of years old."

"Then search them anyway!"

In another palace, an old white-haired elder was examining ancient scrolls one after another.

Suddenly, he stopped.

His eyes were fixed upon a single word.

Council.

The others gathered around him.

"Did you find something?"

The elder continued staring at the word.

Then he slowly shook his head.

"I found the name."

Someone asked:

"What about its history?"

The elder raised his head.

"There is none."

"How is that possible?"

The elder's expression became solemn.

"The strangest thing isn't that there is no history of this clan..."

He paused.

"It's that extremely ancient records indicate that some records concerning it were deliberately erased."

Silence filled the hall.

Then someone asked:

"Then who exactly is Azrael Netherval?"

The elder did not answer.

Because he had no answer.

In the Kingdom of Light, inside the main palace of the Foyd family, the family was gathered together when a strange disturbance appeared in the sky.

The conversations stopped.

Everyone raised their heads at the same time.

At first, there was nothing but strange ripples spreading through space.

Then spatial energy began gathering above the distant horizon.

Miranda approached the window.

"There's an enormous spatial disturbance."

Alex stood beside her, staring into the distance.

"It's a spatial gate."

Then his expression changed.

"No... that's not an ordinary spatial gate."

The gate continued expanding.

Then something appeared behind it.

Something enormous.

At first, no one in the hall could understand what they were looking at.

A gigantic city slowly descended through the spatial gate.

A magnificent black-and-purple city surrounded by towering walls and enormous structures.

Strange mechanisms resembling gigantic spider legs extended from beneath it and began digging into the earth.

Miranda's eyes widened.

"A city?!"

Alex stared at it in disbelief.

"A city of this size... descending through a spatial gate?"

Then the castle appeared.

It was too magnificent to be called merely a palace.

It rose at the center of the city like a black-and-purple mountain.

Its presence alone made everyone feel that it was not an ordinary structure.

One of the Foyd family members whispered:

"What kind of power is this?"

Another elder replied:

"I don't know."

Leon remained silent as he watched Abaddon.

After a moment, he said:

"It doesn't look like a city."

Alex looked toward him.

"What do you mean?"

Leon continued staring at it.

"It feels more like... a weapon."

Silence descended over the hall.

Miranda asked:

"But why is it descending here?"

One of the elders answered:

"Perhaps its owner destroyed the Rain Empire and seized its territory."

Alex's expression changed.

"The Rain Empire?"

He remembered the reports that had spread throughout the Kingdom of Light.

"Could this be the city mentioned in those reports?"

Before anyone could answer...

The world trembled.

A tremendous voice erupted from the direction of Abaddon.

It was not merely a voice.

It was like the roar of an ancient mountain shaking the heavens and seas.

"To all beings across every continent..."

Everyone froze.

But Leon's eyes suddenly widened.

The voice was familiar.

Far too familiar.

The voice continued:

"Today, I, Azrael Netherval, ruler of the Supreme Council Clan..."

Silence filled the Foyd residence.

Leon immediately turned toward his mother.

"Azrael?"

Lilian did not answer.

Her expression had completely changed.

Miranda realized it at the same moment.

"That's his voice..."

Alex stared toward the sky.

"Azrael?!"

Leon looked directly at his mother.

"Mother..."

She remained silent.

Leon asked:

"Is this the same person who saved you?"

Lilian's eyes trembled slightly.

Then she slowly nodded.

"Yes."

A heavy silence descended upon the room.

Leon looked toward Abaddon.

"Then he's alive..."

His gaze became increasingly complicated.

"And he's the owner of this power?"

Lilian answered quietly:

"It seems so."

Alex frowned.

"But the Azrael we knew wasn't this powerful."

Miranda replied:

"It seems that what we saw of him was only a tiny fraction of his true strength."

Leon continued listening.

Then Azrael's voice echoed once more.

"The Rain Empire is now a thing of the past, and its lands are under the sovereignty of the clan."

Then came another declaration:

"We do not seek recognition from anyone, nor will we bow to anyone's authority."

Leon smiled unconsciously.

"It's really him."

Then he added:

"He's changed so much."

But Lilian did not smile.

She stared toward the distant sky with eyes filled with conflicting emotions.

Fear.

Regret.

And longing.

Miranda quietly said:

"Lilian..."

Lilian did not answer.

Azrael's voice continued:

"From this day onward, the gates of Abaddon shall be open to anyone possessing talent and ambition, whether human, beast, or any other race."

Then came the final declaration.

"From this day onward, a new era shall begin."

The voice finally faded.

But its echo remained suspended in the heavens.

Leon stared at Abaddon for a long time.

Then he said:

"So... he's returned."

Lilian closed her eyes for a moment.

She whispered:

"Yes..."

Then she opened her eyes and looked toward the black-and-purple city.

"He's returned."

None of them knew that this indirect reunion between the Foyd family and Azrael would become the beginning of a chain of events that would alter the fate of the entire mortal world.

Across the Central Continent, inside an enormous hall surrounded by towering white pillars, several high-ranking members of the Celestial Council had gathered.

The atmosphere was heavy.

A recording of what had happened in the Rain Empire floated before them.

The image of Abaddon hung in the air.

A gigantic black-and-purple city.

Towering structures.

Massive walls.

Mysterious runes covering parts of its surface.

And enormous spider-like structures extending from beneath the city and burying themselves deep into the earth.

At the center stood the Sovereign Castle.

One of the council members stared at it for a long time.

Then he said:

"That's not a city."

Another replied:

"It's a fortress."

A third spoke:

"A fortress belonging to a power we know nothing about."

An elderly council member said:

"The Rain Empire possessed a considerable number of Immortals. Yet it vanished in moments."

Another member replied:

"And the most dangerous part is that the man who destroyed it behaved as though he feared no power in this world."

Someone asked:

"Should we send an army?"

The oldest elder shook his head.

"No."

Everyone looked at him.

"We will not send an army into the territory of someone whose strength we know nothing about."

He continued:

"Send covert investigation teams instead."

Someone asked:

"And what about Azrael himself?"

The elder answered:

"I want everything about him."

His eyes became cold.

"His origins. His strength. His followers. His objectives. And the source of that city."

Another member asked:

"And if we discover that he represents a threat to the Council?"

Silence filled the hall.

Finally, the elder said:

"Then we will decide whether to deal with him..."

His expression became cold.

"...or eliminate him."

Far away from the Celestial Council's headquarters, the Central Empire was experiencing a very different reaction.

Inside the magnificent imperial palace, the mysterious Empress sat alone in a vast elevated hall.

Before her floated an image of Abaddon.

She stared at the city in silence.

There was no fear in her eyes.

Only curiosity.

One of the empire's senior officials entered and bowed.

"Your Majesty, the reports have arrived."

She did not answer.

Her eyes remained fixed upon Abaddon.

Then she spoke:

"Azrael Netherval..."

The official replied:

"Yes."

"Do we have any information about him?"

The official shook his head.

"Very little. He appeared suddenly, destroyed the Rain Empire, and then announced the establishment of the Council Clan."

She asked:

"And the Celestial Council?"

The official hesitated before answering.

"They have begun their investigation as well."

A faint smile appeared on the Empress's lips.

"Of course."

Then she said coldly:

"But we have no reason to cooperate with them."

The official bowed.

"Understood."

She asked:

"Have they sent anyone toward the territory of the Rain Empire?"

"Not yet."

"Good."

The Empress rose and approached the window.

"There is only one thing I want to know."

The official raised his head.

"What is it?"

She looked toward Abaddon.

"Does Azrael Netherval represent a threat to our empire..."

She paused.

"...or will he become the first person in a very long time capable of changing the balance of power in this world?"

The official could not answer.

She said:

"Watch him."

Then she added:

"But do not interfere."

The official was surprised.

"Your Majesty?"

"I want to know what he will do when he realizes that the entire world has begun watching him."

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"As for the Celestial Council..."

She paused.

"Do not allow them to learn everything we discover."

The official bowed.

"As you command."

And so, two great powers began moving in different directions.

The Celestial Council sought to uncover the nature of the Council Clan and determine the limits of its strength, seeing it as an unknown power that might threaten its influence.

The Central Empire, meanwhile, had no intention of cooperating with the Council.

It intended to observe Azrael independently and determine whether his appearance would truly alter the balance of the world.

Neither side knew how far the Council Clan would eventually rise.

Inside Abaddon, the city had already begun changing rapidly.

The sounds of construction and organization filled its streets.

Guards were stationed at the gates.

Soldiers began organizing the various districts.

And inside the Sovereign Castle, Azrael sat in the meeting hall.

Baran, Gaya, and the kings stood before him.

One of the kings spoke:

"My Lord, Abaddon is an enormous city, but operating it will require a considerable number of personnel."

Baran nodded.

"Daria can manage the city, but at the same time she must handle its systems, facilities, and defenses."

Azrael asked:

"How many do you need?"

The kings exchanged glances.

One replied:

"We need trained troops, not merely powerful cultivators."

Another added:

"We also need officers capable of commanding units and protecting the city should any threat appear."

Baran said:

"We can send part of the army stationed in the Core Domain."

Azrael raised his eyes.

"How many?"

Baran answered:

"Ten thousand."

Azrael remained silent for a moment.

Then:

"Send them."

He continued:

"All of them must be Immortals."

Several kings raised their heads.

Azrael added:

"And their officers must be Divine Ascendants."

Baran smiled.

"As you command."

One of the kings asked:

"What about logistics?"

Azrael replied:

"Send the personnel responsible for supplies, storage, and transportation as well."

He then looked toward Gaya.

"I want Abaddon to function efficiently, not merely be a frightening city."

Gaya nodded.

"Understood."

Azrael looked around the room.

"Abaddon will become the center of the Council Clan in this world."

Then he looked at everyone.

"From this day forward, we will no longer behave like a small force afraid of the eyes of others."

He paused.

"Those who wish to come may come."

His eyes became cold.

"But let everyone understand that entering Abaddon is one thing..."

He paused.

"...standing against it is another."

It was not long before spatial gates began appearing throughout Abaddon.

Soldiers emerged one after another.

Ten thousand Immortals.

They wore uniform armor and carried specialized weapons, while Divine Ascendants led them.

They stood in organized formations before the city.

Their faces showed no anxiety.

They were soldiers trained by the Council Clan within the Core Domain.

One of the officers stepped forward.

"From this day onward, Abaddon is under our protection."

The army then began spreading throughout the city.

Guards at the gates.

Security units throughout the streets.

Forces protecting important facilities.

And others monitoring the surrounding region.

Daria, the Will of the Council Domain, coordinated everything.

The city transformed before everyone's eyes.

It was no longer merely a mysterious city that had descended from the heavens.

It had begun becoming a true capital.

After the forces had settled in, the first official announcement from Abaddon was issued.

Words appeared in the sky above the city:

"The Supreme Council Clan hereby announces the opening of Abaddon's gates."

Then another line appeared:

"Recruitment is open to all races."

Humans.

Beasts.

Demi-humans.

Strange races.

Lone cultivators.

Clan descendants.

Sect disciples.

Anyone possessing talent and ambition could now apply.

Crowds began arriving.

Some came because of ambition.

Others out of curiosity.

Some sought protection.

And others simply understood one undeniable truth:

The old era had ended.

At the highest point of the Sovereign Castle, Azrael stood before an enormous window.

He looked down upon the city that was gradually filling with countless beings.

Baran entered and bowed.

"Recruitment has begun."

Azrael asked:

"How many applicants?"

"Tens of thousands already."

Azrael remained silent.

Then a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Good."

He looked toward Abaddon.

The banners of the Council Clan fluttered above the towers.

The black-and-purple city gleamed beneath the sunlight, while the Sovereign Castle stood at its center like the heart of an ancient beast that had awakened after an endless slumber.

Azrael said:

"Let us see, then..."

His voice was calm.

"Who is worthy of carrying the banner of the Council."

Meanwhile...

The entire world was watching Abaddon.

The Celestial Council watched it.

The Central Empire watched it.

Ancient clans searched through their records.

Great sects sent their spies.

And Azrael...

He did not yet know that his appearance had not merely altered the balance of power in the mortal world.

It had also awakened ancient secrets that the world had forgotten long ago.

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