The One King

The war had not begun in the Central Continent alone.

Not long after Azrael's declaration, enormous spatial gates began appearing throughout the mortal world, one after another, as though the heavens themselves had been transformed into gateways leading to a catastrophe no one could stop.

In the Western Continent, space tore apart above a vast plain.

WOOOOOOOOOM!

A gigantic gate appeared, its edges black while its center radiated brilliant light. Vortices of energy swirled around it, causing the very air to tremble.

Then the first knight emerged.

He wore magnificent white-and-gold sacred armor, and in his hand was a long spear radiating an imposing aura.

Then another knight emerged.

Then dozens.

Hundreds.

Thousands.

Until the eye could no longer count them.

Hundreds of thousands of sacred knights poured out of the gate and arranged themselves into precise military formations, while the banners of the Council Clan fluttered above their heads.

At the forefront of the army stood several generals.

Their auras were heavy.

Terrifying.

Every one of them had reached the Divine Ascension Realm—the highest level permitted by the Will of Banjaya to beings existing within the mortal human world.

The army remained silent.

No shouting.

No whispers.

Only endless ranks of knights waiting for a single command.

Then a voice emerged from within the gate.

It was the voice of a noble man—calm, majestic, and carrying such a sacred quality that even the wind seemed to stop and listen.

"This is the first time the clan has moved in a very long time. Therefore, make certain that you carry out the will of the Ruler and subjugate every creature upon this continent."

Hundreds of thousands of knights raised their weapons simultaneously.

CLAAAANG!

The sound of metal echoed across the plains.

Then the entire army erupted in a single roar:

"GLORY TO THE SUPREME!"

"GLORY TO THE COUNCIL!"

The heavens trembled beneath their cries.

And the army began to march.

The footsteps of hundreds of thousands of knights moved in perfect synchronization, making it seem as though some enormous beast had begun crawling across the Western Continent.

In the Northern Continent...

Another gate appeared.

Then an army of beasts emerged from it.

Seven hundred thousand beasts.

Some were at the lower stages of cultivation, while others possessed terrifying strength capable of tearing entire cities apart.

Once the army had completely emerged, it did not stop.

It began moving toward the strongest force in the Northern Continent.

The Barbarian Tribe.

The tribe did not yet know that an army of such magnitude had begun advancing toward it.

But it would soon find out.

In the Southern Continent, another gate opened above a barren land.

An enormous army of soldiers and beasts emerged.

Lightning coiled around their bodies.

Storm winds screamed between their ranks.

Every step they took caused the clouds to shift.

Whenever the beasts moved, bolts of lightning descended from the heavens.

Their destination was clear.

The Bandit Stronghold.

The strongest force in the Southern Continent.

As for the Eastern Continent...

It was colder.

Above one of its largest islands, a massive spatial gate appeared.

From within it emerged an army wearing armor made of ice.

Their expressions were devoid of emotion.

Cold eyes.

Frozen faces.

Their breath turned into white mist.

Then they began moving from island to island, using organized military means of transportation, heading toward their target:

The Three Sea Clans.

And so...

Within a short period of time, there was no continent that could claim to be far from the war.

Everywhere...

Armies were marching.

Everywhere...

Gates were opening.

And everywhere...

People were staring at the heavens and asking the same question:

Who was Azrael Netherval?

And how had a single person managed to make the entire world move?

In the southern region of the Central Continent...

The Kingdom of Light was experiencing its darkest days.

News of the war reached the royal capital like wildfire.

They said armies had emerged from mysterious gates.

They said entire kingdoms had already fallen.

And they said half a million stone golems were advancing toward the Kingdom of Light.

This was no longer distant news.

The army was already coming.

Therefore, the royal Verdant Family summoned all four ducal families to the capital, along with their forces and armies.

The Foyd Family was among them.

Inside the Foyd Family residence...

The family gathered around a large table.

But no one felt as though they were simply gathered as a family.

The place resembled a funeral hall.

No one touched the food.

No one drank.

And no one dared to raise their voice.

Their faces were pale, and anxiety weighed heavily upon their chests.

Valer sat at the head of the table.

Alex sat to his right.

Selina was nearby.

Lunaria sat in silence, her eyes lost in deep thought.

Miranda stared at the floor, while Lilian sat motionless, as though she could no longer hear what was happening around her.

Valer finally spoke.

"So... what do we do?"

He looked at his family.

"Do we resist the army of the Council Clan?"

Silence.

Then he continued:

"Or do we surrender and accept slavery?"

His words echoed throughout the hall.

Alex lowered his head.

After several moments, he spoke hesitantly.

"Perhaps... we can negotiate with them."

Lunaria raised her eyes toward him.

There was no anger in her gaze.

Something far worse.

Disappointment.

"Negotiate with the one who declared war upon the entire world?"

Alex became uneasy.

She continued:

"With a man who declared before the entire world that he would crush the mountains, vaporize the seas, and make the heavens and earth weep blood?"

She placed her hand on the table.

"Alex..."

Then she spoke slowly.

"Someone like that understands only the language of strength and blood."

Silence descended.

Selina's face turned pale.

Azrael's words were still trapped within her memory.

That voice...

That hatred...

That resentment he had not even attempted to conceal.

She finally spoke in a trembling voice.

"Why?"

Everyone looked at her.

She continued:

"Why is Azrael doing all of this?"

Her lips trembled.

"What did the world do to him for him to hate it this much?"

No one answered.

Then Lunaria raised her head.

"Perhaps... I know."

The entire family turned toward her.

"When I was in the library of the Heavenly Council years ago, I read some ancient texts."

Her expression changed.

"They spoke of what happened after the Enlightened One foretold the prophecy of the Lord of Darkness."

The moment Lilian heard those words, she froze.

Even Miranda suddenly raised her head.

Lilian spoke.

"Lunaria..."

Her voice was weak.

"What did you read?"

Lunaria looked at her.

Then she said:

"After the prophecy, the Council mobilized its forces to search for the child of the prophecy."

Lilian's fingers trembled.

"After some time... they found him."

Silence.

"He was an infant."

Lilian closed her eyes.

Lunaria continued:

"The Council established a great formation to exile him to a barren world—a world without energy—with divine assistance."

Alex asked:

"An infant?"

Lunaria nodded.

"Yes."

Her voice grew darker.

"But while the formation was being activated..."

She paused.

"One of the participants used a forbidden technique."

Valer raised an eyebrow.

"A forbidden technique?"

She replied:

"Its purpose was to extract the child's innate divinity."

Miranda gasped.

Lunaria continued:

"But the technique failed."

She paused.

"There was an error."

Then she said:

"The child's soul was shattered into pieces."

No one moved.

For a moment, even the sound of breathing seemed to disappear.

"Then the fragments of his soul drifted into the void."

Alex stared at Lunaria with a pale face.

"That..."

He could not finish the sentence.

Selina whispered:

"His soul was shattered..."

She looked at the others.

"Then how... how could anyone survive something like that?"

Valer spoke in a heavy voice.

"He didn't survive in order to live a normal life."

He looked toward the table.

"He survived to return."

Then he raised his eyes.

"And to hold those responsible accountable."

Lilian froze.

Valer continued:

"He is taking revenge upon the Council."

Then he added:

"And it seems he has decided to make the entire world pay the price."

Lilian could no longer remain seated.

She fell to her knees.

"Mother!"

Valer rushed toward her.

Selina, Miranda, and Lunaria hurried to help her.

Tears streamed endlessly down Lilian's face.

She spoke in a broken voice:

"No..."

Then she covered her face with both hands.

"No..."

Her body began trembling.

"My son..."

Everyone froze.

Alex did not understand.

But Lunaria stared at Lilian in shock.

"Mother...?"

Lilian raised her tear-filled eyes.

She was about to speak.

She was about to tell them everything.

About her past.

About Victor.

About Azrael.

And about the truth she had hidden for all those years.

But at that moment—

DOOOOOOOOOOM!

The sound of a massive war horn erupted over the capital.

Everyone froze.

Then the hall doors were violently thrown open.

A soldier rushed inside, gasping for breath.

His face was as pale as death.

"The golem army..."

He struggled to breathe.

"They've appeared on the horizon!"

Valer stood.

"How many?"

The soldier looked at him.

The fear in his eyes was greater than any answer.

He swallowed.

"So many..."

Then he whispered:

"Far too many."

Moments later...

The Foyd Family stood atop one of the capital's defensive towers.

What they saw stole the words from their mouths.

The horizon was moving.

No...

It wasn't the horizon.

It was an army.

Half a million golems.

Hundreds of thousands of bodies made of stone.

Some were the size of ordinary humans.

Others ranged between ten and twenty meters in height.

And the giants...

Some exceeded fifty meters.

They moved in perfectly organized formations.

THUD...

THUD...

THUD...

Every step shook the earth.

Dust fell from the towers of the capital.

The horses became restless.

Some soldiers began retreating without even realizing it.

One soldier whispered:

"My God..."

Another said:

"They never end."

A third stared at the approaching army.

"How can the Kingdom of Light possibly withstand this?"

On the walls, civilians had gathered behind the soldiers.

Women clutched their children.

Elders trembled.

Warriors gripped their weapons with sweaty hands.

A child looked up.

"Mother... are they evil?"

His mother embraced him tightly.

"Don't look at them."

But he did.

And the fear in his eyes was enough to make her silently cry.

As for the Foyd Family...

They watched the army without saying a word.

Alex finally spoke.

"They're getting close..."

Miranda asked:

"How far are they?"

Valer replied:

"Closer than I would have liked."

Suddenly...

The entire horde stopped.

THUD.

Then silence.

Half a million golems stopped simultaneously.

Not one moved.

Not one raised a weapon.

Then an enormous golem emerged from among the ranks.

It stood approximately fifty meters tall.

Its body was covered in armor unlike that of the others.

A Divine Ascension aura surrounded it.

The soldiers' faces changed.

One whispered:

"A Divine Ascendant..."

Then he swallowed.

"That's a general."

The golem advanced slowly.

Every step struck the capital like a hammer against its heart.

THUD...

THUD...

Until it reached the front of the army.

It raised its head.

Then its voice thundered across the entire capital:

"To the people of the Kingdom of Light..."

Windows trembled.

Markets fell silent.

People stopped in the streets.

Everyone listened.

The general continued:

"We have entered this world carrying the will of the Supreme Entity."

The nobles and soldiers exchanged glances.

"The Supreme Entity?"

"Who does he mean?"

The general continued:

"Every creature beneath these heavens has a choice."

His voice grew heavier.

"Either submit to us and accept eternal servitude, thereby entering beneath the protection of the Council and prospering..."

He paused.

"Or refuse to submit, and we shall crush you into the earth until nothing remains but dust, and then your very existence shall be extinguished."

Whispers spread among the civilians.

"Slavery..."

"They intend to subjugate the kingdom."

"Can the royal army stop them?"

"Look at their numbers!"

Then one of the nobles stepped forward on the wall.

His face was pale, but he tried to maintain his composure.

He shouted:

"Who is this Supreme Entity?!"

He continued:

"And what has the Kingdom of Light done to him for him to send an army to invade us?!"

Silence.

The enormous golem raised its head.

And for the first time...

There was something different in its voice.

Reverence.

As though he had not been asked about an ordinary person.

But about a god.

"You ask... who the Supreme Entity is?"

His aura began to rise.

"The Supreme Entity..."

The soldiers held their breath.

"Is the greatest existence beneath the heavens."

A gasp escaped from the crowd.

Then the general continued, his voice filled with devotion and fanaticism:

"He is the ruler of the Supreme Council Clan..."

He paused.

Then spoke the name:

"Azrael Netherval."

Silence.

It was not ordinary silence.

It was the silence of an entire capital suddenly losing the ability to breathe.

One soldier muttered:

"Azrael..."

Another whispered:

"He's the Lord of Darkness..."

At the edge of the wall...

Lilian did not move.

She stared at the general.

Her face was pale.

Her eyes were wide.

Then she heard the words again inside her mind:

"The ruler of the Supreme Council Clan... Azrael Netherval."

She placed a hand against her chest.

Her heart ached.

She whispered so softly that barely anyone beside her could hear:

"My son..."

Selina looked at her.

Then she noticed the tears beginning to stream down Lilian's face once again.

As for Alex, he stared at the golem army.

Then he whispered:

"All of this..."

He paused.

"All of this army came at his command?"

Lunaria replied:

"Not only the golem army."

He looked at her.

She continued:

"The armies that emerged across the other continents..."

Then she stared toward the horizon.

"They are all moving according to his will."

Miranda covered her mouth with her hand.

She was struggling to comprehend the truth.

The man whom the world had called the Lord of Darkness...

Was no longer merely an enemy.

He had become the leader of a force capable of threatening the entire world.

The golem general raised his arm.

Behind him...

Half a million golems began moving at the same time.

THUD!

The earth shook.

THUD!

The capital walls trembled.

THUD!

Several soldiers instinctively took a step backward.

Then the general spoke, his voice falling upon the capital like a death sentence:

"You have heard the will of the Supreme Entity."

He paused.

"Choose."

Behind him...

Half a million golems waited.

Before them...

The Kingdom of Light was desperately attempting to comprehend the scale of the catastrophe that had arrived at its gates.

As for Lilian...

She no longer saw the army.

She no longer saw the walls.

She no longer heard the cries of the people.

She saw only a small child...

A child who had been abandoned to a fate he never deserved.

A child whose soul had been shattered.

A child who had returned after countless years...

Only to become the very existence whose name caused entire continents to tremble.

Lilian closed her eyes, and another tear fell onto the cold stone wall.

She whispered:

"What did they do to you, Azrael...?"

No one had an answer.

But half a million golems already stood before the capital.

And war was knocking upon the gates of the Kingdom of Light.

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