"Nuwa." Matthias greeted the guide that was known by all to be dead with a hint of cold indifference.
"M-Matthias, or should I say, Master Matthias." Nuwa greeted with a sigh, "Thank you for granting my request." She stated before bowing deeply.
"Although you said your request was to protect the galaxy, I still see it as cowardice." Matthias replied with an indifferent tone. Remembering what she requested before, he still deemed it as an act of desertion.
Years back, months after the battle, on the Creation Platform.
"Matthias, once the galaxy is in peril, I want to die and merge with the galaxy's primal core." Nuwa requested with a serious tone whilst facing Matthias.
"Why?" Matthias asked. "Because.." Nuwa noticeably fidgeted as she replied, "I-I need so. It is for the galaxy's survival."
Matthias' eyebrow lifted, and he sighed internally, "Okay." Immediately, Nuwa lightened up as she repeatedly thanked him.
Back to the present.
Matthias and Nuwa floated in space as they stared at each other. A while later, Nuwa sighed, "You will understand me when the time comes. I took advantage of the battle and pretended to die to merge with the galaxy to protect it from the future and not because I am a coward."
"I would have no reason to believe that until the future happens. Just do what you want to do and do not harm my dominion." Matthias uttered coldly before vanishing, returning to the Immortal Territories.
Nuwa, who was left hanging alone, just looked at the far distance and sighed before returning to the galaxy's primal core.
The Immortal Territories..
When Matthias reappeared in the Imperial Palace exactly in the position where he stood before traveling to Matheon, he was startled to see that it was already daytime. His eyes narrowed as he thought, "The time difference has changed? What happened? It should've been still in the middle of the night."
Unfortunately, his musing had to be halted when Sigien Brunhilde called him from behind, "Your Majesty, you were here? We were looking for you!"
"Hm? Why?" He asked. "Something urgent has come up. Her Imperial Majesty, The Consorts, Lady Xianping, The Imperial Descendants, The Pillars, and General Gongsun Pei have already gathered inside the Throne Hall. You are urgently needed." Sigien answered with a bit of urgency in his voice.
Matthias went solemn, considering that Sigien is one of the calmest beings under him before Cane. His urgency would mean that something serious had happened while he was gone.
With such, Matthias wouldn't even run to go there. He immediately waved his hand and transported the two of them into the Throne Hall.
As soon as they appeared inside, Matthias immediately noticed the solemness of the atmosphere. He narrowed his eyes as he strode to the Imperial Throne. "Speak." He ordered.
"Your Majesty.." Cane was the first one to speak, "We have received news from the outside. The Alliance of Nations have mobilized their forces en route to Divine Heaven. In our estimation, they will arrive here two weeks from now."
Matthias' eyebrow rose, and he scoffed, "Have they forgotten my feat of slaughtering creators in my wake? Have they no fear?"
"Divine Heaven has been silent for a century and has never touched any of them or their businesses, and now they have the audacity to send armies marching to my doorsteps?" He sneered.
He then stood up and declared, "If they want the slumbering dragon to awaken, then they shall feel its wrath." As he said that, he unconsciously exuded a strong aura of a ruler, looking down on his people below.
Everyone felt it, and they couldn't resist the urge to kneel down. "Alexander, Han Zhuang, Wang Zhong." Matthias called out.
"Yes." The two moved forward, still kneeling down. "Each of you shall lead the Divine Heaven Army and move to conquer all the domains that declared war against us." He commanded.
"Your Majesty?!" They all exclaimed. Such a grand endeavour would require a similarly grand array of manpower. It would definitely alert the entire continent, and the other sects might also join forces with the foreign kingdoms to eliminate Divine Heaven.
"What? Are you questioning our empire's ability?" Matthias laughed sinisterly, "They are challenging our empire, so we shouldn't just stand idly by and show them what we can do." He stated as a matter of fact.
"Then what about the invading army?" Cane asked. "They aren't a problem." Matthias answered.
"The Divine Heaven Royal Guard, The Hidden Dragon Sect, and the rest of Divine Heaven's men would be enough to handle their army. I wouldn't even need to move personally." He snickered. "Also, considering our alliance with the Glorious Undefeatable Emperor Han Shiwu and The Immortal Tian, they wouldn't even be able to enter the border of our Empire."
"Are there other problems that we are facing?" Matthias asked the people gathered. In response, Cane nodded. "What is it?" Matthias asked.
"A creator from the east has also expressed hostility towards us. He seemed to be at the level of a Universal God in the outside world." Cane replied. Hearing that, Matthias narrowed his eyes.
Even though he doesn't categorize himself using the lowly ranks anymore, he still knows that he could still be considered a Universal God himself. Knowing that he would face an enemy that is equal to his powers, he became solemn.
"If that's the case, I will handle it once the problem arrives. I can't just let it be stuck in my mind and hinder my path, can I?" Matthias smiled confidently.
Seeing his confidence, they all leaned on the hope that their Emperor could successfully defeat or at least defend against such an enemy.
"Now that we're already gathered here, you can address other matters of concern to me so that we can talk about it now." Matthias finally sat down and straightened himself up, retracting his indomitable aura.
All of them heaved a sigh of relief with the suffocating and glorious aura that had finally vanished. After catching their breaths, one by one, they finally addressed some of their concerns.
As he listened, he discovered that even though the empire is already at peace and the leadership is stable, corruption still happens in some areas. Matthias sighed, "Unfortunately, we cannot fully extinguish such a trait, considering that we are humans with desire."
He then curled his lips up eerily as he uttered, "But although we can't extinguish it, it doesn't mean that we will let them slide." He then turned to his side and commanded, "Investigate the actions of our officials from all levels, and if they're showing any signs of corruption, apprehend them pronto."
From the shadow that the throne was casting on the ground, an indifferent voice answered, "As you wish, Your Majesty." After that, the large shadow of the throne seemed to lighten, as if some part of it left.
After that, other concerns regarding budget, management, agriculture, army, and education were shared with the Imperial Family and the officials inside the hall. At the same time, Matthias didn't feel the need to be the one to answer, considering that his descendants already had enough knowledge to supplement the problems.
While they were discussing their affairs, an interruption came as a knock sounded at the door. "Your Majesty, this is General Yang." A muffled voice of a man called out from outside the room.
"Come in." Matthias approved and signaled the two royal guards who were guarding the entrance.
The royal guards immediately turned and walked to the door and opened it with their free hand. A golden armored man walked inside and knelt towards the throne, "I greet the Divine Emperor. I greet the Divine Empress, The Lady, and The Consorts. I greet the Imperial Descendants and the Pillar Lords." The man addressed deferentially.
"What made you come here, Royal Guard General Yang?" Matthias asked with a smile on his face. Although it isn't really that advisable, Matthias wanted to look approachable yet dignified for his subjects because he knows that an unapproachable and negatively feared monarch would not succeed as a ruler and would definitely be called a dictator or a tyrant. As an Emperor of the Divine Title, he doesn't want to be remembered as such.
And, as expected, when General Yang saw Matthias' smile, he immediately became at ease and at the same time reverent as he felt his Emperor's royal aura. "Your Majesty, the Legendary Challenger has reached our domain and is challenging the Number One genius of Hidden Dragon Sect. He is waiting outside of the Imperial City." General Yang stated, which made Matthias' eyebrows rise.
"There is a lot going on this day, huh?" He chuckled.
Outside, news of the Legendary Challenger has reached the entire empire as the citizens silently watched what would happen if the Hidden Dragon Sect's number one genius would face against the Legendary Challenger who went against geniuses of the entire continent in the last century.
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