"Go, search everywhere!" Mamdar ordered, kicking off the hunt for Kakarotto.
Panic spread among the people as they wondered what would happen next. Even though the siege of the imperial palace had succeeded, the new king had been taken by someone.
The coalition armies definitely didn’t like this situation. As long as Kakarotto was alive, peace would be a distant dream. He was a problem that needed solving.
It didn’t matter who ended up taking the throne; while Kakarotto was alive, his position would always be questioned, reduced to that of a mere usurper. Plus, that kid could even become the key piece in someone else’s game. There was a risk that someone might use his name to fight and seize control in the same way.
***
Alm and Bruno were ready to unleash all their power, but someone else saved him in the blink of an eye.
When the light returned, the scene was totally different. What Kakarotto saw was no longer the palace, but the top of a lonely peak, with clouds floating beneath his feet. His clothes fluttered in the wind.
Beside him stood his savior. "Lord of the Wind? Why did you save me? I was hoping for a fun show," Kakarotto said, clearly frustrated.
He was one of the eight ancients from the supreme clans, an Ancestral Devil known as Lord of the Wind from the Galefury Clan.
The Lord of the Wind glared at Kakarotto with a hint of anger; the kid was still acting like a king, showing no respect or gratitude.
People called him Lord of the Wind because he seemed omnipresent. While it was an exaggerated title, he dominated a new law, close to the law of winds.
"Kid, be more respectful. You’d be a dead man right now if it weren’t for me," he said dryly.
’Son of a bitch! I was looking forward to seeing some blood!’ Alm roared mentally.
Bruno sighed and commented, "Only you would save me; after all, having a puppet king is enough to control the world."
"You’re not dumb, kid." The old man was surprised and looked at the young one again. He had thought Kakarotto was just a useless son, but now he saw a different side.
"Hmph. Unfortunately, I don’t have that intention. I saved you only out of consideration for the late king!" the old man replied, huffing.
Unlike the other elders, the Lord of the Wind was close to Vulke. That’s why he decided to save Kakarotto, even though he was almost certain he wasn’t his son. But if there was even a tiny chance, he preferred to risk bringing chaos to his clan.
He sighed heavily, reconsidering his actions... now, a war was approaching his clan, and trouble would be right around the corner.
The old man looked at the young one, remembering Vulke. That man was grand and invincible, while his son seemed to be anything but that.
"What’s the level of the technique you’re learning?" the old man asked dryly.
"The thirteenth level. I’m a supreme master, and the cultivation is super easy," Kakarotto replied casually.
The Lord of the Wind nearly vomited blood from such blatant bragging. That kid was clearly the weakest there could be, not much different from newly admitted cultivators.
"There’s no thirteenth level!" he roared, furious.
"Oh, so it’s the third level. The thirteenth level sounds way cooler and fits my style better," Bruno shrugged.
The old man shot him a furious look, trying to calm down. Aggressive, arrogant, and ignorant—what an unbearable kid.
"What, you doubting? I mastered seven of the nine of the Empire Nine Secrets," Bruno said nonchalantly.
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The old man smirked ironically: "Seven of nine? How ridiculous. King Vulke was the most powerful in the world and only mastered two of them. All eight clans have only one complete, and even then, they’re considered supreme."
The cultivators of the Empire Nine Secrets cultivate the nine laws, altering them in specific ways; it was a different method from other empires. The laws created used the existing nine elements, but each cultivator altered them a bit according to their talents. In the end, it became something new, but the base remained the same.
They are called the nine sacred words: Elwater, Elwind, Elearth, Ellightning, Elfire, Eltime, Elspace, Elyin, Elyang.
The whole empire was built on these sacred words; they acted as a foundation. However, no race or clan possessed all nine. Just fully mastering one was already an impressive feat.
That’s why the Lord of the Wind didn’t expect someone as weak as Kakarotto to even be able to read one of the words. In fact, he couldn’t even look at them, let alone cultivate them.
"Where were you staying before this?" the old man asked coldly.
"I fell from the sky." Kakarotto pointed up. "Haven’t you ever heard of the favorite of the heavens? I’m that kind of person, so I was naturally hanging out up there. Otherwise, why would I suddenly become a king? The phrase ’chosen by the heavens’ is meant to describe me."
"Stop messing around, you bastard!" the Lord of the Wind roared, barely holding himself back from giving that guy a good kick.
Bruno smiled, "But it’s true! One day, I accidentally fell and bam, there I was in the royal army camp. The King saw me and instantly knew I was the chosen one, so he immediately made me the prince heir and handed over the kingdom."
The old man clenched his fist so tightly that blood almost trickled out. He was doing his best not to slap that clueless punk. No one would believe that nonsense. Little did he know Bruno was actually telling almost the truth... He wasn’t even exaggerating that much.
Bruno almost burst out laughing but held it back, took a deep breath, and looked at the old man seriously. The atmosphere fell completely silent.
"Don’t get upset over little things," he said calmly. "I didn’t put on that whole show for nothing. If the empire falls, but I rise up and sweep through the world, creating a new order beloved by all... how does that compare to the old king?"
The old man, despite all his experience, was surprised by the insane boldness of that idea. After a moment, the Lord of the Wind looked at him and asked, "Have you lost your mind?"
"Maybe..." Bruno replied with a sarcastic smile.
"I was just passing through, and when I fell from the sky, they threw me into this game. Now I’m playing and doing things as fast as possible; a young guy would never be accepted as king without a long war. This is the only way to avoid a lot of unnecessary deaths. But you’ve frustrated me a bit... I still find it interesting, but if I get bored, I’ll break the game."
At that moment, the Lord of the Wind noticed a similarity between Kakarotto and Vulke, not in looks, but in attitude. Both were completely nuts.
"I’m afraid that’s delusion, unless you’re stronger than the late king," the Lord of the Wind replied lightly.
"Is it?" Bruno said casually.
The old man pondered, surprised by the young guy’s cleverness, and began to wonder if Kakarotto was really useless or just putting on a show. His appointment had always been strange, and with more interaction, the Lord of the Wind started to suspect that this punk wasn’t as dumb as he seemed, just crazier.
"Alright, come with me to my clan," the old man finally said.
Kakarotto nodded, and Bruno murmured, "Hmm, from what I’ve heard, your clan has a great library, right?"
"What do you want?" The old man’s gaze narrowed, his voice cold.
"I just want to see your ancient scrolls — only the fun and historical ones. It might be worth the trip," Bruno replied casually.
The Lord of the Wind asked, "What are you looking for?"
"Nothing in particular. Just expanding my knowledge. Don’t you know that knowledge is power? Your clan thrived on espionage and selling information," Bruno said with a grin.
The Lord of the Wind nodded, agreeing. "If you need information, I can help."
The Galefury Clan started as an intelligence guild, but over time, its disciples focused more on power and cultivation, leaving the mysteries of the past behind. Still, this clan had more ancient knowledge than the royal palace itself.
"Let’s go," the Lord of the Wind said, grabbing Kakarotto before disappearing into thin air.
When they emerged again, clouds still surrounded them, but now there were mountains and hills making up the landscape. The Lord of the Wind and his clan specialized in the law of wind, called Elwind. He wasn’t just unbelievably fast, but could also vanish from the sight of cultivators of the same level.
The Galefury Clan’s house was a mystery. People knew it was located near the imperial city, but no one knew exactly where.
The scene was filled with clouds as far as the eye could see. At the end of this cloudy sea, mountains and hills appeared like islands. At the top of one of those mountains, a spatial distortion hid the entrance to the clan.
The place was as big as a city. Kakarotto was taken directly to a specific spot.
"I’ll send a disciple to guide you. There’s one who’s as strange as you," the old man said before disappearing.
Alm and Bruno stood in front of a stone building with a carved wooden sign that read "Secret Archives." This was the largest and most secret collection of the clan, containing ancestral books, mysterious tales, and much more.
Strangers typically weren’t allowed inside, not even the disciples, without the ancestors’ permission.
The building looked small from the outside, but upon entering, it revealed itself to be immense. The smell of aged paper filled the air, indicating the huge number of books stored there.
The collection was vast, comparable to the stars in the sky. Towering shelves filled the space, crammed with books that contained intelligence and information accumulated over the years by the clan’s disciples.
Only a few seconds passed before Kakarotto turned toward the entrance, sensing someone’s arrival.
It was a skinny Ancestral Devil with a pair of wings, and his eyes reflected a subtle yellowish hue. "I was sent by the leader to... to…"
He started to speak but stopped midway, his eyes widening. Alm and Bruno were confused by his reaction. Until he murmured, tense:
"M-Master... is that you?"