"I thought King Vulke had passed away..." some whispered, perplexed.
The three empires were aware of his supposed death, but there he was, alive, without any sign of illness!
The onlookers exchanged incredulous glances. Rumors of his death due to depleted vitality had been circulating for a long time, and everyone knew he could die at any moment. Nobody was surprised when they heard his life had come to an end, as it was already a miracle he had lived for three generations.
"King Vulke is quite cunning. I saw him before, and his vitality was truly drained. He looked weak. What an act he pulled off," commented an elderly alchemist, speaking openly without fear of reprisal.
The king had asked for any alchemist from the three empires to help him with a longevity pill. Many famous ones were summoned, examined his pulse, and confirmed that his life was hanging by a thread, from every perspective.
It was now clear that it had all been a huge farce, and Mermeon was his accomplice.
"King Vulke even passed the throne to Kakarotto. Some even said he was his illegitimate son... So, why is this happening now?" a cultivator murmured, puzzled.
No one could understand the complex relationship between them. Vulke named Kakarotto as heir before his supposed death, and Mermeon assisted during the coronation. Now, Vulke was back, and Kakarotto seemed to want to kill him? People exchanged confused looks, completely baffled.
"Fools. I didn’t care while you both kept your schemes away from me. But now you’ve decided to steal what’s mine? How brave of you." Kakarotto’s voice, laced with a vile killing intent, made the air around them heavy.
"No plan is perfect," Vulke laughed in response. "The only mistake was underestimating your power level. If not for that, it would have been flawless."
All the cultivators present held their breath. The former king had manipulated everything and everyone like pieces in a chess game, causing chaos and bloodshed. But why? No one knew for sure. Now, they realized they were mere pawns in his game, and fear gripped them all.
Vulke ruled for three generations, keeping the empire stable and safe. But after his fake death, everything changed. Six of the eight great powers of the empire lost their leaders, and thousands of powerful cultivators died as a result.
"Since you’ve made your move, I’ll just have to kill a bit more. Fine, I hope you both can entertain me," Kakarotto said, unmoved.
"Go!" Mermeon signaled for Vulke to flee while trying to escape with the golden box.
They knew facing Kakarotto was suicide. Even though they were stronger than the six elders before them, they couldn’t kill them as easily as he did. Fighting directly wasn’t an option. The only way out was to run.
"Protect the king!" An explosion echoed. Suddenly, the space around them distorted, and the royal army appeared on the scene.
This was the most powerful army of the three empires. Now, the spectators understood why they had abandoned the imperial city – they had been by King Vulke’s side all along.
Another army was also approaching. Everyone quickly recognized the ranks of cultivators from various races. They belonged to the Sacred Guardians sect.
"So that’s it... It’s not that King Vulke feared facing them. They were his servants the whole time and only pretended to avoid opposing them to intimidate others," someone murmured quickly.
But why did he need to scare people? Was it to protect that golden box from being stolen? Everyone pondered.
The two armies formed an impenetrable barrier, blocking the view of Vulke and giving him the chance to escape.
At that moment, Kakarotto stood up from his throne. His mere presence made everyone feel as if they were facing certain death. Having the numerical advantage meant nothing when fighting someone of his level.
Suddenly, Kakarotto vanished and then reappeared in front of the barrier.
"Kill him!" the soldiers shouted fervently.
Multicolored lights flared around them. For a moment, the world seemed covered in glowing stars.
These were the laws created by the soldiers. However, some cultivators narrowed their eyes, recognizing something.
"Those laws... That’s from the Empire of Natural Harmony!" someone who had once ventured into that empire said, alarmed.
"Yeah! I’ve seen those others before! They’re from the Empire of New Order!" another shouted.
The tsunami of power resulting from the laws flew straight towards Kakarotto, as if it could pierce the world. It looked like a devastating blow... but it was useless. A protective multicolored aura appeared around Kakarotto, and all that power was dissipated like a gentle breeze.
"They’re... the techniques and laws of the three empires... Why does the royal army have them?" the onlookers murmured, confused and tense.
But soon after, they sighed in relief. It was an unfair battle. Kakarotto could clearly wipe out that army with ease, as if he were just playing.
"The royal army will cease to exist after today," a cultivator commented with certainty.
"Formation!" the captains roared.
Lightning of all colors shot up into the sky, merging and taking on a golden hue. It looked like a sharp blade capable of cutting through space itself.
A bright golden light, as sharp as a razor, stabilized in the sky. Everyone broke into a cold sweat. The combined power of the three empires could wipe out most clans before they even had a chance to react.
"Is that the Imperial Blade?!" a cultivator murmured.
Everyone had heard of it. During King Vulke’s conquests, the army used this move to obliterate enemies. But... no one who had seen it in action ever returned alive to tell the truth about it.
"Death!"
The royal army and the cultivators of that sect roared in unison. There was no turning back after this blow—it was kill or be killed. The golden blade in the sky descended toward Kakarotto.
But he didn’t bother dodging. He simply raised his hand. Everyone could see two tattoos pulsing on his fists. He activated his 120 laws simultaneously.
*CLANG!*
The whole planet shook, but the golden blade was completely immobilized, suppressed. The strike didn’t even scratch Kakarotto.
He smiled grimly and turned his palm up. Everyone watched as the invincible golden blade shattered into particles of law.
"Ahhh!" Miserable screams echoed. Over ten thousand members of the royal army were turned into blood mist with a single wave of black power. A young Ancestral Devil flapped his wings above them with a cold gaze.
"NO!" Nearby, a purple mist and spatial blades enveloped the sect members, who were torn into tiny pieces in seconds. A purple lotus spun slowly above them.
That overwhelming power, the invincible army, and the feared sect... they all seemed like mere insects and were easily defeated. Kakarotto didn’t even need to attack directly; his servants finished everything in his place.
"Die!" A flash of light shone before the war cry.
Inches from Kakarotto’s throat, the strike of a sword came rushing in incredibly fast, far beyond what anyone could imagine. Besides its speed, it carried precision, force, and a sharpness that could penetrate any defense.
*Clang!*
However, time seemed to stop as the tip of the sword was caught between two fingers of Kakarotto before it could hit him.
The attacker was Mermeon. Unable to watch the annihilation without acting, he lunged into battle. Kakarotto smiled sarcastically, shook his fingers, and broke the blade of the sword.
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Mermeon’s eyes widened. In a final act of desperation, he tried to retreat instantly, but it was too late.
*Whoosh!*
Blood gushed as Kakarotto casually threw the broken blade, hitting Mermeon in the back despite all his efforts to escape. The blade pierced him and pinned him to the ground.
"Mermeon!" Vulke’s expression soured as he shouted.
"Run!" he roared for Vulke to flee.
"Stop right there!" Vulke ignored the advice and turned to quickly activate a series of inscriptions.
"You see the world as a chessboard, but to me, you’re just an ant. Come on... where’s your power? I’m getting bored, and I won’t give you another chance." Kakarotto looked at him coldly as he spoke.
Alm and Bruno usually didn’t give the enemy time to act, but they felt there were many hidden things. Maelik knew a lot, but his knowledge was limited; after all, he had always been just a powerful cultivator, not someone of the stature of a King.
They needed to take the risk and let Vulke show all his cards, or they would be surprised later, putting themselves in danger. That’s why they never used all their power, just what was necessary. The goal was to deceive the enemy, making them think they had a chance of winning.
’Master, this inscription is the maximum spatial power I created in the past. That bastard killed me before to steal it from me.’ Ruri’s voice sounded in his mind, furious.
Alm and Bruno nodded, waiting patiently. Behind Vulke, countless spatial channels began to open. On the other side, numerous auras seemed to be crossing over. Then Alm and Bruno felt something surprising: A subtle presence of death permeated them.
Bruno said seriously, ’To pressure us, it can only mean one thing. A Divine Inquisitor...’