Chapter 138: Dining with the Sovereign of War
In the North, at the edge of a vast golden sea where the mountains descended into fertile valleys rose Bastion, the City of Giants.
The city spread across the slopes of a colossal hill, with its streets carved from pale stone while its walls were built in layers of massive terraces.
This was the tallest city in the world.
Every building in this city was enormous, shaped for beings that were far larger than ordinary men and Demons. This was a city built for colossal beings.
Massive stairways climbed between districts and towers the size of fortresses rose above the rooftops. From afar, the entire city looked like a stepped and layered mountain of civilization.
And at the peak of the mountain, at the highest point of the city stood the Citadel of Baraka, the palace of the Sovereign of War, the center of power of the Emperor of the Valor Dynasty.
The palace is not delicate like those of sorcerers or demon queens. It is vast, solid, and built to endure centuries of siege hence its name- Bastion.
Massive pillars held up grand halls to the sky while banners bearing the sigils of conquered tribes rippled in the wind, painting a story of Baraka’s conquest. If there was any power in the world known for war and conquest than the Infernal Empire, then it was the Valor Dynasty.
Emperor Baraka built his Empire through aggressive war and conquest, conquering all the land and territory around his capital city across miles.
The architecture of the palace blended giant craftsmanship with barbarian strength, comprising carved stone beasts, colossal shields mounted on walls, and statues of legendary warriors that stand taller than most towers.
Trained Wyverns circled the sky above the city, reflecting the might of the Empire of Giants and Barbarians.
These were not full-blooded Dragons though or such an act would have invited the ire of Dragon’s Tooth.
Some of these Wyverns were wild and barely tamed, while others served as aerial companions to the Giant Clans, soaring across the golden horizon like living war banners.
Their shadows passed over the sprawling districts below where markets, training grounds, and feasting halls filled the streets with life.
Hecate had heard of the stories of the legendary Bastion, and finally, she set her eyes on the city of Giants and it was just like the stories said.
Witnessing Bastion was a sight that she would not forget in a long time.
Despite being Level 99, the arrival of a single A Rank Awakened didn’t cause any ripple in the capital city of Giants, but the arrival of an extremely powerful A Rank Witch did cause certain ripples.
And this was why Emperor Baraka left his concubines for the first time in days to welcome the visiting Crone Witch.
Thud... thud... thud...
With her head positioned in a uniform manner, Hecate progressed through the grand throne room of the palace while feeling small.
This was not a palace that was built for races with small builds like hers, this was a palace that was built for Giants and Barbarians.
She walked to the foot of the throne, and then she knelt on both knees while bowing her head. "Emperor".
Hecate was prideful, but she knew when to rein in her pride.
Unlike Seraphina, Emperor Baraka was a childhood hero of hers. Before she was adopted by Sandrana, the Emperor was her favorite among all the S Rank Sovereigns in the world due to his valiant personality and power.
"You may rise". Baraka’s voice echoed like thunder.
Hecate rose and looked up, finally setting eyes on the Sovereign of War, one of the top 5 strongest Awakened in the entire world.
Known as not just the strongest Giant in the world but also the strongest Awakened of the Warrior Class, seated on his throne, Emperor Baraka was huge and looked as broad as a fortress gate but with the calm stoic presence of an ancient mountain.
Hecate felt like she was staring at heaven itself.
The Empress was not around.
Emperor Baraka stared down at her. "I don’t know your current High Priestess much, but I did have an encounter with Sandrana once. She was a powerful Awakened".
Hecate immediately smiled with pride. "She was my teacher".
"Oh, really? Then you must be strong". A glint ignited in the Sovereign’s eyes, and finally he went straight to the point. "What brought you to my domain during a period of war that threatens the existence of your sect?"
Looking at the fearsome Sovereign, Hecate took a deep breath and said. "Our High Priestess gave me a letter to give to you, but I threw the letter away on my way here".
The Emperor raised his eyebrows with interest, waiting for her to explain.
Hecate did. "Before I discarded the letter and burnt it to ashes, I read its contents". She looked at the Emperor. "Our High Priestess knows that you’re secretly working towards creating another team to end Zaratul and Dreadmoor once and for all in the South".
"She knows that you’ve made a lot of progress, but the only thing holding you back is the fact that Zaratul have not made any moves since the events of Falaniondor".
"Since Falaniondor, Zaratul have not made any big moves".
"Even throughout the war in the Midnight Forest as it already extended for over 3 weeks, he’s yet to make an appearance once".
"It’s almost like he’s in hiding," her eyes gleamed with ambition. "Well, the reason for this is because Zaratul is no longer with his subordinates".
Hearing that, Emperor Baraka’s eyes gleamed as he immediately leaned forward with interest. "And?" He asked with a calm smile.
"The truth is that Zaratul sent his subordinates on a mission to subjugate the Demoness Sect, while he went on his own personal recovery mission".
"He’s still extremely weak, and desperate to regain his strength as swiftly as possible, he’s gone to Dragon’s Tooth, using the uniqueness of the mountain peaks as a trial to temper himself and slowly regain his powers".
Hecate looked at Emperor Baraka as her eyes gleamed with ambition. "Right now, Zaratul is stuck in Dragon’s Tooth with a harmless Witch that just started walking the ascension path of a Witch about a month ago".
The Emperor leaned back on his high-back throne as a leisurely smile played on his lips. "Well, I must say, this is indeed interesting news".
Emperor Baraka rarely smiled in front of his subordinates, but in front of such a beautiful Succubus, he could not help himself.
He’d smiled within the short period of this conversation more than he’d smiled across months.
"For your High Priestess to have written a letter, I believe she must have an assault plan, what is her assault plan?"
Hecate took a deep breath, this was the moment of truth.
"The High Priestess wants you to approve a small elite squad that’s led by A Rank Awakened to go on an assassination mission in Dragon’s Tooth, you can choose this small squad from the team that you’re already assembling in the South".
"She wants the Awakened that are chosen to not be those at the periphery but the absolute best of the best to increase the chances of success".
"They should get access to the best resources for the mission too".
Looking at the beautiful Succubus, Emperor Baraka smiled. "Why can’t I just go myself if Zaratul is that exposed?"
"Because that’ll lead to an S Rank escalation that may allow Zaratul to escape. If an S Rank Sovereign moves, Alfred and Lilith will definitely know".
"We need to keep this mission as secretive as possible so that none of his subordinates will be able to react to protect him".
"By the time that they realize what’s happening, Zaratul is already dead".
The Emperor looked at the Succubus quietly for a long time, then he muttered. "Interesting".
"Why me?"
Expecting this question already, Hecate took a deep breath and answered. "Because of the 3 Empyrean Sovereigns, you’re the most logically thinking of them and the only one who actively sense the threat of the new Zaratul".
"Great observation," Baraka idly commented.
For a few seconds, instead of saying another word, the Sovereign of War kept quiet as he silently savored the beautiful sight of the Succubus.
The sight of her otherworldly beauty made him feel like committing adultery again, his only concern was if she would be able to take him in.
But those thoughts only floated at the periphery of the War Sovereign’s mind.
His eyes gleamed again, then he said. "Your High Priestess is right. I sent 3 of my subordinates to reinforce the United Alliance of the South, Golganneth, Thorgar, and Hera".
"They’ve made a lot of progress in the past month. If your intel is correct, I can quickly reach out to them to assemble an elite force".
His eyes gleamed. "Like you said, against Zaratul I’ll rather avoid mistakes so I want this squad to be assembled as swiftly as possible to avoid information leaks to the outside world".
Then he smiled again. "What of you? Why did you destroy the letter?"
This was the question that she had been waiting for.
Hecate looked at the Sovereign of War. "I destroyed the letter because contrary to what it said, I want to lead the elite squad to hunt Zaratul".
Baraka revealed an amused grin. "Why?"
"Because 10 years ago, Zaratul killed my teacher".
