Chapter 504 The Burden Of A Ruler
On the highest point of the topmost spire of the Palace that housed the Emperor of the Cromwell Empire, Raegan Cromwell, the Emperor and his brother, Darren, stood side by side as they watched the red sky. They watched as the mana and Divine Energy pooled together to form a red portal.
"The time has come, brother." Darren turned to Raegan. The First Obsidian Skeleton that had been forged to lead their kind in the absence of their father had a solemn air around him. This was his first true test. If he failed, then he would have let down the object of their reverence. He was sure that Leon would be incredibly disappointed in him.
Darren placed a comforting hand on Raegan's shoulder, drawing the latter out of his tumultuous thoughts.
"Fear not, brother. We have the supports of dozens of A ranks left behind by Father. There is no need to worry about failure. I am sure of that."
"If I do not worry, then who will, brother? I must worry on the behalf of the citizens of the Cromwell Empire. I can feel their worries, their fears, their thoughts. It all weighs down on me. They look up to me almost as they look up to Father. I cannot fail them!" Raegan raised his hands up and the metal of his armor clanked against each other.
He was clad in a shiny black armor that had a single white stone in the center of the chest. This stone was actually part of Raegan's body and had grown alongside him. It had appeared after he had taken the reigns of leading the Cromwell Empire, and signified the bond he held with the people of this flourishing Empire. It linked him to them, and them to him. But none aside from Darren knew of this bond. It gave Raegan strength, and it was a sensitive matter that could not be allowed to leak out.
"They believe in you, brother. Use that belief to strengthen yourself and prove them right to believe in your strength. You can protect them, and Father will protect us." Darren said in a reassuring manner and Raegan eventually nodded.
He raised his head to look at the portal that had begun releasing monsters onto the world.
"Activate the World Seal!" He said and held out his hand. A spear manifested out of thin air and he gripped it tightly.
"Right away." Seeing that his brother had regained his confidence, Darren grinned and did as he was told. His staff was already in his hand and he simply tapped the bottom of the staff onto the roof that was beneath their feet.
WHOOSH!
A haze of mana immediately spread across the entire lands of the Cromwell Empire, from the boundary of Fort Bender, to the shore where the Demon War had been fought. The air took on a kind of hazy look and the mana that flowed through the borders suddenly turned stagnant.
All of this was the effect of the World Seal, a magical work of art that had been created from scratch from none other than Darren himself.
Darren was built to be a brainiac powerhouse. He would be the mage that Leon could have been, but never was. He was a genius when it came to creating new, innovating spells, formations and runes.
He had created the World Seal after studying the Obsidian Pool, improving upon it to enhance its concentration and mana drawing effects, and the using it as the core for the World Seal Formation.
The World Seal Formation effectively made it incredibly difficult for anyone that was seen as an enemy by the Cromwell Empire to utilize mana within the borders of the Empire. This severely restricted the combat ability of anyone who sought to find trouble with the newly founded Empire.
It was almost unthinkable to find a newly founded Empire with such rich and exaggerated means, but here it was, happening before the eyes of everyone in the world. Within a year of its founding, the Cromwell Empire had become a major player in the world and no one dared to ignore its stance.
The monsters that poured out of the portal all set their sights on the Cromwell Empire down below. They most especially focused on the capital of the Empire, where many people were gathered. Although the ordinary people had been evacuated to underground bunkers where they would be safe from the aftereffects of any battle by A ranks, the monsters could still sense them very clearly.
However, the moment they crossed the border that marked the World Seal's range, they immediately encountered several issues.
The mana in their bodies was moving much slower than ever! This would make it so that they would not be able to cast spells and use abilities as fast as before.
Not only that, but they also found that their movements were slightly slower!
This was one of the hidden effects of the World Seal! It was a nasty surprise that would make it hell for anyone fighting against the Cromwell Empire on their own grounds!
"Ready the cannons! Blast them to bits!" Raegan's voice suddenly rang out all across the Empire. The soldiers that had been positioned at strategic positions all over the world finally moved. Magic cannons that had been enchanted to release deadly beams hummed with energy for a seconds before the sky turned white!
The power that the Cromwell Empire had horded in the past months was not for show! With the collaboration of many Master Craftsmen, Darren had been able to create some terrifyingly powerful weapons! One could call him a genius that only appeared once every thousand years! Even the Master Artisans were in awe of his ideas and were eager to complete them and see them in action!
When the white light died down, Darren let out a deep chuckle. The sky had been wiped clean of all creatures that had poured out of the portal! The space around the portal had even turned so unstable that no monsters came through for the next few seconds!
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