Hero of Darkness

6 Hours Later…

BOOM!!

As the peaceful atmosphere filled with clear clouds was shattered by a deafening sonic boom, a brilliant blue beam of light suddenly appeared in the sky, tearing across it at a blistering pace that seemed almost faster than the speed of light itself.

Kahn had a mission to fulfill... To assist Ivaar in purging a radical group of saints who were agitating against imperial rule and seeking to spark a revolution.

Although in many ways, Kahn's own moral compass usually aligned with this cause, having once taken a stand for the oppressed and excluded people of society back in the Rakos Empire, he knew that supporting any notions of revolution required a deeper understanding of the situation than merely following his instincts.

Kahn's mind raced as he tried to make sense of the situation. He knew that violence and chaos could not be the answer, even if he sympathized with those who sought change. His own experiences in the Rakos Empire had taught him that.

The Nadur Empire was a place where the law of the jungle prevailed. The strongest would always come out on top, reaping the biggest rewards while the weak were left to pick up the scraps.

Yet in contrast... there was no oppression or discrimination based on ethnicity, race, or species. Rather, everyone had the right to fight for their place in society; whether it was a job in the administration, a business opportunity, a position in the military, or even a place in the imperial court.

The Beast Empire was a meritocracy that had no room for favoritism or partiality. This had been the bedrock of their culture since the empire's inception.

Given this context, Kahn was perplexed as to why there was a call for a revolution. What could be the cause behind this uprising? He sought to understand the motivations of the radical group that Ivaar was seeking to eliminate.

Kahn knew that revolutions were never easy, and that taking a stand against the established order could have serious consequences for both the guilty and the innocent.

As Kahn's Atreus persona entered the region of Kunlun, he marveled at the vast and mountainous landscape that spanned for several hundred kilometers in all four directions. The people who lived in these lands had their daily lives built around the professions offered by the region, such as agriculture and medicine production.

In the empire's history, Kunlun was known as the Divine Mountain Range, as it was once the home of the Godbeast Basilisk for a few centuries.

After the Basilisk moved on to another domain, the empire's forces decided to cultivate the land and noticed a unique occurrence…

The lands were enriched in every sense, with fertile soil, nourishing water flowing in the rivers, mountains filled with rare ores and minerals, and trees thriving with lush greenery.

The biggest change was the amount of World Energy condensed in these lands compared to other regions across the Nadur Empire as if the Godbeast Basilisk still lived here.

As a result of this enrichment, Kunlun was given significant importance in the empire's cultural history since Godbeasts were considered the next spiritually and religiously significant things after their Gods and Demi-Gods to the beastkin races.

The region was held in high esteem and considered sacred ground by many, leading to a decree by the first Emperor of the Beast Empire stating that no major clan set their roots here and harvest the natural resources in abundance.

Thus, also prohibiting Saints from entering these lands as their battle prowess might destroy the region in many ways.

As he traversed through these Lands, even Kahn couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the natural beauty and sheer abundance of World Energy in the environment surrounding him.

After a dozen minutes had passed, Atreus finally arrived at the main operation base, which was strategically located close to a magnificent temple dedicated to Termeszet, the God of Nature.

The base itself was an impressive structure, stretching for ten kilometers and boasting the capacity to house an army of fifty thousand well-trained soldiers. Standing guard in different locations were three warships that towered over the base like the Eiffel Tower.

As soon as he arrived, Atreus was greeted by a group of semi-saints who had been waiting for him. Without delay, they led him through the base, their steps echoing on the steel floors. After a brief journey, they arrived at the war room, which was situated in the tallest and most secure military fort.

In the war room, Atreus finally came face to face with Ivaar Baneslav, one of his master's disciples and a formidable wood elemental assassin.

Atreus recalled their last encounter, where he had defeated Ivaar and the other three disciples of Romulus in a 1 vs 4 battle. Despite their shared history, they hadn't exchanged a single word since that fight.

As they settled into the war room, dozens of people began to report on the events of the past 3 days and how the situation had escalated to its current state.

Three days ago, a radical group of saints had organized a siege on Kunlun's four main entry regions, which had nearly caused a massacre. However, the cities were surrounded by powerful protective barriers and legendary rank magic formations that prevented the saints from entering.

The next day, the imperial rule sent a decree to the Fenrirborne Clan as part of their customs. Since Atreus and Dorian, the two strongest disciples of the Heavenly King were tasked with fighting a mythical rank monster named Hodag… Ivaar had been dispatched to help quell the uprising of radical extremists.

But the situation had taken an unexpected turn when a massive and deadly monster tide descended upon the borders from multiple directions, with millions of creatures bearing down on them.

The soldiers of these lands were well-prepared and able to hold off the monster tides on various fronts. However, whenever Ivaar attempted to eradicate the monster tides using his wood elemental abilities and his status as a 2nd stage saint, one of the radical saints would attack the other fronts, creating openings for the monster tides to break through. As a result, the city walls were decimated, and thousands of soldiers were killed.

The protective formations that surrounded the city were designed to prevent any saint from entering unless they possessed the imperial token.

In this case, the golden orb with wings that Romulus had given to Kahn served as one of these tokens that also provided him with objectives and coordinates.

As the day went by, the magic formations began to lose their effectiveness, and it became clear that many of them would soon be unable to stop the radical saints from entering. It was only a matter of time before the city was overrun and the people within were subjected to brutal slaughter.

The situation seemed like it could still be salvaged if they could just hold off the monster tides until reinforcements arrived.

However, the real issue at hand was the temporary commander of the Kunlun forces…

Ivaar Baneslav.