Hero of Darkness

The long and devastating battle between Varuna, the Superior Dragon, and the Empress of the Beast Empire took a pivotal turn when she gravely injured her opponent, forcing him to take to the sky. With her enormous, 20-kilometer-long serpentine body coiled around Varuna, she matched his physical structure.

Unlike Vildred, the sea dragon didn't have larger arms and legs, but his sharp claws easily tore through Kukulkan's body, spraying her black blood in gallons as they ascended into the stratosphere.

Despite her deep wounds and mauled flesh, the lacerating Empress did not weaken her grip on Varuna's throat, and their struggle continued. Black and blue blood decorated the ground below, belonging to Kukulkan and the Dragon, respectively.

Her determination was evident, and she was not going to let go until she had accomplished her goal.

The battle reached new heights, and the sky became a canvas for their fight.

And as Vildred had predicted, the Empress' aim was the Exosphere.

In Vantrea, it was 1800 kilometers above the ground level unlike earth where it was only 800 kilometers.

[You will kill both of us!] said Varuna telepathically while suffering great anguish.

[Are you scared, Dragon?

You should have thought before daring to enter my empire!] bellowed the Empress, her tone filled with fury as their enormous bodies kept flying higher at incredible speed despite their size.

[Who sent you?!] she questioned in a furious voice.

[Was it the Dragon Emperor?] her words turned rageful.

But in response, Varuna spoke…

[I do not serve that tyrant! I have already pledged myself to a new master.]

The pride in his voice was noticeable as if his new master was above the current Dragon Emperor.

[Who?] asked the Empress, still ascending with all her might.

[You know who.

He will wipe out every inferior species from this planet and we Dragons will once again achieve our golden age.] clamored Varuna.

[You have no pride even for a Superior Dragon. Those I fought before would rather die than bow to someone like him.

Alas, it makes no difference. You shall pay for invading my domain!] declared the Empress, her voice disregarding the information.

She knew whom Varuna spoke of. But she didn't fear that entity in the slightest.

And finally, they reached the border of the Exosphere.

Given her size, sheer strength and rank, it only took the Empress 20 minutes and finally…

Crackle!

Crackle!

With her body crackling with energy, the Empress gathered all the lightning bolts that ran across her entire body and focused them in her mouth.

A ginormous orb of erratic and volatile golden lightning began to take shape, carrying with it the strength to disintegrate everything within a 30-kilometer radius.

The energy crackled and surged, causing the air around the Empress to ripple and distort. The orb grew larger and more intense, and the Empress strained under the immense power she was summoning.

Shoot!

Breaking the sound barrier, the attack launched like a laserbeam and hit Varuna.

BOOM!

Varuna, the Superior Dragon, was thrown out of the exosphere with incredible force, hurtling through space like a bullet shot from a gun.

He may have been a water elemental dragon, nigh indestructible on sea and land, but the laws of physics were unforgiving in the vacuum of space.

What happened to a drop of water in the outer space was exactly happening to Varuna.

In space, where there is no air, there is no air pressure... As air pressure drops, the temperature needed to boil water becomes lower with each passing moment.

Varuna's body churned and writhed as he hurtled through the void of outer space. Even though he was a water elemental dragon, he was not immune to the laws of the universe.

At first, it was just a slight warmth, like the feeling of being in a hot bath. But soon, that warmth turned to heat, and the heat turned to searing pain.

Varuna's body was heating up by a hundred degrees celsius every second, and he knew that if he didn't find a way to cool down soon, he would be burnt to a crisp.

And this time, as if he was cut off from Vantrea itself, no matter what he did, he couldn't use his powers to descend from the exosphere.

Without access to the world energy that sustained him, he felt his body heating up rapidly.

Crack!

Varuna's body continued to heat up at an alarming rate, and soon his bones and internal organs began to dry up and crack. It was like his body was being reduced to ash, crumbling into bits like burnt paper.

He screamed in agony, but no sound escaped his lips, for there was no air in the vacuum of space to carry it.

As the temperature rose, Varuna's body began to evaporate from the inside out. His once mighty form was reduced to a wispy, ghostly vapor, shimmering in the starlight.

In the end, Varuna, the 16-kilometer-long sea dragon, was reduced to nothing but dust, drifting away into the endless expanse of space.

The battle between the top terrifying beings was finally concluded.

And the Empress of the Nadur Empire was the final victor.

Half an hour later, the Empress descended the skies and took her humanoid form, completely healed.

A female figure materialized, standing at an imposing height of 2 meters. She was a woman, with shimmering blue eyes and faint violet hair, and a human-like face that seemed to radiate power and strength.

But what set her apart from any human woman was the pair of large, black feathered wings that sprouted from her back. They spread wide, as if ready to take flight at a moment's notice, and their feathers gleamed in the light of the room.

The Empress was clad in a suit of Ancient Rank armor, crafted from a mix of gold and black hide as well as bones of a basilisk. The armor was intricately designed, with swirling patterns etched into the surface, and it seemed to pulse with energy, as if alive.

Despite her imposing physique, the woman emanated an aura of regal authority that commanded respect and awe.

Her golden crown-like helmet only added more to her majestic aura, making others to want to worship her. And her muscle-mommy build and striking beauty were but a small part of her overall presence, which felt almost god-like in its power and might.

Even a casual glance at her was enough to make one feel as though they were in the presence of a being of immense strength and wisdom, a goddess descended from the heavens to walk among mortals.

This was the ruler of the Nadur Empire, a figure loved, respected, revered and adored by more than 6 billion citizens regardless of their species and standing in the society…

The Empress… Kaali Adisesha.

Kahn, Maximus and Juno were the only witnesses of this battle and watched everything from afar.

Swoosh!

In a picosecond, the Empress appeared in front of the 3 saints.

She looked at the Hero of Nature and spoke in an authoritative tone.

"It was a foolish decision to engage in that fight against Cherufe. You could've died.

You're lucky that I traveled 30,000 kilometers from the capital the moment I heard that you were fighting it.

And that Dragon would've definitely killed all of you had I not appeared here." she spoke with visible discontentment in her eyes.

"But millions of people would've died if I didn't act." spoke Maximus, unapologetic.

"It doesn't matter.

Are you not aware of the role you have to play?" she spoke with visible anger on her face.

"You barely managed to become a 5th stage saint just a year before the Conclave of Heroes.

After what happened with Hero of Fire and the recent war that started with the Elven Empire, the last thing we want is our own Hero dying before even entering that place." her firm voice made everyone feel a great sense of pressure.

Right then, Atresu asked…

"What place?"

However…

Bang!

As if dozens of mountains were dropped on his body, the blue wolfkin was forced to kneel.

"Did I give you permission to speak or ask questions?" asked Kaali, her gaze extremely cold and unforgiving.

"Atreus Bellator, is it? The Heavenly King of Fire surely chose someone with higher Fenrir bloodline purity.

But you're officially not part of True Descendant families.

Still, I will spare your life for this impetuous behavior this time given how you aided the hero in killing Cherufe." she spoke with a sense of hostility.

"I apologize, your majesty. I misspoke." said Atreus, barely managing to maintain his stance.

"Next time, know your place." said Kaali and gazed at Maximus.

"Maximus, you will come with me.

It's time you reunite with your team members again." declared Kaali Adisesha.

All Maximus could do was nod. This was an order he couldn't refuse. In the end, he gave an understanding gaze to Atreus.

Both had a good impression of each other. But their time together had come to an end.

After both the Empress and Hero of Nature had left… Atreus and Juno were the only remaining people.

"Atreus, are you an idiot?

Why would you be so brazen in the presence of the Empress?" she asked in an exasperated tone.

"Don't you know that Basilisk tribe is hostile towards us since she dislikes the tribes and disciples of the 4 Heavenly Kings?" she questioned his judgment.

"Why?" asked Atreus, completely oblivious to the reason.

"Because those 4 are the only people who can one day threaten her position and challenge her for the throne.

Our master is one of the 2 Peak 7th stage saints and the day he becomes an 8th stage saint… he might challenge her one day in trial by combat.

And you just handed her a reason to kill you. She stands at the pinnacle and you're not even in the top 5 hierarchical positions in our empire." explained Juno, the Spirit Enchantress.

"Your identity as Shadow Disciple saved you here as they are protected by the laws of the empire which prohibits anyone from harming them before the tourney." she revealed why the Empress did not go far.

All Kahn could do was ask with a baffled face...

"So I nearly escaped death?"