Soul of Searing Steel

Albert Warner had aged.

He was the third son of the former head of the Warner family and the uncle of the current one, an elderly noble who ranked highly amongst the Imperial foreign relations department. Even so, he was aware that he would not endure the whittling of time since he did not excel in cultivating his own innate gifts.

Now, sixty-two years of age, no matter how healthy a lifestyle he led or how many elixirs he took, his bodily functions were gradually declining—like it did just a while ago, when he walked down the airstair a lot less capable than desired.

It was the irrevocable truth!

But now, the ambassador could feel the brimming energy over his body!

The priests and knights' apprentices who stood before the liege's residence had been casting a diverse range of no-repetitive buffs under the instructions of their teachers. Caught off guard, Albert was instantly engulfed in a tremendous holy energy radiance.

As the radiance dissipated, a surprised Imperial Ambassador appeared before the crowd.

"Such power!"

Subconsciously flexing his right hand, a translucent air current shot out with the distinct sound of something streaking through the air, striking the stony ground. At the moment, Albert could feel that his muscles were imbued with the power to tear apart polar bears.

He took a step forward—his unstable walk had also stabilized, the abundance of energy almost making him jump. Indeed, the ambassador whose physicality and spirit had been strengthened to its limits believed that he would be undaunted even if a mountain-breaking dragon bellowed in front of him!

"How do you feel now?" an old priest asked.

"Great!" Albert clenched his fist and nodded confidently. "I think I could beat a drake to death now!"

"Ah… Please proceed ahead." The old priest sighed in return, shaking his head lightly.

"The liege awaits you in the hall," Albert's local guide added respectfully as he opened the main gates of the outer walls to the residence. "Also, please inform your attaches to wait outside."

Beside them, the clergies who were finished with their spellcasting vanished like a gust of wind, although obscure words such as 'great performance, eight points' could still be heard from a corner of the walkway. Unaware that he was the assessment topic for clergies from St. Laurent Cathedral, Albert stepped in a sprightly manner into the gardens of the residence.

There was a nearby hotel which had three floors reserved as lodgings for the visiting envoys. Three persons of varying appearances but sharing the same important status watched as the scene unfolded before them.

"Do you think he could enter the liege's residence smoothly?" The Far South elven ambassador mumbled as he took a sip of Calming Potion from his goblet. "He's so old…"

"Hmph." A dwarf who still had to lean on a wall to keep standing grunted once but did not reply.

"The liege has actually held himself back considerably… Either way, may the Seven Gods bless that old man." The Seven Gods Church ambassador—who looked equally unwell—gave a brief benediction before closing in his eyes and praying in silence.

As for Albert, light had promptly vanished the moment he entered the liege's residence.

It was as if he was deep below the oceans—the world grew narrower as darkness spawned by the edge of his vision. Albert's lively spirit had swiftly left him, and he only noticed later that he had rather the center of the front garden.

Now, every move he made was much more difficult than sprinting against sea waves.

Legendary domain.

The old noble who had seen much quickly realized what he was experiencing.

Perhaps the excessively powerful energy was influencing the surrounding world automatically or that the being's very existence meant a certain form of extraordinary, the Legendary champions who stood at the top of the Mycroft Continent all possessed a domain where the world changes according to their will. To them, that domain was something as natural as breathing.

As an example, Pope Igor's holy light would purify everything around him, the Nature's Magister presence would grow plants wherever she was, while mortals would never notice the Mind Lord's presence despite being right beside him. As for the domain of this newborn Legendary in the North, it was perhaps a form of terror aura or dominating force similar to Dragon Might.

Or perhaps even more. This power was far more astounding than Dragon Might.

There was an artificial lake in the front garden of the manor, surrounded by several exquisitely sculpted mini mountains. A stone bridge stretched across the lake surface, and Albert stood upon it, the damp algae squashed beneath his feet. A wind billowed out of nowhere, causing the ambassador to shudder and inhale deeply. He could sense that the surrounding air was becoming unbelievably cold as if the frost had already arrived.

Looking up, Albert saw that the castle-like residence in front of him was contorted into an obscure black cluster as the powerful presence distorted his vision. Still, with his augmented Iron Will, he strode steadily ahead.

However, the world still shrunk even as he strode. Now, in Albert's eyes, the surrounding decorations gradually became larger and more imposing as if walls that were combining, his dimming vision only able to behold the main door that was flashing where some maids were standing.

Despite the interference of instinctual fear and multiple mirages, the ambassador reached the door. And yet it was at that very moment that he noticed his body was filled with cold sweat, while his physicality that had been empowered with status buff was starting to quiver.

Don't go! His body warned him. If not for the blessings before, Albert believed that he would never be able to stand upright.

As he approached, the maid who was standing by the manor door opened it. "The liege awaits you. This way, please."

"Please lead the way."

Tidying his regalia, Albert mustered his spirits and strode with impeccable pace behind the maid.

The interior of the residence was very spacious, and there were rarely any servants who walked past them. Black obsidian tiles lined the floor like a bottomless abyss while white pyroxene lights illuminated the corridors.

Although the maid moved quickly, the ambassador felt that it was extremely difficult for him to even move a step. Exhausted, Albert finally understood why the locals could no longer sense Dragon Might—if they were showered by this level of pressure day by day, genuine Dragon Might meant nothing.

Without the status buff, the old noble might not have been able to withstand both the illusions and the shredding of his strength.

Then, just as the ambassador became so tired he could no longer stand, he finally arrived at the door to the guest hall.

"The liege is behind this door."

The maid bowed slightly and left, her clear footsteps gradually becoming distant. Albert, who had recovered some of his strength, took some time to compose himself before taking a step out to push the door.

The door opened.

A man was standing in the center of the hall with his back to the door, staring at the world map on the wall. A silver-haired girl and black-haired boy stood silently behind him, their hands carrying several letters with gilt.

The man was wearing a black coat, his robust frame emanating a powerful presence that made everything within the hall lose color. The moment he saw him, the old noble developed a mirage as if the world had utterly fell into chaos, with the man before him being the only genuine existence.

The man could tell that the door was opened and so simply waved his hand as a greeting. He still did not turn his head, but Albert did not feel the dissatisfaction of being belittled.

It was Joshua van Radcliffe, the youngest Legendary. He has no need to be seated regally or make a move—all he had to stand where he was and the world would bend.

Such was the pinnacle over the world.

"My lord." Albert Warner reverently arched himself towards the back of the man, his heart filled with respect and fear. "His Majesty sends his greetings.

*****

Starfall Year 834, nighttime, the 15th of October.

After a day of receiving various envoys offering their good felicitations, Joshua took a seat at the center of the hall and began to read several letters.

Most of the contents were rather trivial. They were purely well-wishes for ascending into Legendary as well as inventory lists of gifts since even the most powerful factions in the Mycroft Continent were unwilling to get on the wrong side of a Legendary champion for some meaningless reason.

Naturally, while they were still at peaceful terms, the assured first choice was to develop friendly relations.

Beside the warrior, both Ying and Ling were sitting on each of the chair's handles, sticking themselves to Joshua's arms as they read the letters together.

"The decorations that Miss 03 designed weren't even used this time," Ying complained as she kept her eyes on the letters. "Whether it was the armchair carved from the bones of a demon-blood dragon or the carpet made from iron eagle feather… You've rejected so many suggestions that Miss 03 is still fuming."

"Right. Black is angry too." Scanning through the letter in the warrior's hand, Ling nodded in agreement with his sister, before turning to glance at a corner of the hall and shrug. "The original plan was to let her make an appearance, but Master chased her off to the backyard by to play with herself."

At the corner of the hall, the black dragon girl was hugging her knees on the floor and bristling. After her special training in the Far Southern Sacred Mountain to curb her acrophobia, Black had been prepared to show off in front of the warrior, only to be forced into human form and kept within the backyard.

"I'm meeting envoys, not displaying my power to enemies. How are their plans useful to me?" Joshua sighed and threw the letters he had finished reading to a corner, and said helplessly to the weapons beside him: "If I'm to sit on the armchair carved from the bones of a demon-blood dragon, step on a Gold-monster feather carpet and have a black dragon prostrate beside me, do you think those envoys could still stand?"

The divine armament siblings shook their heads together.

This time, the warrior had especially shown his back to the envoys—but even that caused quite a few pale faces, and repeated status buffs were needed to keep them standing after they left the residence.

If Joshua did follow Miss 03's designs and behaved like a demon king, sitting on a skeleton throne to meet them, Joshua would undoubtedly earn another title—'Envoy Slayer'.

"Those youths from Grandia were certainly unafraid of Master, why are these envoys so weak…" Ling suddenly muttered as he fell into deep thought.

That was because the youths were friendlies, while the envoys were neutrals.

However, Joshua would definitely leave that question answered and keep reading the letter in hand.

Out of the blue, his brow lifted. Noticing his expression, Ying stopped the chatter and stared at the thin letter seriously.

"Any special news?" Noticing their unusual behavior, Ling fell out of thought and approached them in curiosity too.

"It's nothing."

Left immobile after being squeezed by the two heads that were poking in, Joshua's hand shook slightly. Scarlet fire instantly devoured the letter, turning it into ash while the warrior smiled amidst the siblings' disappointed sighs. "It's just good news regarding a friend."

"Next spring, the Imperial Capital would be hosting a huge celebration with Master Nostradamus." Joshua's voiced echoed as sparks glinted in the dim hall.

"That is when the third Legendary of the Empire would appear."