Without hesitation, I pulled the trigger, sending a 50-caliber bullet flying toward Edikus' skull.

Unfortunately, he dodged and released a potent wave of bloodlust. Thea hadn’t endured it, so she dropped to the ground, heaving while my aim became erratic. I got a boost from the Rorsaka meat, but it wasn’t much of an upgrade in the face of my old teacher at full strength.

“I’m not killing you today, so sit down and shut up,” Edikus commanded.

I slowly sat on a rock, wrapping my free arm around Thea like a seatbelt.

“Your kind has ravaged this world for millennia,” he said, releasing his pressure. “They’ve toppled empires, oppressed people, and slaughtered millions—all under the banner of protecting the world from an impending calamity. The irony is sickening.”

“It sounds like they acted the way all humans with enough power do,” I asserted.

“That’s false,” Edikus contradicted. “My master was also an otherworlder; he was a stoic general, unfettered by human desire. I thought you were the same until you declared war over a woman.”

“Surprise,” I deadpanned. “So why aren’t you killing me?”

“Your use of conventional weapons will soon start a weapons race,” Edikus frowned, looking at my pistol, “and I’ve seen firsthand that such weapons will eventually challenge our might.”

I scoffed and turned away. “So what? You’re going to let me build weapons of mass destruction and then kill me after?”

“That’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Edikus warned, standing. “You’re too unstable to wield the extraordinary powers gifted to you. In many ways, you’re worse than the others that have come and gone through the centuries.”

I gritted my teeth as he started walking away.

Edikus turned and looked me in the eye. “We’re allowing you to live, war, and build, but if you threaten the world for personal gain again—we’ll kill you, your family, and loved ones.”

He turned and led my gaze to my family, getting forced into the area by two archwizards. Just the sight made my blood boil. “So make sure you think about everyone precious to you before you lift a weapon.”

Edikus whistled, summoning birds half the size of griffins with feathers that shone like polished abalone. “We’ll be watching.”

With those words, they left the birds, and my family ran over.

I took a sharp breath once they left, looking into the smoldering remains of the shelter with trembling eyes. “GOD DAMN IT!” I yelled, cracking the rocks underneath my pounding fist.

“Ryker….” Thea said, hugging me. “They’ll rue the day they didn’t kill you.”

My father fell onto his ass beside me and looked into the sky, gripping the dirt behind him. “Look, son. This is probably the tenth time we’ve felt this close to death in the last eighteen years.”

I turned to him in a haze. “What?”

“What do you mean, ‘What?’” Leon huffed. “It started with the reincarnation investigations. Then it was one thing after the other; your dealings in Elderthorn, transporting weapons through the kingdom, causing economic hell, annexing the territory, and the fight with Goldenspire.”

“Oh….” I smiled wryly.

“You were eerily calm every time,” Leon chuckled. “Well, your actions weren’t. Whenever there was a problem, your people would kick down doors and ship us out. However, it seemed transactional.”

I took a deep breath. “What’s your point?”

“Your mind, actions, and caring haven’t changed; you just feel more deeply about it,” he claimed. “That’s why it feels like you’re losing when it’s not so different from normal.”

“Is that so?” The corners of my mouth curved into a wry smile. “That just proves that things were better when I didn’t feel.”

Leon turned to me with a serious expression. “Son, I’m not sure what the hell happened to you, but….” He studied my expression. “You’re better this way.”

My mom, siblings, and Thea all nodded.

“How does that make sense?” I furrowed my brow. “I’m just extra moody now.”

“Son, I’ve always taught you to fight like you’re showing off.” Leon stood, dusting off his pants. “And you failed so many times I lost interest in telling you.”

I turned away and huffed. “How am I not flashy enough?”

“Nah, it’s not about being flashy,” Leon declared. “Women don’t swoon over brutes killing a dozen people on the battlefield. They swoon over people who are fighting for their beliefs.”

Thea narrowed her eyes when he said women, and he smirked.

“And that mixture of rage, desperation, and determination to save your woman earlier today….” Leon grinned. “That was the truth. Wasn’t it, honey?”

Scarlet’s eyes sparkled as she nodded. “Yes. And when you also did that for us….”

My mother burst into tears, making me look away in uncomfortable exasperation.

“Even though you’re a bit moodier, that’s what people love,” Leon smiled. “Okay, pep talks over. I’m going to have a heart attack in our shelter now.”

I could only watch with a slight smile as Leon genuinely herded up the family after we said our closings and took them to the shelter, breathing heavily and walking with unsteady legs.

Thea and I held each other for another 15 minutes until Zenith found us.

“They’re all gone, young master,” Zenith reported with a pained smile on her face. “There were only two hundred casualties, and they were all people that tried to fight the archwizards.”

“Come sit with us, Zenith,” I said, patting the ground.

Zenith nodded and sat, and we passed the time in silence. There was nothing to say. I think we were all just happy to be alive and be together after what happened.

“Young master,” she said after Thea fell asleep.

I took a deep breath. “What is it?”

“These have been the best years of my life,” Zenith reflected.

I turned to her and saw that she wasn’t wearing makeup over her burn mark, which happened whenever she turned. However, she didn’t hide it behind a hood or anything similar.

“I didn’t know what to do with my life before I met you,” she explained. “I was too ashamed and angry to go home or anywhere, and I hated that forest. I just kept getting stronger there, but there was no reason for it. Then I met you two… and I found a place again.”

I took a deep breath and looked at the sky, trying to balance accepting her positive emotions against my raging thoughts. There wasn’t much space, no matter how positive it was.

“That’s why I’ll continue protecting you,” Zenith said. “So feed me and treat me like a princess.”

With those words, she turned bright red, got up, and stormed away, hitting trees on the way out. However, after the third tree crashed to the ground, she turned around and screamed, “But not like a suitor princess! I am a princess, but not your—GAH!”

Zenith hit another tree, making it explode into splinters. “NO FUCKING ROMANCE!”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” I whispered, watching her storm away with a slight smile and then looking down at Thea. “I already got one crazy woman in my life.”

I brushed her hair out of her face and stared at her with relieved emotions, knowing she was okay—knowing they were all okay. “I might not have Rorsaka’s meat, but I’ll find a way to protect everyone. I’ll make sure of it.”

***

A week passed, and everyone worked together to rebuild the damaged buildings and pipe networks. We held a funeral pyre for the fallen and a memorial that immortalized them into history.

Our people were resilient, moving from downtrodden to laughing and feasting once enough booze was on the table. It quickly balanced out, and things returned to normal.

But I wasn’t normal.

I was angry.

Angry at myself.

My weakness.

I was playing into these people’s hands.

They’ll just kill me whenever they want?

Could I really stop them?

I couldn’t.

Not the way I was.

Maybe if it was just me, I could build strength in hiding, use my magic to make weapons and assassinate them, but….

My family.

My loved ones.

My friends.

Allies.

So much baggage!

So many areas of weakness!

I didn’t regret it, but it made everything so difficult.

How was I supposed to protect everyone when such a serious threat loomed over us?

Could I just leave whenever I wanted?

Did I have to stay around?

Could I continue my plans?

I didn’t know, and it was making me mad!

Thea tried her best to help me, but I was in a rut. It felt like I was so close, only to figure out how far I was away. The situation was eating me alive—

—Until something unexpected happened.

“King Everwood, we must prepare the reception hall!” Mayor Alderic yelled, running into the audience chamber. It was late at night, and I was just finishing the never-ending string of requests when the man came in in a panic.

My heart thumped.

“What for?”

“King Redfield, Queen Elara, King Thrain, and King Emeric are here with other representatives!” he exclaimed.

The reality of the situation hit me like a bag of bricks. I expected King Redfield to send Rema and an army force in three days, not for him to arrive with other kings and queens unannounced.

An assassination attempt?

No. This isn’t how monarchs fight.

Unless—

—there’s no other choice.

Who else could kill me?

Nothing went to plan. Things spiraled out of control. There was another element that neither I nor anyone else seemed to understand.

I took a sharp breath.

“Well?” I scoffed, seeing him watch me like a docile kitten asking for orders. “Prepare for them!”

“S-Sir!” Mayor Alderic yelled, running out of the room.

Thea stood up. “What do you want from me?”

I watched her turn away, biting her lip and fighting back intense emotions.

“You’re sitting at the table,” I declared. “If you don’t, this entire thing would be nothing. As of this moment, you’re my royal partner.”

Thea swallowed, and her eyes trembled.

“So don’t attack anyone,” I requested, walking toward the door. “Unless necessary.”

I stopped at the door. “Also, as of today, you need to wear dresses—meant for royalty.” With those words, I left the room to meet and prepare for my guests.

***

In my castle’s reception hall, maids and butlers scurried around with mortified expressions, trying to serve spirits and wines to royals who showed up unannounced and didn’t request an entrance.

I walked in with Thea, who wore a pink noble’s dress with white gloves, making her very shy and uncomfortable as she walked in under the view of the monarchs’ piercing gazes.

The atmosphere was awkward because chandeliers full of 50 candles had to be lowered, lit, and hoisted, so only half the room was lit, and people worked in a frenzy to make the atmosphere less gothic and tense.

That was the atmosphere I walked into.

“Forgive my poor reception,” I apologized with a bow, “I didn’t expect guests today.”

“Please sit, King Everwood, Lady Lockheart,” King Redfield requested, pointing to a chair. “Then dismiss all of your people. We must talk.”

I swallowed, my heart hammering in my chest. “Okay.”

Following his words, I dismissed all the guards and workers, sat at the table with Thea, and stared at their faces. “What brings you here so abruptly?”

Queen Elara reached into her spatial bag and pulled out a massive wrapped package that made my eyes widen. “We know you lost yours in a fire. So let’s talk.”

I looked at the packaged Rorsaka meat and the other people at the table, narrowing my eyes. “What do you want from me?”

King Thrain took a drink of his wine, puckered his lips with wide eyes, and then looked at me. “You think we’re playin’ you? I get that,” he smirked. “But those guys? Heh. They’ve been playin’ us for centuries.”

I knitted my brow in confusion. “How so?”

“Every kingdom pays unbelievable sums of money for archwizards every year,” King Emeric explained.

“And they’re all workin’ together!” King Thrain blurted out, visibly pissed. “It’s a racket. They’ve been havin’ us to pay them to protect us from themselves!”

My eyes widened, and I turned to King Redfield for a deeper explanation.

“The real problem is that they have a fighting force that far eclipses us and our people,” King Redfield explained. “They’re a security threat. So are the otherworlders on Antigua.”

“So you’ve realized you’re all caged birds living at the mercy of everyone?” I asked bluntly.

The table fell silent, with the leaders staring at me angrily, but I looked down at Rorsaka’s meat and then back at them mockingly. “I’m a security threat.”

“Every country is a security threat,” Queen Elara said. “But security threats aren’t equal.”

“So you’re trusting the enemy you know over the enemy you don’t?” I asked.

“Nah, you’re the enemy with a real goddess,” King Thrain swigged his wine, “One with huge tits, I’ll add. What is your religion, anyway? I wanna sign up.”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

The other rulers rolled their eyes and turned back to me.

“Despite seizing my land, I still offered you my daughter’s hand because you’re consistent in your goal and bring value to us,” King Redfield explained. “Now that we’ve seen your goddess genuinely exists, it lends more credibility to you and your mission.”

“Still, your claim of being from the future directly contradicts Edikus’ claims of you being an otherworlder,” Queen Elara said. “Which is it?”

“I’m from another world, but I was sent here to save yours,” I replied. “I just used the future talk to make you take me seriously.”

“See, it’s like I said!” King Thrain exclaimed, pointing at King Redfield.

“That’s what everyone said,” King Emeric corrected.

“Yeah, but I said it, too,” King Thrain said, taking another drink.

“I’m glad people are taking me seriously,” I said, looking down at the packaged Rorsaka meat that made me swallow. Then I returned my gaze to them, “So what do you want?”

“Weapons, security pacts, and technology,” King Redfield answered. “Seeing the power of your weapons at the tournament puts things into perspective. Bringla and Rorsaka reinforce that.”

“While I’ll give you weapons in exchange for this meat, what are you offering to ensure long-term cooperation?” I asked.

“Legitimizing your conquest of Goldenspire and Ironfall and formalization as a king without a political marriage,” King Redfield offered.

“In other words, a green pass for what I’m already doing?” I asked.

“It’s critical if you want to trade between continents,” King Emeric said. “Don’t forget that you’ll be replacing Goldenspire as the largest maritime hub.”

I glanced at everyone with a complex expression.

“I’ll provide everyone here with pre-gen weapons, warships, and defensive technology to satisfy your request,” I vowed. “I’ll provide advanced technology, educational materials, and trade secrets to anyone who establishes trade with me. If we’re genuinely allies, I won’t hold back.”

The tenseness in the air developed a strange wind.

“What’s your plan, King Everwood?” Queen Elana asked. “It feels like you’re seizing an excuse to give us technology.”

“The stuff I aim to build required billions of people working and innovating for centuries to create,” I said. “I won’t be able to create most of it in time.”

“You want to turn this world into your factory?” King Redfield rephrased, narrowing his eyes.

“That’s correct,” I replied. “And if you do, your people will experience a level of prosperity they have never thought imaginable.”

I looked at the ceiling. “They’ll eat chicken and beef for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if they wish. They’ll enjoy nightly entertainment, send their kids to school, and elderly people will live long lives without soul mana. People will take showers with clean water every morning and travel between countries in a matter of hours instead of days. And they’ll enjoy two days off a week.”

Everyone stared at me with wide eyes.

“That’s the world necessary to build what I need,” I said, locking eyes with them again. “It’s a world where building weapons to protect us all will result in vast abundance and wealth.”

“You don’t seem very nostalgic despite that soundin’ fuckin’ amazin’,” King Thrain said, narrowing his eyes.

“I was born a poor commoner in a world with almost eight billion people,” I replied. “I naturally live a better life here.”

Everyone furrowed their brows, making me smirk with a smug expression.

Queen Elara pulled out nine spatial bags, putting one on the table between all the leaders and giving me five. “While we fear each other, we’re all weak compared to the Wreaths, so we should level the playing field,” she asserted. “I’m giving all kingdoms 200 pounds of Rorsaka’s meat and 1,000 pounds to King Everwood, as he killed Rorsaka and prevented the Wreaths from obtaining 5,000 pounds worth.”

The leaders nodded and thanked her.

“Well? What are you doin’, King?” King Thrain asked, his voice clearing. “I’m soberin’ up already. So get the cooks to make us a meal fit for kings!”

“Please allow me to make it!” Thea requested, causing the atmosphere to shift for the worse.

“That’s not how this works now,” I whispered. “You’re a leader now.”

“That’s exactly why I should do it,” she countered. “Everyone came unannounced because you don’t want news of this meat to leak. That’s why I should cook it to prevent the information from leaking.”

“She has a point,” Queen Elara remarked.

“Then let it be done,” King Redfield sighed.

Thea stood and bowed slightly, then scampered off with one of my bags, leaving the table in an awkward state.

We sat in silence until she returned with a cart that contained Rorsaka’s meat cooked in half a dozen different ways, leaving the leaders spellbound by the scents alone.

“This type is Rorsaka tempura,” Thea smiled, pointing at a breaded variation. “Then there’s Rorsaka sashimi, grilled Rorsaka, Pulpo a la Gallega, Rorsaka ceviche, Rorsaka stew, and takoyaki.”

The leaders had wide eyes and were lost for words. That was only natural, as there were Mediterranean, Latin, Spanish, and Japanese variations on the table.

“These are octopus dishes from my world,” I explained. “I did my best to teach people them, but I’m not a cook. Luckily, Lady Lockheart is an artist, so I hope you appreciate it.”

I took a bottle and poured soy sauce dishes and horseradish, which was the closest thing to wasabi we could get for the sashimi. “Please, enjoy it.”

When King Redfield bit into the Rorsaka tempura, I saw true emotion on his face for the first time. His eyes shone involuntarily, and he had to force himself to regain his calm.

“How is it?” I asked with a sly smile.

“An ancient’s meat is naturally intense,” he replied. “The cooking… is also delicious, Lady Lockheart.”

“Damn right, it is!” King Thrain declared, stuffing a takoyaki into his mouth. “What are these little shits called again?”

“Takoyaki,” I smiled. “It’s octopus-stuffed bread with a special sauce. I can give you the recipe. They make for great seafood.”

King Emeric’s eyes lit up when he tasted it. “It’s crunchy, and the sauce… I’ve tasted nothing like it.”

“It’s a very complicated recipe,” I smiled. “But we can trade.”

While Takoyaki isn’t that difficult to make, as it’s octopus stuffed in bread, the takoyaki sauce is made of Worcestershire sauce, which requires tamarind we bought in Valencia, anchovies, and chili peppers, in addition to other vegetables, and then taking that sauce and adding it with soy sauce, ketchup, sugar, a rice wine, and Dashi Stock, which is made through simmering bonito flakes and seaweed.

The amount of work necessary to create a single modern sauce is mind-boggling.

“I’ll look forward to that,” he said, biting into the ceviche, which is raw octopus marinated in citrus juices, mixed with onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and chili peppers.

Everything was otherworldly and delicious, causing everyone to praise her and make her flush red with embarrassment.

As we ate, power started welling through us. Since we had soul cores that could withstand such power in small bites, our midriffs felt warm. However, the more we ate, the more intense that feeling became until people started sweating.

Only I continued until I noticed everyone watching me.

“How much more can you eat?” King Redfield asked. “Since you have a recently unlocked soul core, it should make it so you can eat less in one sitting, not more.”

I looked down and felt energy passing through my entire body, just as Aphrodite showed me. ‘Is it because of the power distribution?’ I pondered. ‘Or the core?’

King Thrain turned to Queen Elara. “You sure it was a good idea to give this kid so much of this meat?” he asked.

“I don’t think that his physical strength is what we need to worry about,” Queen Elara responded.

“Oh, right….” he said. “He did toast that archwizard in one shot… HEY! How did you toast that wizard with one shot?!”

Drunk, he slapped the table as one person would pound it, but the entire hardwood table, built to last for centuries, suddenly exploded.

“You still don’t think it was a bad idea to give him this meat?” King Emeric chuckled.

The group chuckled for a moment, then laughed and actually enjoyed a moment.

‘It’s surreal to think that I have allies now….’ I thought in amazement, looking around. ‘I couldn’t even imagine this in my last life….’

Thea grabbed my hand under the table and sent me a radiant smile that gave me hope for the future.

***

Things moved quickly after the leaders left.

The freshly consolidated Carter’s Steelworks hired another 500 blacksmiths from my allied nations, allowing him to start mass-producing weaponry.

Naturally, we didn’t teach the new workers how to make the machinery to consolidate power for the next few years. However, they learned the value of automation, and we started selling manufacturing equipment.

We pumped out cannons, expanded our gunpowder-creating operation, and sent weaponry to our allies along with concrete recipes.

Naturally, I didn’t disclose that walls were essentially useless during modern warfare.

I never plan to give them more than I can crush if necessary.

King Redfield created a formal alliance with me and sent troops to the borders to protect us from Ironfall, allowing us to expand into the Goldenspire and steal and reap another ten million acres of land, as it was the summer harvest.

Due to the loss of their archwizard, a massive fighting force, and their port, Goldenspire couldn’t fight back and could only lick their wounds as they petitioned other countries for aid in vain.

Next year, I would overtake their entire country and establish the true Everwood Empire.

King Redfield and I split the Elemental Nexus and split the Ironfall territory in half in two years when we conquered their people, and I’d give up the portion of the Crimsonwood wood forest east of Silverbrook to him. However, in exchange, he gave me a small section of the Silverbark Forest that was worth its weight in gold.

Since the alliance was mutually beneficial, we agreed to attack Ironfall in two years—assuming that Sunset Shore or the Wreaths didn’t intervene.

Regarding the Wreaths, King Redfield gave Thea, Zenith, and my parents and siblings an S-class soul cultivation technique, and we promptly fed everyone all the Rorsaka meat they could handle.

Unfortunately, my parents and siblings weren’t as practiced with soul cultivation as Thea and I, so they could only obtain a fraction of their potential. Therefore, we created an eating plan for the next two years.

As for me, the meat started resulting in severe body pain, and healing magic wouldn’t fix it.

My body also started to change, creating a twisted figure under my clothing. It was distinctly human but looked like a half-completed sculpture, creating a disturbing appearance.

Since I couldn’t show weakness, I immediately stopped eating the meat and kept it to myself. I hope it corrects itself over time. Whatever it is, I imagine it’s positive, but I can’t know for certain.

Since I was stunted, I put aside 300 pounds of Rorsaka’s meat into a heavy shelter for my loved ones, and I vetted the best soldiers and fed them soup made of Rorsaka’s meat, building their power exponentially.

Thus, the true Immortal Army was born.

Throughout all of this, a new voice was at the table every night. She was a radiant redhead that nearly glowed with healthy skin and a royal aura sat across from me and Thea after the nightly council ended.

“What will you do after winter?” Rema asked, her eyes resolved. There was no trace of her earlier confession in her eyes. There was only royal affairs, as she was the liaison between me and Valeria.

“I’ll immediately seize Goldenspire to obtain the Bringla Port and then sow the seeds of trade with Antigua,” I replied. “There’s something that I need there.”

“What’s that?” Rema asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Oil,” I replied. “It’s something that exists here, but we don’t have the heavy machinery necessary to get to it at this point. Therefore, we need to import it.”

“Black Water? What do you need it for?” Rema asked, confused.

“We will use it to create vehicles that can transport a metric ton of cargo twice as fast as running horses without stopping for 10 hours,” I replied. “We will create stronger roads, produce fertilizers to increase the output of our crops, make new clothing, better cosmetics, create powerful weapons, and develop instant fire devices.”

Rema’s eyes widened in shock. “That’ll come from Black Water?”

“That and so much more,” I smiled. “At the same time, we’re going to create something that will change the face of this world forever.”

Her and Thea’s eyes shone with excitement when they saw the enthusiasm on my face.

I gave them a strange smile. “Electricity.”