Darion the Reaper watched his people from the height of his Royal Tower. Millions upon millions of his subjects boomed in ovation as they showed their eagerness to listen to his grand speech. He was about to proclaim himself the Battle Emperor—the first and probably the last. And then, he planned to change the fate of the whole world. Before it was too late.

Darion focused the Spirit Essence from all over his body and released his Sovereign Incarnation. A transparent copy of him taller than the Tower appeared in the sky, taking the attention of everyone in the crowd that spanned as far as his eye could see. 

Even if Darion suppressed most of the energy of his Incarnation, it still exuded overwhelming power, making his subjects kneel from sheer pressure. Fortunately, even the weakest of the people present was at the Spirit General stage of advancement, their Soulplate saving them from any real damage. 

At the same time, both Darion and his Incarnation raised their Soulblade—Soul Eater. The scythe that had earned him his title had a long pitch black handle that perfectly fitted in his gauntleted hand, and its curved pure white blade had not a speck of blood of dirt on it, despite taking countless lives. 

Darion's Soulplate—Void Shell—completely covered him from the neck downwards. For the first time in years, he had taken off his helmet, revealing his young face. The armor's color scheme was the same black and white as the scythe's. 

"Rejoice, my people, for you are witnessing the birth of the New Era!" Darion's voice thundered through the five continents as he started his speech. 

Those who were worthy enough to gather under the Tower were just a drop in the ocean among those who served him. After spending half of his shorty thirty years of life waging one war after another, Darion unified the five continents. Now, the whole planet more or less belonged to him, but at what cost? 

When Darion had gained his power as the Battle King, he didn't have the goal to unify the world under his rule. But threatened by his overwhelming talent and unimaginable growth, other Monarchs couldn't leave him or his country alone. First, he fought to protect what was his. Then, before he knew it, the only way to keep the development of his territories was to continue the conquest. And so he did until no one could resist him. 

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Unintentionally, Darion had become the one who changed the way wars were fought. The existence of armies lost any point, and Monarchs themselves were forced to risk their lives if they wanted to keep their country. Against the Reaper, numbers were meaningless, as those under the Rank of a Monarch would be nothing but food for the Soul Eater, and their attacks would never penetrate the Void Shell. 

Eventually, the fate of kingdoms had started to be determined by Sacred Duels between Kings. Except, no one fought the Reaper on their own, and each of the so-called duels was him against up to ten other Kings. This only accelerated his conquest, but each victory made him pay the price. 

As Darion continued to address his subjects, he thought about something else.  Was everything he had done to reach this moment worth it?  He didn't feel like this. But what he was about to do would save everyone from inevitable doom. At least for some time.

Darion had no lovers, for there was no love on the battlefield. The Reaper had no friends, for no one was qualified to stand shoulder to shoulder with him. And now he was about to become the Battle Emperor, but he had no family left—all of them had been gone even before he became a Monarch. Perhaps if he was given another chance he would choose to live his life as a normal person. Now, it was too late.

Darion stood higher than anyone else, but only solitude waited for him at the summit. And now, he knew, his life was about to end. He was determined to put what was left of it to use.

The Reaper had never had the chance to stop and enjoy his life. If he stopped for a month, hundreds of millions would starve. If he stopped for a year, those who were afraid of him would join forces and put an end to him and his kingdom. Now, at last, his people could rest assured. In the Empire he was about to create, there would be no shortage of food. There would be no more wars. No more suffering. 

The injuries Darion had accumulated through the endless battles were too much even for him. But before they could take his life, he decided to make the last sacrifice for the sake of his people. For the sake of Ancoria, their planet.

"And now, my people," he reached the end of his speech, "you are going to witness the Miracle that will change everything! El Dorado Fabula!" 

A rainbow-colored marble the size of an apple materialized in his left hand as the Reaper dropped his scythe from the top of the Royal Tower. Instead of falling, Soul Eater suspended in the air, as if waiting for an order. Then, the gauntleted hand crushed the orb, and everything on Ancoria turned one tone brighter.

Darion's first and last duty as the Emperor was fulfilled just like that. And then, his Soulplate broke in pieces as his Incarnation dissipated.

The Reaper was dead.