“From darkness comes forth light.” A somber hymn sounded. Soothing all those who heard such a melody. Among such a vibrant sound, footsteps lightly tapped through the clear road. Walking through what had once been ruins, a young maid carried a silver platter in her hands. She was humming along the hymn she had heard since her childhood.

“How nostalgic. Hmmm~”

In her hands laid her Hero’s breakfast. Her sole task during this expedition was to cater to Elias’ daily necessities.

“Ah?”

She nearly fumbled the platter but fortunately enough, she had been used to this kind of situation. A man who exuded a holy aura calmly stood in front of her.

“Are you alright?”

“M-My apologies, Priest Daniel! I didn’t see you there. What can I do for you?”

“I have important matters to discuss with Lord Elias. So I’ll save you the trouble of taking it to him.”

“But I really don't mind- I mean, I appreciate it a lot! I’ll just get back to my duties now.”

She meekly went away under her superior’s wishes.

With the newly acquired platter on hand, instead of heading toward Elias’ quarters, he went off in a completely different direction. And just like that a

In a newly reconstructed area of the city that had boasted Aganth’s reputation as a trade city, the plaza was quietly still. No speck of action or a single soul could be seen. If not for the utter rubbish and scorched buildings by the side, it would’ve been a glorious sight.

Taking one step forward, Daniel’s figure seamlessly disappeared. At the very next moment, he entered what seemed to be an entirely new area. A place of its own space.

“Watch your step.”

“My, what do you take me for?” Daniel slightly smiled at Elias’ wariness.

“... Just a precaution. You know how fragile these are.”

A wisp of a magical circle slowly floated before Daniel. Taking a small step backward, he even held his breath as he feared the possibility that this floating magical rune would disappear into nothingness.

Daniel slowly reeled in his mana so as not to ruin anything at all. Even his radiant aura smoothed out to a nil.

“It’s hard to believe that something so small and fragile could… decimate everything. Just a touch of mana could render it completely useless.”

The tiny and seemingly insignificant magical circles came in the form of another name. A much more fitting name,

“Runes. It’s quite the majestic sight if I’m being honest. There had only been a handful of people that were capable of doing something so complicated. To have someone like you is a blessing to our Salvo Empire.”

Elias narrowed his eyes as a shiny sliver of blue light emitted from his irises. Beads of sweat began to form on his face as he placed the entirety of focus on this one last remaining rune. There was no room for mistake.

With one last stroke of his finger, Elias finally finished up this grueling task. As soon as he stood up, those randomly and haphazardly floating runes all around him immediately stopped.

“Seal.”

As if guided by their true purpose, every single rune rushed toward their destination. An intricate yet delicate formation appeared beneath his feet. Elias gave out an exhausted sigh but revealed a slight smile at the end. He had finally done it.

It took a large amount of mana, concentration, and most of all, mastery, to even attempt such a dangerous formation. If not for his [Absolute Talent], it would’ve taken him multiple lifetimes to construct something so complex.

“It’s finally done. What did she make this time around?”

“I didn’t check.” Daniel shrugged it off and carefully opened the silver platter. Steam quickly escaped it as it revealed a beautifully constructed meal made out of rabbit meat and vegetables. The content and quality of the meat were something even a normal commoner would be able to afford. What truly made it special was the layer of creamy velvet sauce splattered over it.

There was a specially constructed sauce using various magical herbs and spices that no normal person would ever be able to afford within their lifetime. It offered to greatly boost one’s mana capacity, and vitality.

It would only give reason to one logical outcome.

[Name: Elias Stelson

Essence: Revelation Stage

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Affinity Level: 88%

Combat Power: 18,634]

It was absurd. Elias’ sheer existence was enough to completely overwhelm any normal genius in the same realm. With the Salvo Empire’s full support, he had consumed more rare herbs and mana booters to the point that even without working on his physical strength, it was leagues beyond what people could still handle.

If Elias’ mana was completely stripped off his body, he would still keep an astounding Combat Power of 1,052. His physical state was beyond a normal person’s reach. If we take into account his mastery over skills and the amount of abilities at his disposal, killing him would be a miracle.

To what limit his powers lay, not even the Salvo Empire knew. This was exactly why the Salvo Empire approached Elias in a much more tame method. Supporting his lesser wishes while using that fact to control him into acting a specific way. The worst part of this was the fact that Elias was completely shackled.

He was neither mentally nor physically shackled.

Escaping the Salvo Empire was easy, in fact, the Salvo Empire wouldn’t even dare to force Elias’ hand into doing something too far out of his values. They were much more meticulous than that. Limitations and restrictions could only bind people by so much yet rewards and benefits superseded that.

Just as the Salvo Empire used him, he used the Salvo Empire. Elias used the Salvo Empire’s vast amount of resources to further his goal while the Salvo Empire used Elias’ prestige and talent to make a statement about their strength, securing much more than what they gave Elias.

Leaving the Salvo Empire was essentially the same as shooting himself in the foot. It was completely and utterly stupid to leave something so beneficial behind. Locked between a give and take, their relationship was neither strained nor solid. It was the perfect distance that gave both parties what they desired without giving too much.

How else would Elias have gotten the necessary documentation and research about runes? The Salvo Empire offered it to Elias under the condition to use his newfound power for the empire. This was agreed upon by both sides without any kind of trickery.

After all, what was talent if there was nothing to learn? And who else would offer something so precious without batting an eye?

“Once again, a true delicacy. I’m very envious.”

“You want some?”

Daniel shamelessly took out a piece of the rabbit meat with a gleeful expression. “Don’t mind if I do!” He ate this relatively large piece with an audible gulp. There wasn’t any risk that the Salvo Empire would take that would anger or drive Elias away. As such, any attempts of such a thing were culled by the root immediately.

The Salvo Empire found itself quite bloody after Elias had arrived and showcased his worth.

Licking his fingertips, he was completely satisfied by the fact that he gained mana equivalent to a month’s work. Going back to such a marvel, Daniel could finally confidently walk over without fear of anything going amiss.

“It’s quite a marvel every time. So what is it?”

“An apology.”

A whirring sound came from the ten-meter-long intricate mechanism. Mana began to surge through the runes. Complicated computations condensed, reformed, changed, and modified mana into a form that would perfectly suit the following effect.

One rune began to connect from one to another at an agonizingly slow pace. It verily continued on, smooth and steady. As soon as one rune connected with one another, it began to attract each other, like a magnet. After they meshed together, it was perfectly in sync.

“I’ll take my leave now. I trust you’ll keep an eye out.” Elias was about to walk off this isolated space when Daniel interrupted him.

“Before you leave, I’ll have to make my report. We have already sought out all the relevant personnel. The first thing that you need to know is where the Ascendant Realm experts went to. It’s-”

“They’re dead.”

“Hoh. I didn’t think you would already know. It’s a shame but from the looks of it, the Great Devil of Domination consumed their souls and bodies right before it escaped. The Great Dragon of Moonlight seemed to have been after something much more important than a wounded Great Devil.”

“This isn’t the end of it though, one particularly skilled expert managed to survive the onslaught and left. He had once led the resistance and managed to hold out for quite a while. Unfortunately, he was only in the Ascendant Realm. Great Beings were just far too powerful to do anything against. Our people have identified that he left due to either shame or regret. He’s been severely wounded but alive. What do you want to do with him?”

“Leave him. He seems… to have gone through far too much. Keep an eye out if he does anything out of character.”

“Noted. On the other hand, the survivors wanted to display their thanks. If I do say so myself, I would suggest you accept their appreciation.”

“By doing what exactly?”

“By being the King of Aganth. Though of course, it will only be in name. Those still in power have decided to offer tributes to you and the Salvo Empire as thanks for saving Aganth. You won’t need to handle anything at all. Just think of it as free income.”

“No.”

Such an occasion was wholly beneficial to Elias. But then lies the true intent behind Daniel’s words.

What you mean is that you offered to protect Aganth and rebuild everything in exchange for becoming their hero. In end the, you’ll swallow up Aganth so that the Salvo Empire will have a tighter hold over the land. These people have already gone through enough.

“But… they really insist.”

You mean it will happen regardless of what I choose so I should just take it. I’m not binding myself more than I already am.

Elias shook his head. “I’m already plagued with too many responsibilities. Being a King is too much for me.”

“I will relay your wishes.” Daniel had already anticipated that this would happen. Regardless, it will still happen. The Salvo Empire already has set its eyes on being the true victor of this battle. And win they did. “Though there is one last issue that needs to be resolved.”

“There’s one particular child that wants to follow you.”

“Me? There are people more qualified than me to teach.”

“I sensed the power of the Genesis Foundation on him. He’s not a part of it but he’s closely related. I’m not suggesting to accept him. I’m begging. Hear him out at least. This will help you in your future endeavors if you ever decide to leave the Salvo Empire.”

On the other matters, he could very easily settle them but for this one, it was quite a bit more complicated. Matters relating to the Genesis Foundation were, for lack of a better term, prophetic. It was as if they could see the future as it would unveil. A power that was akin to a god.

“This one, I can’t overlook it. I’ll hear him out at least. What’s his name?”

“Xeril. Xeril Earlstein. He’s a noble, no matter how fallen his family is. This won’t be met with any resistance from any side at all. He uses the spear and from the recounts of those who fought alongside him, he was a monster that had infinite potential.”

“Xeril? What a peculiar name. I’ll go meet him. I wonder if the Genesis Foundation will finally act. They’re the only leads we have on Capic at this moment.”

Elias gazed up at the beautiful blue sky.

“Just what are they planning?”