Ten years later…

The Lantis Republic. Celestial Island. Shin’s residence.

Ten years had passed since that fateful day in the Neutral Lands. The long war that disrupted the peace and prosperity of the world… had finally come to a close. When Shin teleported right to the Allfather’s main body and executed him, the remaining Black Masks all went into a state of frenzy. The mana that bound them all had been released, and their curses were lifted. Some of them shed tears of joy, jovial that the tyrant that ruled over them was finally dead.

Most, however, took the marauder’s way out. Of the four remaining Noble Beasts, Kuro, Akai and Murasaki lost all sense of control, becoming berserk Primordial Beasts that bore their fangs one final time. Three Primordial Beasts that fought with nothing to lose was a scary sight, but against the empowered Alliance, they were nothing more than quick target practice. Without the Allfather’s mana supplementing them, the three Primordial Beasts were quickly struck down and executed before any trial could be given to them.

The Mirror Deity Shiro, on the other hand, wasn’t willing to die with the sinking ship. Using his Space-Elemental portals, the Mirror Deity attempted to hide until the end of time, praying that no one would disturb him as long as he laid low. Alas, how could he hide from the man who had merged with Water itself? Shin found Shiro within seconds of his disappearance and dragged the Space-Elemental Primordial Beast back to the Alliance.

Like Kin and Gin, Shiro was thrown into a maximum-security prison, which was specially designed to contain the Mirror Deity. During the Black Masks’ heyday, Shiro’s involvement was indisputable as he frequently teleported the Black Masks everywhere. He was also directly responsible for many of the Black Masks’ most heinous crimes, such as the assassination of Saint Suhavis. There was no way the Alliance would grant Shiro mercy.

Life in prison… that was just the beginning of Shiro’s sentence. For his crimes against humanity, the Mirror Deity would become a living test subject for the Alliance and their labs, in the hopes of further enhancing humanity’s understanding of the Space-Elements. He would forever be sealed, never to see the sun ever again.

The remaining humans surviving from the Black Masks suffered similar fates. Most of them were left to rot in prison while a select few… took the easy way out. Saint Heigui was one of those men.

Rather than face the music for his crime, Saint Heigui decided to exhaust what little life he had left in his old body and pass on into the Netherworld without the Alliance’s permission. It was a more preferable fate, rather than facing the people he betrayed… The men and women of his own clan that were affected by his selfish decision. A decision that didn’t even give him what he wanted.

In the end, the war against the Black Masks lasted over two decades. Though history would record the Alliance as the winners, there was no real victor. The three superpowers who united to take down the threat… they eventually started having problems of their own.

Firstly, the cost to rebuild the devastation caused by the Allfather and the Black Masks was far too steep. Forget about the economic pit that most nations suffered through participating in the war… the human cost itself was hard to recover from. It would take centuries of procreating for the world’s population to return back to what it was before the war, and there was no guarantee that the world would ever recover all that’s lost.

Secondly, with the Terre Continent divided, what was stopping individual states from breaking free of their overlord’s control? The Kori Federation and the Himmel Empire, two former landlocked nations with territories that spread over thousands of kilometres… were now fragmented. Borders that were formerly just separated by fences… now had oceans between them. If any of those governments wanted to exert control… it would take far more time and resources, something that neither of them lacked.

And finally, the most significant pain that the war had caused… was unquestionably the loss of human lives. Bonds that people had forged would never be recovered. People that fought valiantly in the war, only to give the ultimate sacrifice… They could never join the victory parade that resonated throughout the three superpowers.

The people that Shin had lost to the Black Masks… Ariel, Lily, Linus, Shizen, Junius… Young lives that were meant to lead long lives of happiness and prosperity… They would never get to watch the end of the Black Masks. They would never get to see their own families, have children and laugh alongside Shin and the rest of their cherished friends. The family ties that they had formed… they were never going to be the same ever again.

However, life has to go on…

Of the seven young heroes, Elrin was the one that had to move on the quickest. Straight after the war, Guardian Sword’s purpose had evaporated away. All of the elites that were gathered by Shin, they were forced into unemployment when Shin effectively dissolved the organisation overnight. But, for those elites, going into unemployment doesn’t mean that they would never find work again. It was the contrary.

Elrin left the Hall of Gold and returned back to the Zedcris Conglomerate, taking the place that she rightfully deserves… The President. Her father still held the title of Chairman, but effectively, Elrin had taken full control over the world’s richest merchant group. Elrin used all of the tactics she’d learnt from being the Hall Master of the Hall of Gold and consolidated power around her small fingers. In just one decade, the relatively young prodigy doubled the revenue per year that the Zedcris Conglomerate earned and spread its influence from a nationwide merchant organisation to an international powerhouse.

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To some extent, the Zedcris Conglomerate was now the fourth superpower, with Elrin as their figurehead. Her influence was in no way inferior to that of the Himmel Empire’s Emperor, and that was saying quite a bit.

And yes… As Shin feared many years, Elrin didn’t marry. Not that she didn’t have any affairs with men, it was just… none of them were worthy of her hand. They were all gold diggers hoping to marry rich and live the rest of their lives as worthless bums or trophy husbands. Because of that, Elrin much rather spend time with her cats than to go on any dates. Even with Max by her side, Elrin decided that marrying wasn’t for her.

Elrin’s fellow Himmel Empire resident, on the other hand, had a much different tale. Isadore, the bosom friend of Shin and the next Spear of the Himmel Empire… Took fate to his own hands. Rather than listening to the Himmel Ancestor’s teachings, Isadore started his own organisation that used the remnants of the Hall of Whispers. Like Elrin, Isadore’s new information agency snowballed, quickly becoming the premier choice for all high-levelled organisations.

The Eyes of Silver became a household name after a good decade, and few could elude their vision. If the Eyes of Silver wanted to know something, chances are, they will get a detailed intelligence report by the end of the hour. That was how efficient Isadore’s new agency was.

Unlike Elrin however, Isadore found something that the woman has yet to obtain. A lover. Fionn, the former Vice-Master of the Hall of Whispers and the former orphan that grew up with Shin, somehow managed to tie Isadore up by the neck.

No, there was another pair that surpassed Isadore and Fionn in legend. Emma, Glacial Fairy Markswoman and Ella, The Blizzard Fairy Sharpshooter, took centre stage after the long war came to a halt. Since Guardian Sword had been dissolved, the twins had taken over the mantle of the saviour, going round broken communities to fix them through charitable work.

Funded by the Zedcris Conglomerate, the twins built orphanages all around the world, regardless of their nationality or ethnicity. As a homage to their times as orphans, Ella and Emma spent much of the decade tutoring and making conducive environments for displaced children to grow. They would be aided by the majority of their fellow orphans. Ryner and Lia, already a married couple with two children, understood how imperative one growing years were. They willingly joined the twins in their cause, saving as many orphans as they could.

Elyse, tired of the war as well, quit fighting on the frontlines and focused on the recovery efforts that the twins launched. Occasionally, she would return to the Lantis Republic to kick back and relax with her favoured brother and her nephews and nieces, but for the most part, Elyse led a retired life, aiding as many homeless children as she could.

Though Elyse was living a semi-retired life, it was nothing compared to Lady Seph’s. Aided by her trusted disciple Kesyl and her serv-, apprentice Max, Lady Seph went deep into investigating the mysteries that plagued the scientific community. She had all the funding she needed from the Zedcris Conglomerate, and there were no governments in the world that dared to order her for commissions.

Who dared to order the Master of the next Spirit Immortal?

So, Lady Seph led her days peacefully, though there were the odd times where explosions could be heard from her lab… but no one really has to talk about it.

As for the original power couple… Only Kanari continued to show her face to the world. The day that Shin reached Rank 99 and became a Spirit Saint, his status in the world had changed entirely. The old rules dictated that no Spirit Saint was allowed to meddle in mortal affairs, and that applied to Shin as well, doubly so in fact.

Shin’s One with Water ability was powerful, so incredibly powerful that all the Spirit Saints in the world combined were unable to do a single thing to him. No, even if all the cultivators in the world were rounded up, given the best gear and trained by the best mentors… They could only dream of beating Shin as long as he has One with Water.

So that created a problem… Shin had to abdicate and retreat into the shadows. For the sake of balancing the world, Shin couldn’t meddle in mortal affairs in any shape or form. In his place, Kanari took over all diplomatic matters. Although she was Shin’s wife, Kanari was a former Duchess as well as a Princess that ruled alongside him. She knew all there is to know about diplomacy and keeping power.

Kanari acted as the international peacekeeper of the world, as it was slowly trying to rebuild. She helped the Healer’s Association, Blacksmith’s League and Mercenary Guild settle down in the new Land of Dreams while suggesting that embassies be put in each state so that better communication could be facilitated. She negotiated the peace treaty between the three superpowers, allowing them to settle their internal affairs without caring about foreign invasions.

Kanari also set up international organisations such as a global police force that knew no borders, an international court that tried the remnants of the Black Masks and a peacekeeping organisation that helped prevent the outbreak of any further wars.

They were all in their embryonic stages, but Kanari’s actions would become the bedrock of the new world order, one that was going to lead the planet for thousands of years to come.

So… What about the man behind it all? What about the man who the whole world now revered as their saviour? What about Shin?

“This Oolong tea is remarkable! Uriel, you improved yet again.”

“Really? But I think it’s nothing compared to father’s brew...”

“Haha, in my heart, anything that you make is far superior to my own!” Shin pinched the nose of his teenage daughter while they sat shoulder-to-shoulder at their garden’s gazebo. He lowered down the cup onto its saucer and took a calming breath. The air here was crisp and the scenery, as beautiful as can be. Few could enjoy such a life, watching a garden in full bloom while one’s daughter served him tea. So, Shin was going to make the full use of it.

“How’s school?”

“Boring...” Uriel rolled her eyes, the way any typical teenager would when they talked about school. “I’ve learnt everything that I needed from you! Must I really stay in school? Can’t I just graduate already?”

“Graduate and do what?”

“Ummm...” Uriel averted her gaze and bit the bottom of her lips.

“See? You don’t even know what you want to become… Your other siblings have already stepped foot on their respective career paths!”

“They’re older than me, so it can’t be helped!” Shin’s youngest daughter objected. “I still have a long way to go!”

“Hah… What am I going to do with you?” Shin rubbed his forehead and squeezed his daughter’s adorable cheeks.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch! Father, it hurts!”

While the rest of his companions were out in the world making names for themselves, Shin remained secluded in his mansion, rarely leaving it for business or pleasure. He spent everyday teaching and nurturing his children, a life that he couldn’t have had if he was the saviour. And oddly enough… Shin quite liked his new life.

‘Though this can’t last forever...’