The battle was over; the siege had been a success. The soldiers walked wearily toward the camp, with slow and limping steps. Some cried for the loss of their friends, others for the wounds received in battle.

But Helial did not participate in that plaintive chorus. That was not his war. He had found himself there by chance and had fought to survive.

His war was taking place in his head.

Uncertainty, anxiety.

Would he come back to his world in time for the match? Would he become strong enough to face Medusa with dignity?

Would he win?

As much as he tried to deny it to even to himself, Helial was afraid of failing. These had become recurrent thoughts as soon as he agreed to compete against a person in the Intermediate grade of the Third Phase, when he had not even got to the Second.

Can I win?

These questions continually plagued Helial's soul.

What if the Sect of the Worthy gets in the way, if it accelerates its plans for Orma?

There was no answer to those questions, which would continue to haunt Helial. Although he had now reached the state of the Emperor, it did not mean that he was totally free of worries. Now he was more self-confident, more determined, but he was not yet able to change in his favour all the circumstances that infested the Goblin capital.

Until he had achieved absolute power, he could not foresee or control what was happening around him.

It may seem silly, but this is what most disturbs the human soul: not having control of what happens outside of oneself. And the inner demons feed on all the insecurities, fears and anger; they subjugate the mind with invisible and very heavy chains.

How many people could even dream in their lives to reach Iblis' level before being crushed by their own destiny?

Anxiety, fear, pressure of events and all negative emotions could eat even the greatest of heroes alive.

Losing a battle, at times, is enough to destroy an empire inside a winner's mind.

Helial had been lucky: up until that moment he had only lost, and he knew the meaning of proceeding unpretentiously, of starting from the bottom. Even if he were defeated, he would have felt them less than others would. However, feeling them less did not mean not feeling them at all.

Among other concerns, Helial had not stopped thinking of the tangible possibility that Lumia could be captured at any moment by the Sect of the Worthy, which was ready to kill her without hesitation or, worse, torture her and rape her before killing her slowly. The very thought of this hypothesis made his guts squeeze into his body. What if that happened right now? Helial could not do anything to save her.

Sometimes he wondered if becoming aware of the risks, the pain and the suffering he would face on the road that Iblis had proposed him would be enough to lighten the burden of his concern.

And every time one he answered himself that only time could bring him an answer.

The state of the Emperor allowed him to observe every obstacle with a conscious prospect on suffering.

After studying hard in the Royal Library, Helial realized how far the heroes' stories must be from reality.

He had read countless texts, even historical ones, in which Orma's greatest heroes were described as resolute fighters, never hesitant and always ready for action. But was that really the case?

Helial wondered if those heroes had worries, as he had now; he wondered if even the knight that had led the charge felt a sword hanging over his head by a horsehair, constantly threatening his tranquillity.

And, above all, how could be possible that these negative feelings coexisted with a continuous advance on his Mana Path?

Helial still felt anger and sadness over the death of his Master, and resentment for everything he had suffered because of his brother. But he would avenge the first and recover all that the second had taken away from him.

But what he the wanted the most was to finally hold his own life in his hands.

After reaching the state of the Emperor, he had had many Illuminations on his Mana Path, but he still had to understand in which direction his freedom was going.

Is freedom just influencing your microcosm, or also being able to destroy all living creatures with a snap of your fingers?

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The day these questions were answered, Helial would make great progress on his Mana Path.

The Mana Path was something intangible, immaterial, but which profoundly influenced the lives of all warriors who had decided to embark on the cultivation of Mana.

All the negative emotions lying deep in the heart could block a warrior for centuries on a problem of his Mana Path. Helial needed an answer, to understand what really resonated with his Soul.

And, at the moment, what most seemed to move his soul was the blonde figure who rode the demonic beast. That man, who did not seem to be more than a boy, had massacred all his enemies relentlessly, not even sparing women and children.

At the sight of his deeds, however bloody and cruel, one could only be amazed.

And yet on his face there was always a frown and a worried expression, which hinted at a deep pain. There was no joy in his eyes as he killed enemies left and right. It did not seem easy for him to steal lives from men, or even live.

However, if his heart was not light and clear, how could his soul be so extraordinary?

That question continued to haunt Helial who, unconsciously, had achieved an Enlightenment for his Mana Path.

His heart slightly accelerated and began to absorb all the negative emotions present within his body; once they entered the bloodstream, they began to permeate every single Meridian and muscle fibre in Helial's body, making his flesh much more powerful than before, but he had no perception of it. While this was happening, Helial felt only a slight numbness in his limbs.

Your body is subjected to a slow refinement process.

You earn 30 Stat Points in Strength, Vigour and Dexterity.

He glanced at the Stats window.

Name

Helial

Race

Human

Title

Disciple of the King

Primary Class

Champion of the Runic Forge (Unique Class)

Primary Affinity

Light

Primary Profession

None

Level

85

Exp.

654,988 / 1,530,000

HP

6,350/12,350

MP

1,390/54,090

Strength

215

Stamina

233

Mental Energy

32,324/210,324

Intelligence

240

Wisdom

195

Dexterity

170

Present Effects:

Physical Endurance 5%

Vitality Regeneration: 1800 Health Regeneration: 1800% Physical Resistance: 3000% Magic Resistance: 3000%

Stat Points to distribute: 402

Raising his head to check the Statistics window, Helial saw the imposing figure of Crater in front of him. The man had decided to personally escort Helial, a silent recruit, and save his life. Without his intervention, Helial would surely have died.

Suddenly another golden-armoured general approached Helial. The young man saw him out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't pay him too much attention.

BANG!

Helial's pupils narrowed suddenly. What?!

The General gave Helial a loud spanking and laughed, then turned to Crater and shouted at him: "Hey, Crater! I saw that this young man moves as an animal! Where the hell did you find this recruit? "

Crater's blond hair was moved by the wind and for a moment, Helial thought in front of him there was one of those heroes he had so often seen depicted on the worn pages of the books in the Royal Library.

Still shaken, Helial turned to look at the General next to him. He had long brown hair, cheekbones carved as in marble and a halo of black around his light green eyes, perhaps what was left of a paint he had placed on his face.

"Efeistio, please leave our young man alone," laughed Crater. “He is with me by order of his majesty, King Alexander. I have to report. We have conquered the city, but Besso's army awaits us in the mountains with an infinite number of warriors born in those areas. If we fail to take their fortresses, we will hardly be able to set an outpost and bring reinforcements from the homeland."

As the two spoke, Helial put his hand on his still sore butt, massaging the red area. Although the two warriors were talking about logistical problems related to the battle, Helial still thought about the slap he had just received. Is it a common practice for these warriors?

As he asked himself that question, he also tried to think of how to understand where he had he ended up. Was this an illusion?

He couldn't know. Illusion or not, he was certain that if he died there he would die in his world too. Such a powerful illusion would certainly be merciful to him.

"Iblis, where the fuck did I end up?" Asked Helial, impatiently, inside his Soul, which had become silent as never before.

Nothing.

Nobody answered.

Why the hell was Iblis gone so suddenly?

Crater greeted Efeistio and turned to his new recruit: “The King saw how you fought on the battlefield and asked me to bring you to him. There will also be other recruits. He probably wants you to train to become part of his personal guard. "

Helial nodded and remained silent, following the slender and heroic figure of Crater.

Now that he had arrived in this world, without Iblis' support, he would take advantage of the possibility that had been given to him: his first goal would be to bring his Skills to the highest level possible.

Illusion or not, his Stats were real. He had just checked them.

Therefore, he could increase his abilities in that world.

Flame of the Qilin. Runes. Metamorphosis.

He had a lot to work on and couldn't afford to lag behind. He did not know how long he would remain within the illusion, but he imagined that Cesar would go and call him two weeks later nonetheless.

He only had two weeks to get stronger and would take advantage of every single second to max all his abilities.