Clack! Clack!

The sound of footsteps moving along a pristine marble floor echoed through the grand majestic throne room. Elder Caldwell made his way through an isle with large ornately decorated pillars standing evenly spaced along the sides. Above, the ceiling was carved with arcane glyphs that pulsed resplendently in resonance with a regal imposing aura that permeated the room.

Clack! Clack!

Elder Caldwell, his expression somber but resolute, marched onward with a stalwart gait and weathered cape trailing behind him, to where the aisle ended and the room opened up. Arriving at the source of the oppressive aura, the war veteran, still clad in his battle-worn armor, immediately fell to one knee, his head bowed.

“This lowly servant pays his respects to the emperor!” Elder Caldwell stated with determination. His voice was firm and decisive. Despite his overwhelming strength that could cause the heavens to tremble, his tone betrayed no dissatisfaction at his humble station. It was as if this was how things should be.

The imposing aura pressed upon the elder causing his complexion to pale slightly yet he betrayed no outward reaction.

After a few moments, the oppressive aura alleviated.

Knowing that he had received the emperor’s acknowledgement, Elder Caldwell exhaled a sigh of relief and raised his head. In front of him lay a short staircase that led to a wide majestic throne. Crafted from the finest heaven tempered obsidian mana ore, its austere arcane engravings pulsed with a low hum as mana circulated through it.

Atop the throne perched a man who looked to be in his middle ages. Aside from his graying temples, he had short jet-black hair and sharp features. Light distorted around him and the air rippled and vibrated just from his presence alone.

This was the source of the oppressive aura that permeated the throne room. A man whose mere glance can tense an Arch mage and bring a great mage to their knees. This was the mightiest man in all the Plains. The Emperor of the Ronoan Empire of Magic.

The emperor regarded Caldwell carefully. His hand, resting on the throne’s armrest, propped up his head that wore a bored expression. “Hmm.” The man hummed. His voice was deep and powerful as it echoed through the grand throne room, “You may rise.”

Elder Caldwell rose and stood unflinching under the emperor’s scrutiny.

“Your strength has progressed,” The emperor said after a long pause. “This is good.”

Elder Caldwell bowed. “Just some meager accomplishments, my liege,” he replied humbly.

The emperor nodded faintly. Moving onto more serious business, he said, “Report.”

“Of course, my liege,” Elder Caldwell bowed once more. Expression turning serious, he began his report. “From the battle at Usurper’s valley, your suspicions can be confirmed. The Iron Forge King is at the peak of the Supernatural Realm.”

Caldwell shivered briefly when he recalled the battle that took place that day. The warriors of Khazrak had taken the upper hand against Aurum after elder Caldwell arrived with a battalion of battle mages and a platoon of tactical mages.

The tactical mages rendered the Aurum magic armaments ineffective, and the battle mages overwhelmed the Aurum magical unit. When the Aurum general took to the field, he was immediately attacked by three supernaturals.

Left unchecked, the reinforcement mages routed the Aurum army without suspense. With morale still soaring, Khazrak pressed their advantage and cornered Aurum in Usurper’s valley.

That was when things went horribly wrong. Even Elder Caldwell, who had only been there to observe from a distance, never saw it coming. Khazrak had the high ground. Aurum was trapped in the valley with no hope of escape.

Then the Iron Forge King’s generals appeared.

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Eight Supernaturals!

Even without counting the great mages in Aurum, that force was sufficient to dominate any of the great empires of the plains with the exception of Ronoa.

Caldwell had been flabbergasted. Aurum could afford to hold back so much strength against Great Jin! Even the Sorcerer Supreme had not noticed that Aurum had hidden themselves so deeply.

The emperor nodded.

Noticing that the emperor didn’t seem surprised, Elder Caldwell continued. “His twelve generals are also all in the Supernatural realm as well. Although, from my observations, apart from the Blade General, Blood General and the Drunken General, who were already famous in the plains and took part in the rebellion against Great Jin, the other’s all recently broke through.”

The emperor contemplated the information.

“What of the mission with the Aurum prince?” The emperor asked after finishing his rumination.

Worry suffused the elder’s expression. With a faint frown, he responded. “There were some complications, my lord.”

The emperor’s face remained impassive as he waited for Caldwell to continue.

“As expected, the boy was protected by a Supernatural expert. I, with the assistance of scion Lokhart’s templar, managed to hold back the expert. The scion, however, failed to subdue or kill the boy. He said there was interference from a peak great mage.”

Elder Caldwell’s expression darkened when he reached this point. He was very dissatisfied with how the mission concluded.

The emperor raised a curious brow. “A great mage? The elves were stationed that close to the human controlled demarcation of the Great Forest?”

Elder Caldwell shook his head. “She was human, my liege.”

The emperor was even more bewildered. “And she still dared to interfere in the Magic Empire’s matters?”

Caldwell could only grimace resignedly. “I imagine she was trying to curry favor with the elves, my liege. Maybe she had reached a bottleneck and wanted to buy an opportunity to breakthrough to become an Arch mage.”

Elder Caldwell also knew that rationale was ridiculous as soon as the words left his mouth. The mage had no way of gauging the importance of the boy to the elves yet his enmity with the Empire of Magic was all too clear. The risks were too high to justify her interference.

Noticing the emperor’s slight impatience, elder Caldwell schooled his expression once more. “Your eminence, there is one more matter of import.”

The emperor gestured for him to continue.

“The Supernatural expert escorting the prince as templar… he wasn’t one of the twelve.”

The emperor looked at elder Caldwell with a blank expression that said, ‘I’ll have your head if you don’t get to the point.’

Feeling a cold shiver run down his spine, elder Caldwell hastily added, “he used a sword. His style… I suspect he’s the legendary Hurricane sword saint.”

The emperor’s eye’s sharpened and his aura flared. The room shook and the pillar supports groaned in protest. Even Elder Caldwell felt his insides rattle. However, just as he was about to succumb to the pressure and collapse to the floor, the aura abruptly disappeared. Like it had never appeared in the first place.

“How far along was he on the path?” The emperor’s voice once more sounded in the still reeling elder’s ears.

Caldwell forced himself to calm down as his breathing steadied and his clenched fists relaxed. Once he was composed, he gave his answer, “His raw strength suggested him to be at the advanced stages of the Supernatural Realm, however his skill is unparalleled. Even two against one, he managed to slay the scion’s guardian templar. I nearly lost my life as well.”

The emperor drummed his fingers on his throne.

“I see,” was the response that came after. “If that is all, you are dismissed.”

Elder Caldwell bowed once more. He was about to leave when something else occurred to him. “What about scion Lokhart? He said that the abode of that great mage was on what was likely a peak tier earth rank mana crystal vein.”

The emperor simply waved his hand dismissively. “Let his father deal with it.”

Elder Caldwell bowed in understanding then swiftly left the throne room.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

The emperor’s fingers wrapped the arm of his throne. His calm visage that hadn’t showed a hint of emotion throughout the prior conversation now wore a troubled expression.

This has become troublesome. With a hostage prince, the Elves now have reason to interfere in the affairs of the Forbidden King’s Plains.

Even if that Lokhart child couldn’t capture the boy, he should have at least spared no effort to kill him. The emperor sighed. The new generation just keeps getting more and more disappointing.

“I wonder… is it really worth it to make a deal with the devil?” The emperor muttered to himself before an amused twinkle flashed through his eyes. “Aurelius… are you that confident… or are you simply foolish?”

The emperor shook his head. Only time would tell. Thinking up to here, he smiled faintly. But to think the Demon Sword Saint survived his failed ascension and even managed to retain some of his former strength. Hmmm. Interesting. How very interesting indeed.