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Chapter 15 – The Beast That Commands
The storm hadn't faded.
Neither had the tension.
After the Apex Gauntlet had reshaped Jay's inner hierarchy, rumors began swirling within the Obsidian halls of the Black Citadel—rumors that Jay wasn't done. That something bigger was coming. A final test. A reward so great it could change everything.
Those whispers became fact when Jay stepped before the entire Citadel army once again.
Bingo, his colossal empire-class war beast, stood at his side—armor-clad now, regal and composed, his eyes radiating suppressed power.
Jay raised one hand.
> "You want legacy?" he called out, voice echoing across the courtyard. "Then you'll fight for it."
The crowd went still.
> "I'm offering Bingo."
Gasps.
Even Araya blinked in surprise.
> "Not just him. Whoever wins this… inherits more."
> "A war chest of enchanted relics." "A battalion to command." "And my backing."
> "This isn't about strength alone. It's about who deserves to lead."
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🛡️ The Inheritance Gauntlet – Tournament of the Worthy
Participants: Top 30 finalists from the Apex Gauntlet
Rules: Solo duels in a knockout format
Prize:
– Command of a new elite beast-rider division
– Bingo as a bonded mount
– Three ancient relics from Jay's vault
– 20 million imperial gold coins worth of resources
– Title: Warden of the Storm
> "The one who wins," Jay said, "becomes the face of my wrath in foreign lands."
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⚔️ Day One – The Roar Begins
The battles started at dawn, watched by thousands.
Elemental clashes split the sky.
Martial arts dancers weaved through mana bursts and bone-breaking strikes. Jay watched quietly, noting more than just technique. He judged their intent.
By nightfall, ten remained. Bloodied. Shaken. Alive.
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⚔️ Day Two – Shadows and Scars
The second round was brutal.
Contestants fought under a full moon, surrounded by shadow-illusion zones created by Jay himself. Every blow was doubled. Every missed breath punished.
One contestant fell to his knees after defeating two challengers in a row, refusing healing to push into the next match.
Jay watched, silently impressed.
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⚔️ Final Day – The King's Eye
The last three contenders stood before him:
1. Kael – A silent half-elf swordsman who used mana-infused footwork and lightning feints
2. Riven – Araya's hand-picked enforcer, shadow user, ruthless tactician
3. Naerra – A beastkin hybrid who fought with elemental claws and frostfire martial arts
Jay stood from his throne, walking toward them. Lightning trailed behind him like a cloak.
> "This is no longer a game."
> "You'll each face me."
Their eyes widened.
> "I won't fight back. But if you land even one strike… the match is yours."
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🌀 System Protocol: Loyalty Burst Evaluation Enabled
> All three finalists had loyalty over 80-95%—worthy of advancement
But Jay wanted one commander who earned his beast, not just the crowd's favor
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⚔️ Final Trial – Strike the Reaper
Naerra stepped first. She lunged, danced, twisted through the air.
She missed.
Kael moved like wind, but Jay's simple shift of posture ended it.
Only Riven remained.
He lowered his body, sank into shadow, and flickered—
His dagger appeared inches from Jay's neck… then stopped.
He smiled and pulled it away.
> "I won't raise a blade against my king."
Jay's eyes narrowed.
> "Then you win."
The system responded instantly.
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🌀 SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT
[ Title Earned – Warden of the Storm ]
> — New Commander: Riven of House Nocthale
— Beast Bond Initiated: BINGO
— Elite Beast-Rider Division Unlocked
— Relics Transferred: [Voidbreaker Mantle], [Pulse Fang], [Crown of Raijin]
— Resources Assigned: 20,000,000 Gold Equivalent
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🔥 Jay's Closing Words:
> "This is more than reward." "It's inheritance." "The next time someone sees Bingo—let them wonder if I'm there… or if I sent something worse."
The Black Citadel roared in approval.
Jay turned to Araya, eyes calm but full of strategy.
> "Prepare the announcement to the Empire," he said. "The age of Kings is over."
I'll rule the world
> "Now comes the age of the Black citadel"
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Chapter 16 – Kingdoms Fall, Shadows Rise
> "Empires don't crumble in one strike. But their foundations do."
— Jay Equiel
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The Black Citadel no longer cast a shadow over just one land—it now cloaked entire borders.
Jay had no interest in conquering the Empire he was born to rule.
Not yet.
Instead, he turned his gaze outward—toward the fractured kingdoms to the west and southeast. Isolated, arrogant, and decadent, they offered ripe targets. Their kings sat fat on golden thrones, their soldiers lazy behind enchanted walls.
And Jay would take everything from them—before they even knew who he was.
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🌌 Operation: Silent Dominion
Jay personally named the campaign. It was swift, brutal, and surgical.
He dispatched seven elite warbands—each led by a Shadowborn General or hand-picked Inner Fang—into minor kingdoms under the guise of adventuring missions.
Their objectives:
Infiltrate.
Collapse noble defenses.
Capture military elites.
Seize all magical resources.
Subjugate royal families.
> "No mindless killing. We don't conquer—we absorb," Jay ordered.
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🛡️ Military Requirement Upgrade
> 🌀 System Notification – Shadowborn Protocol Update
All soldiers must maintain A-Rank Minimum Combat Output.
Failure results in: – Demotion
– Resource strip
– Public reassignment to Border Hellfronts
This harsh policy created an explosion in training, evolution, and internal pressure.
Jay introduced a new regimen:
Midnight Duels: Random A-Rank combat checkups
Tactical Brutality Tests: Mental stress scenarios under illusion domains
Loyalty Flame Trials: Lust resistance, temptation calibration, and mental fortification using Succubus resonance
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📍 Kingdoms Conquered (Within 1 Year)
1. Velhan
Status: Collapsed
King executed, queen subjugated, princess inducted into Jay's personal court
Royal Vault Loot: 45 million gold, 17 holy relics, a minor World Tree branch
2. Thermond
Status: Absorbed
Army integrated (76 soldiers survived trials and rose to A-Rank)
Princess became a Lust System bearer, bound to Jay
3. Orcadian Vale
Status: Burned and rebuilt as training ground
Beast Riders and Blood Mages turned into elite berserker platoons
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Jay had discovered an interesting feature of the system any wowem he had can get and use sub system but with the help of Sasha he got a hole new system with the power of these 2 there is unlimited potential
Lust sytem and sub system system
A/N: [ Iknow praise me I so creative with these names ]
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💗 The Lust System – Jay's Secret Weapon
Jay unlocked Level 3 Access of the Sovereign Lust System.
Its powers had evolved beyond seduction.
Now it granted:
Dominance Contracts: Magical soul-binds on queens and noble daughters
Affinity Drain: Stealing affinity from conquered bloodlines
Eros Ascension: Boost in physical, charm, and combat stats per loyal Lust-bound follower
By year's end:
Jay had 14 Lust-Bound Royal Women
Each offered +12% to his charm, mana recovery, and willpower resistances
His Charm stat evolved into a living aura, affecting entire city populations on entry
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📈 Rank Ascension – The Storm Breaks
Jay reached S-Rank after mastering the Imperial Heart Ascension Method – Final Verse, deep within a mana storm rift near a fallen kingdom's capital.
He emerged with:
A storm halo around his body
Passive lightning nullification
An evolved skill: [Sovereign Overload – Pulse of All Elements]
> "You needed a year, and you gave me power meant for centuries."
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📜 Final Statement – Year One of Jay's Reign
6 kingdoms subjugated
512 new elite soldiers forged (A-Rank minimum)
19 shadow domains awakened
2 new Citadels constructed across borders
1 prophecy whispered: "The Silent Reaper who crowns lust and lightning will ascend beyond kings."
Jay looked down at the map before him, 30% of the continent now under his flag.
> "Let the empires mock me from their golden walls," he said, fingers crackling with cold lightning. "I'm not coming for their thrones…" "I'm coming to replace them."
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