Chapter 21
"What in the actual hell is that?" King Jallon muttered, staggering to his feet, clutching his dizzy head.
The terror from his dream didn't fade with waking..... it crashed into reality, pounding his chest like a war drum.
Every heartbeat rattled him as he stayed rooted to his bed, trying to grasp the scale of the destruction he had witnessed.
He couldn't. Not truly. All he could register was that it was massive.... beyond comprehension, beyond anything he had ever seen or felt, even with his cultivation.
The sheer scope of it left him shaking.
Taking a few shaky breaths, he ran over everything he already knew about the dream.
The man.... the devil.... was someone unknown to him. And dreams, for him, were never just dreams; they were warnings.
Omens. If this was one, then he needed to understand it, fast.
But every thought of that grinning devil made sweat pour from his body.
Even now, the smile lingered in his mind, unnatural and confident, as if the world itself conspired to reflect it. This dream must never come to pass.
Never.
A subtle wave of mana suddenly brushed his body, unlike anything he had felt before.
It wasn't just a flow..... it was concentrated, potent, sharp. King Jallon's eyes snapped toward the window. That's when he saw it.
The sky, dark with night, bore thin streaks of red..... subtle, almost imperceptible at first.
They stretched across the horizon, fading into the distance. Then, slowly, the red streaks expanded.
With every passing moment, the mana grew denser, purer, more concentrated. The phenomenon was unlike anything he had ever encountered.
Instead of excitement, it filled him with a deep, weary sense of foreboding. This is not just a bad omen. This is catastrophic. This is very, very bad…
And it wasn't happening in one place alone. The crimson phenomenon stretched across the entire world.
SOMEWHERE, on the Heart Continent, two figures watched the red hue slowly consume the night sky.
The first, a woman in a flowing blue cloak, her blonde hair drifting with the wind, spoke, her voice trembling slightly.
"What do you think, Master? Could this be the reason the barrier has destabilized?"
The second, a young man with black hair, didn't answer immediately. His eyes followed the crimson horizon, a faint, amused smile tugging at his lips.
"Of course it is," he said at last. "Not only the mana… the qi is rising too, rapidly. I'm certain the barrier will break within a few hours."
The woman paled. "Why didn't you warn me sooner? This means we have no time. I must inform the Emperor immediately!"
She vanished in an instant, but not before flashing the young man an irritated look, a silent protest against his calmness.
He didn't flinch. Instead, he chuckled softly at her expression. She's cute, perhaps…
His gaze returned to the sky, where the crimson haze continued its relentless spread, creeping closer to covering the entire world.
His gaze rose back to the sky, locking onto the ever expanding crimson hue that was slowly swallowing the entire world.
This was almost incomprehensible. The rise in qi and mana was doubling, no, tripling as the minutes passed.
He was certain that if he cultivated right now, he would break through to the next realm instantly. A massive surge in power would follow.
He wanted to cultivate. He wanted to cultivate so badly his hands were twitching.
But he couldn't.
If he did, he would break through and fall into cultivation retreat, something that could take an unknown amount of time.
Time he absolutely could not afford to waste. Not now. Not at a moment like this.
After struggling and failing to suppress the urge, the man erected a barrier around himself, blocking all external qi and mana from entering.
Only after the energy was sealed out did he finally regain control, stopping himself from instinctively cultivating.
A small drop of tears formed at the corner of his eyes.
He was crying. Totally because the excess energy would destabilize the barrier they had worked so hard to build.
Totally because there would be countless battles ahead. Definitely not because he was watching once in a lifetime opportunities slip past him at terrifying speed.
If he could just cultivate…
Another tear slipped down. Then another.
If anyone were to witness this scene, the entire continent would be shaken.
After all, whatever could make the Death Slayer cry had to be beyond disastrous.
"Hey, Teacher… are you crying?"
The blonde haired girl appeared beside him, staring with wide eyes.
The man turned, sniffed, then shook his head firmly. "Totally not. I'm not crying."
She raised an eyebrow, doubt written all over her face. "Then why is water running down your cheeks?" she asked skeptically.
He shook his head again. "Something entered my eyes. Nothing else."
"What are the Emperor's orders?" he asked quickly, tears still slipping down his face.
The girl bit her lip, trying hard not to laugh, then straightened her expression. "We're to secure the Death Zone alongside the Sil Squad.
Those who escaped when the barriers destabilized are to be captured. Anyone beyond that is to be killed."
The man nodded, his gaze drifting back to the crimson sky. Then he vanished.
The girl released her senses, checking carefully. After confirming he was truly gone, she burst into hysterical laughter.
Serves him right. Even though she didn't know the cause, she couldn't help but enjoy her teacher's rare misery.
"Wait. Why are you laughing?"
Her teacher's voice echoed from the void.
She froze.
"Ehm. Ehm." Her mind raced desperately for an excuse. "Something entered my mouth, so I was just coughing," she said, coughing lightly. "See, it's gone now."
"Okay. Be fast. We have criminals to stop from breaking out," her teacher replied before the voice vanished.
The blonde haired lady exhaled deeply, wiping invisible sweat from her face, then stepped into the void herself.
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The crimson energy kept expanding, stretching across the world, pushing the world's qi and mana to rise so sharply that it startled nearly everyone.
Some called it a divine blessing, others whispered of secret rituals being carried out, and some feared it was a terrible omen.... that the world itself would suffer.
So many speculations, but all shared one undeniable truth: whatever was happening, it was massive. Literally.
Somewhere in the Heart Continent, in what appeared to be a case or chamber of sorts, various figures stood around a large white table.
They sat in composure, but their gazes were sharp.... filled with tension, curiosity, and an unspoken weight of anticipation.
There were eight in total: five men and three women.
Each wore a unique style... some like mages, some warriors, others assassins, and one man dressed like a caveman.
They looked strange, out of place even, yet commanding in their own right.
At the head of the table sat the oddest of them all.
He wore a plain white shirt, matching trousers, and a pair of white glasses that covered green eyes glowing softly.
His gaze swept across the room, lingering on the faces of the union members.
All were present… except one. But since that member rarely attended meetings, he did not dwell on it.
The man adjusted his glasses, his voice calm yet firm. "Let's begin."
To be continued...
Author's Note:
Alright, warriors of the story, this is where I need you to step up. Every vote, every review, every little bit of support isn't just a number..... it fuels the chaos, the battles, the explosions, and every insane twist you love.
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So if you want the next chapter to come faster, with more action, more tension, more of that raw, unfiltered intensity you crave, this is your moment. Don't just sit there..... vote, review, collect, and make your mark. Your energy becomes mine, and together, we push the story further than anyone could imagine.