Nightmare s CallNightmare s Call
the sage king had sensed it. the high suppressibility of the holy power had a powerful suppressive effect on any underworld beings.
that was why he had lured the holy emperor to attack faldt, the magister.
back then, lin sheng had temporarily leveled up his strength and finally defeated faldt. that was all because of the holy power’s suppressibility. all of this did not escape the sage king’s fire eyes.
the sage king kept going. the sound-insulation magic circle did not affect his ability to control the situation outside. he was listening to the dying cries of the battle while walking toward the sanctum with a smile on his face. that place was the core of henricqal.
“i have roughly mastered the moves of the holy emperor. so long as i could guard against his killer move—the one that releases an unlimited burst of holy power, the rest won’t be a concern.” recalling the intel about the holy emperor, a confident smile broke out on the sage king’s face.
he ambled through the streets, passing through the fortifications that were being set up urgently. the broadcast was calling the people to gather in one place as they were about to enter the isolation area for safety.
a boy was crying as he looked for his parents on the pedestrian walk after he was separated from them.
“dad… mom…” tears rolled down his cheeks.
the sage king saw the boy. he paused his step for a second before going up to the boy.
“don’t cry, kid. your parents are they, look!” he pointed.
in the crowd a distance away, the scene of a couple frantically searching for their boy was plain to see. people were everywhere, yet the boy suddenly saw his parents from this distance. something seemed to have magnified the couple’s sense of presence.
“dad, mom!” the boy ran toward them, overjoyed. halfway, the boy looked back at the sage king. “thank you! what is your name? i will repay your kindness when i grow up!”
the sage king was startled, not expecting a boy at his age was this mature in thinking. he returned a smile.
“my name… you can call me the holy emperor.”
the holy emperor? so he was the emperor? while the boy looked at him, transfixed, the old man had turned around and walked toward the sanctum in the distance.
…
the prayer hall in the sanctum.
the night lord, draped in thick armor, and the steel lord and other prefects from shermanton, all clad in similar armor, had gathered together.
all prefects had achieved six-winged strength. they were just one step away from the palatinate realm. but crossing this threshold was difficult. opening the tidal gate and connecting to the different seas of energy was not exactly something simple. whoever it was, he or she must spend a long time accumulating and learning the knowledge before ever getting the guts to open it. if becoming a palatinate was that easy, there would have been just a two-digit number of them in the entire world last time.
“tenko kasumi, we are here to help. if you need anything, just say it!” the night lord looked at her, who was inside the prayer hall.
“no problem over there in shermanton?” tenko kasumi asked in surprise.
“no problem. the blacktide over there is under control. due to the terrain, we just need to worry about the impacts on two sides in shermanton. and those monsters over there aren’t as nasty as those here.”
the night lord meant it. the reason was that sanctum shermanton had reacted much earlier than sanctum henricqal did. plus the full cooperation from the government, shermanton had built the thickest and highest defensive wall when the blacktide first broke out.
many people had unexplained confidence in the holy city because of the high walls.
besides, many transcendents attached to the government had become clerics. they were a formidable force to be reckoned with, having their own division, with at least four six-wingers. hidden in the division were the palatinates, who were used to be members of the transcendent special strike force. as the war broke out, they flung themselves into fighting the blacktide.
“khadula is holding down the fort. no problem,” the night lord said. furthermore, also in shermanton, were the fairy empress and giant king brothers, who were fearless in the face of challenges.
“great! let’s stabilize the situation here and we can return to shermanton to boost the support there!” said tenko kasumi. without beating about the bush, she assigned and dispatched them to guard different locations.
“what about me? what am i supposed to do?” seeing that kasumi had not given him any task, the night lord asked.
“you? please hold down the fort in the hq, ok?” kasumi glanced at him, surprised to hear he was offering himself to do something.
as if he had read what kasumi meant, the knight lord smiled sheepishly. “i just want to do something for everyone.”
“since you are so motivated, you might as well go to the frontline where the battle is the most brutal. it will boost everyone’s morale!” kasumi suggested. “didn’t you achieve a breakthrough already? any problem?”
“i got it. leave it to me!” the night lord stepped forward. he wanted to use this battle to get rid of his nickname ‘the sloth king.’ he was the night lord, the second most powerful one in the sanctum. being called the sloth king was such an embarrassment. this time he was going to change everyone’s perception of him and recover from the humiliation.
they dispersed quickly. taking a few leaps, the night lord came out of the prayer hall, passed through the complex of halls, and arrived in front of the entrance of the sanctum hq.
just as he was about to leave and head to the frontline, the voice of an old man came into his head.
“wait, mr. night lord.”
was that telepathy? the night lord stopped in his tracks, looking in the voice’s direction.
he saw a gray-haired old man, holding a staff in his hand, the smile on his face avuncular, exuding a powerful air of holy power that signified he was on the side of the sanctum.
sensing the high level of holy power cultivation, the night lord immediately warmed up to the old man. having this level of holy power meant that the person had powerful will and faith.
“hello, may i help you?” the night lord asked. “if not, i’ve got to go to the frontline now.”
the sage king looked at him with a smile. “have you ever thought about why the holy emperor shows you no respect? you know you have impressive strength, probably one of the most powerful, if not the only, one in the sanctum. why doesn’t he care about your feelings?”
“you know you have exceptional strength, yet getting this unfair treatment. it is apparent that the holy emperor is jealous of you. he is… afraid that you might replace him.
“look at your expression. have i gotten it right?” the sage king felt good about himself again as if his prediction was right. he thought he had talked yet another person over, just like last time.
“night lord, with the power you have, you shouldn’t be getting this treatment. you deserve more—more power and authority…”