The Western Empire

– Western Region, Capital City of the Kingdom of Goldrose –

Returning to the floating capital city of Goldrose, the place that ruled the entire country of the kingdom, where the team had been in this land in their entire adventure.

This night, a woman in knight armor flew and entered the giant castle in the golden color hurriedly.

By the time she entered the Castle. There, she found a girl praying piously while kneeling on the ground.

"High Priestess, I have returned." Samara kneeled down to show her respect to her Queen and the High Priestess of one of the largest Churches.

"Have you found them?"

"Indeed I have, the seven individuals in your vision have arrived in our world. And got to admit, they have the skills to face thousands of beasts that I've seen. I also watch them camping and I gotta say they are kinda like children like what the vision had said. They faced an Elite Wrath and I was impressed they managed to defeat it. I didn't interfere just like you ordered."

"Hm, that's perfect. The Goddess told me not to interfere with them for now, the savior of the world has finally arrived."

"By the time when I was about to return, I also got informed by the Priests, they told me that you have another message for me here."

Sherene, the Queen of the Kingdom and the Saintess of the Church nodded. She opened her deep gray eyes and looked at the sky as though worried about something.

"I received another oracle from the Goddess, Samara."

Samara, the strongest female warrior of the kingdom, was surprised. Instantly, she brought her right hand to her chest and closed her eyes in reverence. 

"I'm ready to listen to the goddess's guidance."

The Queen closed her eyes, "You know what's behind the chaos in Kalren City?"

"The Chaos Organization, I know. Those bastards have already made their move."

"You're right, but it's not just them, something worse. Not only will the New Demons come in the future were our only threat, the ones behind the attack besides the Organization were the remnants of an otherworldly danger of old that appeared, and the time of chaos is approaching."

Samara's expression changed instantly as she already knew what the Queen meant.

"Are you saying that the old Chaos Race is also behind this!?"

The Queen or the High Priestess nodded gravely, "You must go and investigate."

"Your Majesty, I've already told you I hate going back there."

"No, not in Kalren, outside of our borders. The goddess told me the first one died outside our borders in the lands of the United People's Republic of Aetlrus, however, there are more out there not just in Goldrose but in other nations. If you can find them, kill them without hesitation. If not, get all the information related you can find. Remember, the Chaos Race can't be allowed to appear again."

"Understood. I'm willing to die on my second mission."

"Good. Take a company of the Golden Paladins with. I'll inform the other kingdoms of the situation so they don't interfere with your mission."

"Right, what about 'them'?"

"I've already send a message to them, so in no time they will join in our investigation."0

Samara smiled, "Praise the Guardian of Fate." She brought her hand to her chest respectfully.

The Queen nodded with an expression of worry.

"Praise the Guardian of Fate."

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– Western Region, Capital City of the Western Veldarun Empire, Royal Palace, 2 weeks later)

The Veldarun Empire.

The nation is one of the continent's strongest Superpowers that sported a very large continental military that rivals the United People's Republic of Aetlrus, with the population over 490 million of humans. With more than thirty major cities, forty cities and hundreds of towns and villages under its territory, it was easily one of the largest countries in the continent. A territory equivalent to Canada or China from Earth.

The history of the Empire was said to be ancient, and that its foundations were laid out by a nation as far back as two thousand years ago, going back before the Era of Forgotten and the Second Great War, making it one of the oldest nations.

It is said that the long-standing of a minor Kingdom of Velda gradually absorbed the large nations in a literal speedrun, including the lost Magic Kingdom of Damron, the Western Union of Almeria, even the old Empire of the Requiema Dynasty that ruled most parts of the Continent for thousands of years, but was now long destroyed during the Second Great War. Absorbing the now fallen Superpower, it gives birth to the New Empire known today.

Its overwhelming military power was its backbone. During the past thousand years after losing 90% of its military and economy in the Second Great War, when it is now under the reign of the uniting family of the Augustus, the Empire grew immensely powerful, squashing any signs of rebellion from the nations they had absorbed. It acted as the hegemonic power, dominating these states.

In the Royal Palace, an elderly butler dressed gracefully with a traditional black uniform. He is currently walking across the large corridor of the palace, he has dark skin and his hair is entirely white, just like his immaculate beard. He has visible wrinkles on his hollow face, which makes him seem gentle in appearance, but his eyes are as sharp as an eagle's.

Most people who know him call him Sebastian.

[IMAGES]

While he looks like an ordinary old head butler, with just a glance he is a very experienced Warrior, a powerful man, a former Grand Marshal of the Imperial Army, and titled as the Supreme Commander of the great Western Empire.

Not just that, the magic power within him is too strong, while leaked, it could go to the size of a mountain, and could potentially defeat a Rank 10 with so much ease if he has ever faced one.

With this overwhelming aura and strength that anybody around him could feel, anyone will know him at the level of...

A Demigod.

Just a few days ago, he was ordered by the Secret Magic Corps led by Mistress Nikos.

His mission is to watch the fight going on at Kalren City and what the result is, making him surprised in astonishment.

The first thing Sebastian did after returning from Kalren was to report to the Emperor.

When men in red armor, or Imperial Guards spotted the elderly man walking towards the palace, they saluted him respectfully and let him pass. Sebastian returned the salute and entered the palace.

Then, he went straight to the royal hall.

Today was the day of the royal court, so the hall was filled with ministers and nobles reporting about the nation's situation. The Emperor was seated on a throne at the end of the hall, with the first princess and the second prince standing behind him.

As for the first Prince?

Well, once you close to his chamber, you will hear numerous screams and moans inside including the Prince's laughs and mocks, doing whatever he was doing with his harem.

As soon as Sebastian entered the hall, he bowed slightly towards the Emperor.

"Your majesty."

"Sebastian, my friend. You are back. Please rise." The Emperor smiled gently and waved towards the other people in the hall. All the people here were experienced, and they knew the meaning of the Emperor's gesture. So, in seconds, only the royal family and Sebastian remained in the hall.

The Emperor was a handsome middle-aged man, with very good looks for his age, and approachable face, and the characteristics similar to most of his family, red hair and crimson eyes.

[IMAGES]

But nobody that knows about the Emperor dares to underestimate him. The Emperor is someone known for being ruthless towards himself and his enemies. Moreover, he was incredibly strong, while not at the Demigod Realm, he was one of the strongest Legendary Realm Experts in the world, nearly as strong as the Great Warrior Izrael and most members of the Papal Scriptures in the Senadate Theocracy. In fact, many people considered him as the greatest Emperor ever in the Empire's history.

"I heard you have watched a messy situation on our neighbor's lands, Sebastian. Might be scary to see an endless amount of monsters in front of your very eyes, sorry for the trouble."

"I'm just doing my duty, your majesty."

The Emperor smiled satisfied, "I know, I wish I had more subjects as loyal as you. Okay, tell me everything you know. I already received a report, but I'm sure you know more than the reports say."

Sebastian nodded. Quickly and orderly, he recounted the situation to the Emperor. He started by telling him about how the monsters were discovered, how many monsters attacked the city, the number estimate of casualties, etc.

When he reached the part of the enemy Demigod, the Emperor frowned.

"Returning Dusk, Dark Mahon, Atira Criminal Sect, Chaos Organization, my Gods these bastards have so many fake names. Are you sure it's them? Not another criminal organization besides them?"

"Your majesty knows that I can never be mistaken about them."

The Emperor nodded. He also told him the report about Samara, the captain of the Order of the Guiding Light fighting against the enemy demigod. The story between Samara and the Unknown Organization was not a secret. The hatred between them was as immense as heaven and earth. In fact, Samara's main goal in life was to destroy that organization who killed Grave Leviantine, her father.

"But these groups have barely acted in the last 20 years. Why did they make such a move now?" The first Princess, who until now had been silent, asked in confusion.

"I don't know, your highness. But they clearly had a kind of goal. Unfortunately, I was unable to get enough information.

"I see." The Emperor nodded and fell deep into thoughts. A few seconds later, he looked at Sebastian again. "Tell me about the murder of the City Lord, do you know anything about it?"

"Unfortunately no, your majesty. The entire situation was very strange. I left the mansion briefly to reunite certain information, and when I returned, everybody was dead, and his daughter, Karen was nowhere to be seen... It was probably the work of them."

"Sign, bloody Sun God's beard... What are these bastards planning? The Emperor could not help but scowl. "Son, help me to communicate the reappearance of these organizations to the other kingdoms. If they are planning something, they will not stop after just a monster wave."

"Understood, father."

Replied the young man standing behind the emperor beside his sister, the second prince of the Empire.

"Is there anything else you want to report?" The Emperor asked Sebastian.

Sebastian hesitated slightly and looked at the Princess and the Prince with a gaze of hesitation.

The Emperor furrowed his brows in understanding. He then turned towards his childrens and spoke gently. 

"Children, can you leave us alone?"

Prince Marvin shrugged without minding it, same with his sister. 

"I'll visit some of my knight squads later, I heard there is a dungeon break that was about to happen not far from the capital. Me and my army are gonna deal with it then."

"I will be at the library with my friends." His daughter, Isabella said.

After saying that, the Princess cast [Gate], as a large portal appeared, she left the royal hall. The Second Prince, understanding his father's intentions, followed after his sister through the gate.

Once they were gone, the Emperor frowned, "Sebastian, what is so important that my children can't hear?"

"I seen something in Kalren City, your majesty..."

"Something?" The Emperor was confused.

".....Someone wore the armor of the Dragon Overlord, even harnessed the power of the Outer God, the Shadow Monarch."

"!!!!!" These words were like thunder resounding in the Emperor's ears. "Impossible! That armor and the ability of an Outer God is somewhere in the Great Oum's treasures, unfortunately nobody has found it since the Era of Forgotten! Are you sure!?"

"I am sure. I saw a young man wearing that armor and a man summoning the shadows of the dead. I saw both of it with my own eyes, I saw the arts of the armor. It is not mistaken that this is the actual first armor of the Monarch of the True Dragons."

"Huh, my great grandfather, dozens of demigods and the other countless nation's leaders desperately find the Great Oum's treasures for decades. How in the world is a young man able to find the rarest items and abilities in the world?"

"Not sure, your majesty. One more thing, did you hear about a group called the Minority Squad, your majesty?"

"Minority Squad? Weird name, I think I saw that name in the report, also rumors going on for the past two weeks. What I heard is that they are a group of five humans and two beastmens, they have the highest kills beside Samara in the city, right? One of them, a young man, manages to kill numerous A-Rank monsters, a young talent indeed, and another one who can summon some shadows of the dea-... wait a moment, are you saying?"

"Exactly. The ones I mentioned were one of them."

The Emperor fell silent. If Sebastian's words were true, then these young men are not the only people who have some of the Great Oum's treasures.

"According to my investigation, I couldn't find any of their background, but I learn that the group doesn't seem to belong to the Goldrose. Moreover, they were all Rank 4."

"Rank 4, huh... Not bad for their age. Moreover, most of them managed to fight monsters two Realms above them and slain them... Such talent can be considered monstrous!"

Sebastian nodded silently. He thought the same. When he saw these mysterious groups again, he could not help but marvel about their talents.

Such talent was comparable to most students at Academy City.

"Where are they now?" The Emperor asked.

"They all left Kalren City towards Southwest. But what surprised me at first is that they could fly without the use of magic. But then I realized they wore some kind of Wing Item to make them fly. I also spotted one of them holding some sort of Golem, which is very strange. The average weight of a golem is 17,000 pounds, not to mention this guy lifted the golem using a simple leash with no magic while flying. My brain hurts when I see it with my own eyes. I wonder if physics is just having a vacation for a moment."0

"Yeah, strange indeed."

The Emperor then stood up from his throne and started to pace around the hall. It was something he did when he was deliberating about something important.

Finally, after almost five minutes, he closed his eyes and sighed, "There are people keeping track of their location, right?"

"Yes." Sebastian nodded, "I asked our informants outside the kingdom to keep an eye on them. Their features are... very strange what I've described, but finding them is easy. And when our informants see them, they will report their location to our intelligence network."

"Perfect." The Emperor nodded indifferently, but before he continued, Sebastian spoke first.

"Also, we're not the only ones who got our attention. I've heard that they caught a few kingdoms' attention."

"Hm, I see. Forget them, I'll deal with it myself which I have to do the old and scariest, and a... political way." The Emperor halted his steps before looking back to his Right Hand Man.

"Sebastian, I have a mission for you. Go and take them to the Imperial capital, I want to talk with them. Use force if it's necessary."

"Your majesty, are you sure? They probably will not like it, even to the Queen of Goldrose that tried to take some people from her territory, it might have had a huge impact on our hundreds of years of treaty."

"And? I told you I will do this myself politically, and do these groups of men have a choice? If your words are right, they have the potential to become demigods in less than a few years. Do you think I will let potentially future demigods roaming around letting the other nations take them for themselves? Bring them here. Even if they are displeased, they are just Intermediate Realms. I don't believe they will prefer a life of wandering through the continent over the riches that I will pay them. Like any man, they always love money..."

He continued, "So the best result is that they decide to work for the Empire when I give them a good pay. Of course, if they are too stubborn to see what is best for them, I don't mind using the hard way, or the hardcore way. They surely will agree after a while."

"I'm not so sure about that..."

"Are you serious, Sebastian? How could some Rank 4 morons be able to reject the Emperor? I'm the Emperor of the most powerful nations in the continent! A very powerful one at that, I can lift a fucking mountain with just one hand casually. I'm not going to die to some group of retards.....

...It's not like I'm going to get crushed to some Heavy Metal Vehicle in a very painful and slow death, HAHAHAHA! How is that going to happen?"

Listening to his old friend's great grandson laughing, he couldn't help but sigh. 

He could see the Emperor was not going to change his decision.

Moreover, the Emperor was right. These low-level adventurers had the potential to become demigods. And such a person could be very valuable or very dangerous.

And even if these groups were dissatisfied, what could they do? In front of the greatest human nation, they are nothing but powerless individuals.

And as for the leaders in Goldrose, his Majesty said he will deal with it politically.

"I understand, your majesty. I'll accomplish this mission."

"Good. Don't disappoint me."

"But your majesty. What about the Republic? I've heard they heard about this. The Empire and the Republic have had a good relationship for the past thousand years. If you took those groups for yourself, it would have an impact on the two nation's relationships. You don't want to destroy what your ancestors have worked for?"

"You don't need to worry there, my friend. I am already aware of that. I would never betray my old friend Councilor Harris Gustov, speaking about him. I got a message from him that he's already aware of these people and the other councilors already voted, they will send Zabrina with you on this mission."

Hearing the name Zabrina, Sebasrian couldn't help but frown.

"Zabrina? You mean The Calamity Witch?"

"Yeah?"

"Please, your majesty, please don't let me work with that sociopath."

"Too late, my friend. The decision was already permanently made."

"Motherfu-"