Chapter 31: The Weight of Power
Four Years Ago
The grand hall was filled with an oppressive silence as the emperor issued his command. Althea, standing with her comrades, felt her blood run cold.
"You are to stop the SS-rank dungeon break near the eastern border."
Her heart skipped a beat. An SS-rank dungeon break? It was a death sentence. Everyone in the room knew it, yet no one dared speak out—except one.
"My lord," one of her comrades, a seasoned warrior, stepped forward. "That's suicide. We don't have the strength to—"
"The emperor has spoken," a royal official cut in coldly. "You are the empire's protectors, and you will follow his orders."
The emperor's gaze swept over them, his will undeniable. Althea knew there was no room for negotiation. Defying him meant death, and though the dungeon break was essentially a death sentence, at least they would fall in battle, with honor.
The journey to the dungeon was filled with tension. Althea's comrades whispered among themselves, their fear barely concealed. She, too, felt the gnawing dread in her chest. An SS-ranked monster was far beyond anything they had faced before.
When they reached the dungeon, the nightmare unfolded.
The creatures poured out, dark blurs moving faster than they could react. Buildings crumbled around them, the sky lit with fire and destruction. One by one, her comrades fell, their bodies torn apart by the monstrous foes. Althea fought with everything she had, but she was no match for the overwhelming power of the creatures.
Injured and drained of mana, she staggered through the ruins, surrounded by the lifeless bodies of her comrades. Blood poured from her wounds, her vision blurring as she realized the futility of their mission. They had been sent here to die.
Desperate, Althea tried to summon the last vestiges of her strength. But her mana reserves were empty. She needed something more. Something forbidden.
Her mind raced to the one spell she had learned in secret—a forbidden spell that no mage would dare use lightly. It was a spell that traded the caster's life force for power. A spell that, each time it was cast, consumed 90% of the user's remaining lifespan.
"I... summon..." Her voice trembled as she attempted to recite the incantation. "...with 90% of my life span..."
She finished the final words, and a surge of energy exploded from her, a crackling power that split the air itself. In the blink of an eye, a monstrous entity—black, vast, and terrifying—appeared before her, a being of unearthly destruction. It devoured the SS-ranked dungeon creatures with ease, the landscape burning around them as the battle raged on.
The power of the forbidden summon surged through Althea, but her body was already breaking down from the effort. Her life force was draining at an accelerated pace. As the spell consumed her, the world around her went black.
She barely had the strength to stay conscious. Collapsing to her knees, she watched her comrades fall, their lifeless bodies surrounded by the wreckage of the battlefield.
---
Present Day
Althea's eyes snapped open. She was back in her room, sweat pouring down her face. Her body ached as if she had been through another battle. She looked around, her breath shaky, feeling the ghost of the past gnawing at her.
The forbidden spell had cost her much more than her strength. It had stolen nearly all of her remaining lifespan. She wasn't sure how much time she had left, but she knew one thing: every time she used that spell, it would cost her dearly.
As the memories of the past faded, she stood and adjusted her cloak. She had her work to do. The nobles, the rebellion, and the emperor—they all had their plans. And Althea had her own.
Her thoughts drifted to Raven. She knew he was growing stronger with each passing day. It was only a matter of time before his true potential emerged. She couldn't afford to let him reveal himself too soon. For now, she needed to keep him close, let him trust her—without revealing the depth of her own power.
She was cautious. Raven was special, and though he was still young, she could sense it in him. But how much did he truly know about his own abilities? How far would he go in his own growth?
Only time would tell.
---
As Althea stepped into the dimly lit meeting room, she could feel the tense air, thick with the weight of conspiracy. Around her, several prominent nobles of the empire gathered, their whispers barely audible as they strategized the future. The rebellion was underway, and Althea was an integral part of the secret plans to topple the emperor's rule.
She knew the risks. She knew the price of failure. But this was no longer just about survival—it was about securing power for herself and her allies.
Sitting at the far end of the room, she listened as the nobles discussed the Emperor's SS-rank mage, Arlen Drake. He was the key to the emperor's reign, and the most formidable obstacle in the rebellion's path. They needed to find a way to neutralize him.
"He's too powerful," one of the nobles murmured. "We've tried everything. The A-rank assassins we sent as courtesans failed to take him out. He's untouchable."
The nobles exchanged anxious glances. Althea knew what they were implying. Arlen Drake's strength was legendary. A single SS-rank mage like him was a force of nature, and the rebellion needed to find a way to deal with him if they were to succeed.
"Then we wait," another noble said, the fire of determination in his voice. "We create the conditions, gather our forces, and prepare to strike when the time is right."
"But we must deal with Arlen Drake," one of the nobles interjected. "How can we kill him? He is too powerful. We need a strategy."
"I can work on a solution," Althea said, her voice steady. "It will take time, but I believe I can create the necessary seals to bind him. It will take four years for me to complete the process and place the seals on him without his knowledge."
The room fell silent at her words. Four years. It was a long time, but the only way to succeed was through patience and careful planning. The nobility knew that the emperor's greatest strength lay in his SS-rank mage. If they could remove him, the rebellion's chances of success would increase dramatically.
"Four years..." another noble murmured. "That's too long, isn't it?"
"No," Althea said firmly. "This is the only way."
As the nobles debated further, Althea's mind wandered back to the failed assassination attempts. The assassins—A-rank female mages who had been sent as courtesans—had been unable to accomplish the task. Arlen Drake had proven too resilient, too powerful for even their greatest efforts.
But Althea knew better than to give up. She had once summoned an entity of enormous strength to save her life. She knew that no matter how impossible it seemed, there was always a way.
---
Althea's Status:
Name: Althea (Unknown)
Age: 35 (Appearance of late 20s)
Race: Human
Class: Mage
Stats:
Physical Strength: 193,000
Endurance: 198,000
Intelligence: 222,000
Wisdom: 184,000
Spirit: 210,000
Mana Capacity: 2,040,000
Abilities:
1. Forbidden Summon (SS-rank): Summons entities of immense power at a great personal cost. Each use sacrifices 90% of the caster's remaining lifespan.
2. Arcane Mastery (S-rank): Mastery over a wide range of powerful magical spells.
3. Mana Infusion (S-rank): Ability to enhance spells and abilities by drawing additional power from mana reserves.
4. Elemental Control (S-rank): Exceptional control over elemental forces, allowing for devastation on a massive scale.
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