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The Flames of Chaos
After officially accepting Fubao as his disciple, Ken did not waste a single second. He immediately urged Fubao to move to save his mother and sister, refusing to grant even a sliver of opportunity to whatever cruel fate might befall them. Just as the sun began to tilt westward and the sky bled into hues of beaten copper, they departed for the Fire Kingdom.
Upon reaching the outer borders of the village, a figure cloaked in pitch-black robes stood silently waiting for them, gripping the reins of two heavily muscled stallions. Fubao gasped. His memory instantaneously recognized the silhouette’s posture.
This person… isn’t he the shadow who saved me from the Fire Kingdom’s hounds back then? Fubao wondered inwardly, his heart pounding wildly as he recalled his life-risking escape.
The two immediately mounted their respective steeds, tearing through the twilight wind. They undertook a long journey across steep valleys and pine forests slowly being swallowed by darkness. Fubao, who had been engulfed in a vortex of curiosity the entire time, finally gathered his courage to shatter the silence of the galloping hooves.
”M-Master… who exactly was that cloaked uncle?” he asked nervously.
”He is my subordinate. Why?” Ken replied flatly, merely glancing back for a fleeting second to evaluate his new disciple’s visage.
”N-no… it’s nothing, Master,” Fubao deflected swiftly, hastily lowering his gaze to the horse’s mane.
Ken returned his gaze straight to the horizon, yet his voice resonated deeply, carrying an authoritative pressure. “Fubao.”
”Y-yes, Master?”
”I demand that whatever you witness starting tonight, you shall not breathe a word of it to a living soul. Just as you possess a past, I too harbor profound secrets that are not yet ready to be revealed to the realm.”
Hearing the absolute edict, Fubao nodded firmly. “U-understood, Master. Rest assured… my lips are permanently sealed. I understand.”
”Excellent,” Ken replied curtly. Silence reclaimed the night.
The journey continued for hours on end. The night wind began to feel arid, carrying the distinct scent of sulfur and scorching dust—an absolute indicator that the Fire Kingdom’s borders were directly ahead. Recognizing the shift in the atmosphere, Fubao pulled on his reins and warned his master.
”Master, just beyond that small hill ahead lies the borderline between the Sky Kingdom and the Fire Kingdom,” Fubao reported with a hushed voice. “If we recklessly breach through the main path, the guard posts will immediately detect our presence.”
”Is that so?” Ken responded, slowly halting his steed’s momentum.
”Yes, Master. I know of a hidden rat-path that is far safer, but the terrain forces us to abandon these horses and continue on foot through the dense forest,” Fubao explained with utmost caution.
”Very well then, you shall lead the way,” Ken stated casually as he dismounted from the saddle.
”Understood, Master,” Fubao replied, jumping down as well. He stared at the two exhausted, snorting horses with a doubtful expression. “But… is it safe to just leave these beasts here, Master? They could be devoured by predators.”
”Naturally, it is not safe to leave them be,” Ken answered flatly. He slowly raised his right hand.
A metallic ring upon his finger radiated a blinding, cosmic blue luminescence. The wave of light swept over the two horses, and in the blink of an eye, the colossal beasts vanished, swallowed by the empty void.
”Hah! I-is that… a Spatial Ring, Master?! Aren’t magical relics like Spatial Rings only capable of housing inanimate objects?” Fubao exclaimed in profound shock, his eyes nearly popping from their sockets.
”Your general comprehension is correct,” Ken answered. “However, the ring adorning my finger is exceptional—its dimensional space possesses an ecosystem capable of sustaining living entities.”
”Wahhh! I never knew a Spatial Ring with such a heaven-defying level of magic existed in this realm!” Fubao marveled, shaking his head in disbelief.
Ken gazed at the ring on his finger, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Truthfully, a Spatial Ring artifact of this caliber has never been recorded in the history of the continent. I forged it myself using an arcane technique.”
”Wahh… So Master is also a Forging Grandmaster?” Fubao murmured, his reverence for Ken piercing the very heavens.
”Before we resume our infiltration, I shall bestow a grace upon you. Extend your right hand now,” Ken commanded, shifting the conversation.
”Understood, Master.” Fubao immediately extended his arm without an ounce of hesitation.
Ken hovered his palm directly above the back of Fubao’s hand. “I will implant a Seal Formation so your essence is linked directly to mine. This sacred seal will also serve as the absolute mark that you are my official disciple.”
”Y-yes, I am ready, Master,” Fubao answered, gulping hard.
A burst of golden-crimson light softly detonated from Ken’s palm. A current of searing energy crawled across Fubao’s skin, carving a highly complex geometric Star Seal upon the back of his hand. The seal pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat before fading and sinking completely beneath his flesh.
”Now your thread of destiny is intertwined with mine. As long as you remain within the radius of my perception, I can distort space and instantly teleport to the exact coordinates where you stand,” Ken explained, revealing the absolute tyranny of his technique.
”I-instantly… teleport?” Fubao froze, his mind frantically processing the information while the muscles in his visage slowly tensed.
”Yes,” Ken continued tranquilly. “Naturally, there are other practical applications that you may ask your senior brother, Asikin, about in the future.”
”U-understood, Master…” Fubao answered. For some unknown reason, a crimson flush spread across his cheeks.
Ken furrowed his brow, catching the bizarre fluctuation in his disciple’s aura. “What is wrong with your face?”
”B-but, Master… what if there comes a time when I wish to… bathe?” Fubao asked with a dreadfully serious, tense expression.
The air around them seemed to freeze for a heartbeat. Ken stood rigidly silent, suddenly having to exert physical effort to suppress an awkward smile. “Ah, matters of privacy… naturally, you can block the connection. Simply focus your mental currents onto the core of the seal, and manually seal its gateway. Try it now.”
He has a point… Heavens, I nearly overlooked that humiliating detail. Phew, Ken sighed inwardly with relief, thankful he wouldn’t have to visualize such a ridiculous scenario in the future.
”Understood, Master. I have grasped the pattern to open and close it,” Fubao stated, patting his chest in relief after successfully testing his master’s instructions.
”Now, take this as well.” Ken rotated his palm, and a silver ring engraved with a dragon levitated toward Fubao. “This Spatial Ring will be exceptionally useful for your future. Learn to pry open its dimensional space slowly on your own time.”
”Wahhh… Master, thank you immensely!” Fubao exclaimed, clutching the ring with overflowing jubilation.
”Shelve your excitement. We must move immediately,” Ken ordered, cutting the small celebration short.
”Understood, Master.” Fubao bowed deeply in reverence. “M-Master, once again, thank you for all these graces… and thank you for saving me by accepting me as your disciple.” A single tear of profound emotion escaped the corner of his eye, wetting the parched earth of the Fire Kingdom.
”Save your tears,” Ken commanded, his tone suddenly softening. “Transmute that gratitude into pure resolve. Cultivate fiercely and forge yourself into an unshakeable martial artist.”
”Absolutely, Master! I swear to ascend to the zenith of power and never disappoint you!” Fubao answered, his eyes now blazing brilliantly. “But… Master, are we not setting up camp to rest for a moment? Considering the remaining distance, if we traverse this forest on foot, we will only graze the enemy’s fortress by tomorrow morning.”
”My plans are different,” Ken stated, his eyes gleaming with sharp calculation. “We shall breach the dungeon and liberate your family in the absolute dead of night—the exact moment the enemy’s vigilance reaches its nadir.” Ken then bent one knee, lowering his posture. “Come here, get on my back. I will carry you.”
”Um… a-alright, Master.” Fubao stared at his master with a mix of doubt and awe before slowly climbing on and leaning against his sturdy back.
In a fraction of a second, an explosion of energy shattered the earth beneath them. Ken shot forward, tearing through the fabric of space and time like an enraged night tempest straight toward the heart of the Fire Kingdom.
Within the abyss of the Fire Kingdom’s dungeons, the piercing chill and the rusted stench of dried blood hung thickly in the air. Cruel-visaged guards pushed a heavy cart, distributing food rations as if tossing scraps to feral dogs. In the deepest corner of the cell blocks—a place where even the torchlight refused to touch—sat a special cell, sealed by a black metal door as thick as a grown man’s arm.
Upon the blood-freezing stone floor, a middle-aged woman lay feeble, her breaths ragged and shallow. By her side, an emaciated little girl sat huddled, clutching her stomach against the gnawing hunger.
The heavy thud of steel boots echoed. Two guards halted before the tightly barred cell. One of them roughly slammed open a small hatch at the bottom of the door, then brutally kicked a wooden bowl containing stale, tasteless gruel onto the floor.
”Eat this garbage,” he scoffed coldly. “If you starve to death, it’s our heads the General will drag to the chopping block.”
Devoid of even a sliver of pity, the two guards strutted away, leaving the clatter of their iron steps to be slowly swallowed by the nauseating darkness of the corridor.
Forgive my utter uselessness, Master… If only I already possessed a cultivation foundation, I wouldn’t have to burden you and hinder your steps like this, Fubao cursed himself inwardly. They were now perched atop a concealed rocky bluff, staring directly down at the epicenter of the Fire Kingdom.
”So, this is the visage of the infamously cruel Fire Kingdom capital,” Ken murmured slowly. His gaze swept over the sprawling rows of colossal black fortresses jutting upward like demonic fangs piercing the night sky.
”Yes, that’s correct, Master… This is my homeland,” Fubao replied softly, his voice trembling violently to suppress a tempest of emotion. “Ages ago, this city was breathtakingly beautiful, peaceful, and brimming with warmth… but now, everything has been corrupted into a terrifying sea of blood.” He lowered his head, his eyes staring hollowly at the expanse of volcanic ash beneath his boots.
”Center your mind,” Ken reprimanded calmly, snapping his disciple’s focus back. “Listen to my instructions. Infiltrate the detention block and locate your mother and sister. The absolute moment you confirm their coordinates, I will distort space and join you.”
”As you command, Master. Rest assured, I have memorized every corridor and can infiltrate the dungeon without triggering a single array,” Fubao replied with absolute certainty. He was about to step forward, but turned back to Ken. “But… what are your movements, Master?”
”Me?” Ken drew a deep breath, letting his gaze lock onto the distant main palace tower glowing with a crimson magma luminescence. “I have a trivial matter to resolve at the absolute core of their power.”
”Understood, Master. I’m off then.” Fubao cupped his fists in a martial salute before his body darted away as weightlessly as a phantom melting into the night.
”Yes… tread carefully,” Ken concluded softly, his eyes tracking the departure of his young disciple until he was completely swallowed by the darkness.
After the changing-of-the-guard bell tolled and the majority of the Fire Kingdom’s legion retired to their barracks, the infiltration operation commenced. Fubao and Ken slipped past the palace’s defensive walls like absolute phantoms. Upon reaching the crossroad of the subterranean labyrinth, they split their paths.
Fubao moved nimbly, navigating the ventilation shafts toward the lowest detention block, while Ken’s soundless footsteps carried him ever deeper into the secretive core of the royal palace.
The stone corridor culminated in a colossal, subterranean cavern. The air within was boiling. Before Ken stood rows upon rows of high-grade magical steel enclosures. Locked behind those impossibly thick bars, the Fire Kingdom had imprisoned dozens of Tier Three Star Monsters—savage, primordial beasts whose ages reached forty thousand years.
Ken walked past every cage, his eyes radiating a bizarre sympathy. So, it is within this torture chamber that your soul essences are siphoned to empower their legions… Ken mused inwardly. He reached into his dimensional space, extracting several spiritual fruits that emanated a halo of pure energy.
”Eat these to restore your pure energy,” he whispered tranquilly. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the heavenly fruits with flawless precision straight through the bars to each weakly roaring beast.
He continued tracing the obsidian stone walls bathed in molten magma sweat, until his razor-sharp instincts caught an anomaly—a microscopic fissure concealing an ancient runic formation.
Hm? A secret mechanical seal… Without a second thought, Ken channeled a drop of his golden energy into the pattern. Clack! The solid stone wall before him slid open soundlessly, unveiling a pathway into an even more deeply concealed, absolute prison chamber.
An astoundingly extreme wave of blistering heat assaulted his visage the moment he stepped inside.
”Heavens… This is a four-hundred-thousand-year-old primordial Fire Dragon,” Ken murmured in sheer awe.
In the epicenter of that magma chamber, chained down by colossal links glowing a blazing crimson, lay a gargantuan four-winged beast. Its scales were as black as charcoal, yet pulsating embers bled through the gaps. “Is this the absolute source of power this kingdom keeps hidden in the shadows?” Ken offered a small smile, then tossed a spiritual fruit bursting with diamond-equivalent energy. “Hey, old Dragon… eat this.”
However, instead of accepting his goodwill, the dragon raised its arrogant head. Its blazing crimson eyes glared at Ken with pure, unadulterated hatred, right before its massive jaws unhinged to spew a tempest of hellfire, intending to incinerate the intruder to ash.
”Hah… very well, if that is what you wish,” Ken scoffed. A layer of golden-coated protective energy instantly erected an aegis around his body, effortlessly parting the torrent of flames. “It seems the savage soul of the sovereign of the skies cannot be tamed by a mere piece of spiritual fruit.” Tatapan Ken mendadak menajam, mengunci wibawa sang naga. “In that case, this god will force you to submit.”
Ken raised his right hand high. Space churned, and from his palm shot dozens of silver-black energy chains that rattled as they pierced the void. The chains writhed like heavenly serpents, violently binding the neck, wings, and all four limbs of the wildly thrashing dragon.
The magma cavern quaked as if on the verge of collapsing, boulders crashing down, yet miraculously, not a single tremor or a shred of the beast’s roars managed to breach the isolation dome Ken had erected from the very beginning.
With this silencing formation, even their Emperor will be oblivious to the apocalypse unfolding directly beneath his throne, Ken smirked inwardly.
Meanwhile, within the hellish prison sector, Fubao had finally crawled his way to the pitch-black, putrid-smelling cell bars. He swallowed hard, pressing his face close to the minuscule slit in the iron-plated steel door.
”Mother… Mother… it’s me, Mother,” he whispered with a hoarse, trembling voice.
Silence reigned for a moment, before the dragging of a body against the stone floor could be heard. “Child…? I-is… is that voice truly you?” The feeble whimper of a woman shattered the dead of night.
”Yes, Mother. It is Fubao… I made it back. I came to shatter these chains and take you and Little Sister home,” Fubao answered. His emotional walls shattered into a million pieces. Tears spilled freely as he gazed upon his mother, now emaciated like a living skeleton, and the fragile body of his little sister lying unconscious on the freezing floor.
”Oh, Merciful Heavens…” His mother dragged her frail body toward the door’s slit, her trembling fingers desperately trying to graze her son’s visage from behind the thick bars. “My child… how is this possible? How are you out there? Are you hurt?”
”I am well, Mother. I am perfectly healthy. Everything is fine,” Fubao replied through his tears, forcing the bravest smile he could muster. “Please hold on just a little longer. When my great Master arrives, he will obliterate this place and bring us out to see the sun.”
Far away in the deepest core of the palace, Ken’s eyes snapped open. The seal pattern was resonating. It seems the boy has found his target, Ken noted inwardly.
He immediately abandoned the Fire Dragon’s isolation chamber and shot back into the main monster detention corridor. With a sweep of his arm, the dimensional vortex of his Spatial Ring tore wide open, vacuuming in every single Tier Three Star Monster he had healed. After verifying the hall was entirely barren, Ken smashed the tip of his Seal Chain straight into the core of the containment pillar.
BAM! An apocalyptic explosive force pulverized every single steel cage locking down the corridor into drifting dust. “Now, the time has come for you all to revel in true freedom,” Ken murmured, unleashing the shackles of the beasts from his dimensional ring.
”Very well… target locked,” he stated softly, tearing through the void to teleport directly to Fubao’s exact coordinates.
WHOOSH!
Space folded, and Ken materialized out of thin air beside Fubao. “What is the situation, Fubao?” he greeted tranquilly.
”Oh, Master!” Fubao exclaimed, half-startled yet overwhelmingly grateful. “Thank the heavens you are precisely on time. I have located the cell where Mother and Little Sister are imprisoned.”
Ken stared bleakly at the tragic scene within the cell. Without bothering to search for the keys, he reached into his robe pocket. “Auntie, step back slightly and touch this plate,” Ken commanded, tossing a silver-glowing triangular crystal plate straight through the bars.
The exact moment the mother’s hand grazed it, the plate detonated a blinding white light. Ken, Fubao, and the outrageously thick steel door were instantaneously teleported, swapping places so that Ken and Fubao now stood firmly inside the cell alongside them.
”Mother!!” Fubao could no longer hold himself back. He lunged forward and fiercely embraced his mother’s frail body. “Mother, let me introduce you, this peerless man is my Master. He is Lord Ken.”
The woman fell to her knees, attempting to kiss the tips of Ken’s boots. “Thank you, My Lord… Thank you for your boundless benevolence in sheltering my son’s life.” Her voice trembled, accompanied by heart-wrenching sobs.
”Stand up, do not demean yourself in such a way, Auntie,” Ken intervened gently, supporting the woman’s shoulders. His visage then shifted back to absolute seriousness as he looked at his disciple. “Fubao, take these. Clothe your mother and sister in these warm garments.” He withdrew pristine sets of clothing from his Spatial Ring. “And hand over those tattered prison rags clinging to their bodies. I require the DNA from those garments to forge replicas and perfectly erase all traces of your escape.”
”Understood, Master.” Fubao nodded obediently, immediately executing the task. He carefully lifted his little sister’s body, which was as light as a feather. “My resilient little sister… forgive your big brother. We can finally go home,” he whispered softly while wrapping the freezing girl in warm clothes.
Ken strode through the steel doorway, its hinges now utterly pulverized. With god-like speed, his fingers wove spatial seals into the void. One by one, hundreds of suffering prisoners in the surrounding cells were randomly teleported to the freedom of the outer forests. Once the cell block was entirely barren, Ken’s aura detonated. Utilizing the energy whip of his Star Chain, he obliterated the dungeon’s main foundational pillars. Synchronized with the collapsing ceiling, the Star Monsters Ken had unleashed began to storm in, rampaging savagely to mask every single trace of dimensional manipulation he had left behind.
”Master! Our preparations are complete,” Fubao called out through the billowing dust of the ruins.
Hah! What in the world? Why has the number of Star Monsters storming in here multiplied exponentially? It seems the beasts from other sectors have broken loose as well, Ken mused, raising an eyebrow in mild surprise at the brutality of the invasion that had eclipsed his calculations.
”Very well, ignore this chaos. I am opening the spatial gateway to the forest now. Brace yourselves against the nausea,” Ken ordered. He snapped his fingers toward the epicenter of the seal hovering in the air.
In a single cosmic blink, they were violently pulled by the spatial distortion, vanishing entirely from that hellscape.
Ken, who remained hovering in the air above, stared downward. He broadcasted telepathic directives, guiding the savage tidal wave of Star Monsters to decimate the palace guard ranks. Within seconds, the defensive walls of the Fire Kingdom were torn asunder. Pillars of hellfire spiraled high to lick the heavens, while the horrified shrieks and panicked howls of the soldiers echoed like a symphony of death across every corner of the palace.
”Taste this absolute despair…” Ken murmured, as chilling as a glacier. “I am merely allowing you to reap the suffering you have ceaselessly sown upon the innocent.”
WHOOSH!
Fubao, his mother, and his little sister crashed down heavily yet safely amidst the dense canopy of a forest located far from the borders.
”Child… why hasn’t your Lord Savior appeared alongside us?” his mother asked anxiously, scanning the surroundings populated solely by ancient, towering trees.
”Master likely still needs to dispose of the rats back there to mask the traces of our escape, Mother. Do not worry, Master is unfathomably strong,” Fubao reassured, desperately trying to conceal his trembling hands.
In varying sectors of the wilderness, dozens of enslaved prisoners whom Ken had relocated began groaning as they regained consciousness.
”Hah! Where is this?! What happened?!” shrieked an elderly man snapping awake. “A forest?! How did the subterranean dungeon walls transform into a pine forest?!”
”Hey! Everyone, wake up! By the Heavens, look at the sky… We are free! We are truly liberated from that hell!” a young man roared, his voice cracking with hysterical euphoria.
”Wah! A miracle has descended upon us! Come, sprint north immediately before the demons of the Fire Kingdom can catch us!” Shouts brimming with profound relief flooded every corner of the nocturnal forest. They scattered and fled like a flock of birds liberated from a cage, turning their backs to the thick plumes of black smoke beginning to scorch the horizon from the direction of the Fire Kingdom.
Shortly after the tension had subsided, the spatial void rippled directly in front of Fubao once more. Ken’s figure stepped out with absolute tranquility.
”Did I keep you waiting too long?” he greeted, completely devoid of guilt.
”Heavens, Master! Your sudden manifestation nearly tore my heart from my chest,” Fubao protested, rubbing his violently pounding heart. “Master, let us vacate these coordinates at once. That sheer devastation will undoubtedly summon their elite pursuit units!”
”Calm yourself.” Ken turned his head, summoning the black-cloaked figure who had been lurking in the shadows of the trees the entire time. “Auntie, my loyal servant here shall carry and guard you throughout our journey.”
Fubao narrowed his eyes. Hah? This individual’s figure is distinctly different from the shadow guard I encountered in the village. This posture is far more slender, the aura feels drastically softer like silk, and judging from that gait… is this formidable servant a woman? Fubao analyzed in absolute silence.
”Now, as for this little hero… allow me to carry her,” Ken stated, lifting Fubao’s little sister. He utilized a thick blanket to strap the soundly sleeping girl securely against his broad chest, before bending his knees. “Fubao, climb onto my back just like before.”
”As you command, Master.” Fubao stepped forward reverently, looping his arms around his master’s neck.
With a single explosive burst of power, the small vanguard shot forth, slicing through the night wind, leaving behind a Fire Kingdom currently engulfed in a localized apocalypse.
Far behind them, the sea of flames continued to rage. The elite legions of the Fire Kingdom were still in utter disarray, frantically attempting to tame the wrath of the berserk Star Monsters. By the time the tidal wave of colossal beasts finally grew bored and pulverized the main gates to bolt into the wilderness, the soldiers’ mental fortitude had been entirely shattered, leaving them incapable of even formulating a thought to give chase. Their absolute priority now was merely salvaging the palace from the ocean of fire.
”What in the hell is actually transpiring here, you bastards?!” roared a high-ranking General who had just arrived at the courtyard atop his armored steed. His eyes bulged at the sight of the absolute annihilation.
”F-forgive us, General! Out of nowhere, the savage beasts in the torture sectors abruptly broke loose and went on a rampage!” a troop commander reported, his visage drenched in blood and soot.
”What did you just say?! Then what of the lives of the political prisoners in the lower blocks?!” the General barked, the veins in his neck bulging dangerously.
”Th-they… the entire detention block is completely barren, General!” the soldier answered, shivering in pure terror.
”Barren?! Impossible!” The General nearly tumbled from his saddle.
”It is the truth, Sir. According to the observations of the surviving squads, the vast majority of the prisoners were torn apart and devoured alive when the beasts unleashed their wrath upon the cell blocks,” he added, arriving at a lethally flawed conclusion.
”Insolent drivel! That area is a first-class fortress dungeon fortified with anti-magic seals! It is impossible for a mass exodus to occur supernaturally! I shall personally descend and verify the devastation below!” the General roared in blind fury. “All remaining cavalry units! Expand the search perimeter and scour the surrounding wilderness for hundreds of li! Move out this instant!”
”Executing orders, General!” thousands of soldiers roared back in unison.
As the first light of dawn began to break, painting the eastern horizon, Ken and his vanguard crossed the borders, entering the tranquil territory of the Sky Kingdom.
This velocity… it defies all logic and reason, Fubao mused, his unblinking eyes staring at the ancient trees blurring into indistinguishable streaks around him. The familiar sights of the Sky Kingdom’s cliffs began to greet his vision. If this god of war maintains this lunatic pace, we will undoubtedly reach the soft beds of the village before the roosters even finish crowing. He stared intently at the sturdy back of Ken’s neck before him. Finally… Mother and my little sister have escaped the jaws of death. Thank you, Master. You are the absolute hero and savior deity of my life. A warm tear of profound relief trickled down his cheek as he closed his eyes, overwhelmed by an endless sea of peace and absolute gratitude.
Behind the obsidian walls of the Fire Kingdom, specifically within the abyss of the Eastern Dungeon, the stench of panic grew terrifyingly dense. An officer sprinted frantically up the spiral staircase toward the throne of the main fortress.
”General Gayus! A catastrophe, Sir! A horrifying anomaly has occurred within the subterranean secret sealing chamber!” he reported, stumbling over his words.
General Gayus instantaneously paled, his visage turning as taut as a corpse. “Disaster after disaster… Our heads will be brutally severed if His Majesty the Emperor catches a single whiff of this chaos,” he muttered restlessly, wiping his face drenched in cold sweat.
Suddenly, the agonizingly slow, thunderously heavy thud of footsteps echoed from the far end of the corridor. Every single footfall exuded an absolute gravitational force that crushed the surrounding air, making it suffocating for anyone to draw a breath.
”What are you prattling about, Gayus?” A baritone voice, impossibly deep and capable of vibrating one’s very soul, echoed into every corner of the chamber.
”K… King Adjong!!” Gayus immediately dropped to his knees, slamming his forehead violently against the hard floor. “Forgive our negligence, Your Majesty! A massive Star Monster uprising has occurred within the prison sectors! Nearly every single prisoner has vanished without a trace—it is assumed the vast majority were ripped apart and devoured by the escaping beasts!”
”Tell me… What is the status of our ‘Primary Asset’?” King Adjong inquired softly, his eyes narrowing to leak an icy, abyssal killing intent.
”The P-Primary Asset remains firmly in its position, Your Majesty. However… however, its physical form has undergone a bizarre metamorphosis,” Gayus answered, his voice grinding as he suppressed his sheer terror.
”Hah? Cease your babbling. I shall verify this with my own eyes.”
King Adjong—the absolute sovereign who had recently seized the throne of the Fire Kingdom. This terrifying man had pierced through the zenith of cultivation, achieving the realm of a 3-Star God King. His existence was bolstered by the luminescence of sapphire-blue Star Seals deeply rooted into the back of his hands.
Escorted by the still-trembling Gayus, King Adjong descended thousands of steps toward the deepest secret chamber. The moment the colossal steel doors before him parted, the King’s footsteps abruptly halted.
In the epicenter of the lava arena before them, the primordial Fire Dragon—the kingdom’s ultimate weapon—had vanished entirely. In its place, the legendary beast had shrunk and metamorphosed into a colossal, translucent crystal egg. The magical egg pulsed softly, radiating a warm, luminous glow of life amidst the absolute silence of the subterranean vault.
”Ever since our investigative units descended to extinguish the flames, its form had already condensed into this state, Your Majesty,” Gayus reported with the utmost caution, terrified of provoking his sovereign’s wrath.
”This miracle…” King Adjong stepped forward, his eyes locked onto the dragon embryo within the egg. “It appears this is the miraculous, absolute evolutionary process of the Star Monster race.” He slowly pivoted his body to glare at his ranks of subordinates. “Then, what is the status of the targeted prisoners I confined in the special block?”
An elite commander stepped forward, bowing respectfully. “They… they were torn asunder and devoured by the rampage of the White Tiger Star Monster, Your Majesty,” he reported.
”What did you just say?! Are you absolutely certain of that idiotic conclusion?!” King Adjong barked, the sapphire aura from his Star Seals detonating and violently striking the soldiers’ visages.
”I-I stake my very life on the veracity of that intelligence, Your Majesty. Our squad recovered evidence of the massacre’s remains,” the soldier replied in terror, presenting a silver platter bearing tattered, blood-soaked rags—the authentic garments belonging to Fubao’s mother, deliberately left behind by Ken.
King Adjong seized the bloody fabric. His eyes radiated an unfathomable darkness, staring at the cloth for what felt like hours, as if peering straight into the soul of the past. His grip tightened until his knuckles turned bone-white, synchronized with his increasingly heavy, feral breathing.
This is your karma… for continuously refusing to bow to my sovereignty, the tyrant mused inwardly, a faint, sociopathic smile grazing his lips.
”Deploy every single tracking hound we possess,” King Adjong commanded, his voice returning to glacial coldness. “Scour every inch of this continent. Hunt down and drag back the remaining escaped prisoners… and hunt those treacherous beasts down, dead or alive.”
”As you command, Your Majesty!!” every high-ranking military official and soldier in the chamber roared in unison, their booming voices welcoming the apocalyptic edict of their supreme sovereign.