"Father... what are we going to do?"
Emperor Shojar shook his head slowly.
"Our Great Western Desert Empire has stood for many, many years," he said quietly. "Many of our ancestors came close to stepping into B rank. Our empire’s defenses, our armies, our formations... they have protected this land for generations."
He walked to the edge of the balcony and looked out across the endless dunes of the desert.
"But against something like this... none of it matters. Against an actual B rank we are all but ants. Atleast Alzara is safe."
Zorthan’s face stiffened on hearing that name. "Unbelievable! Even in this situation, you are only thinking of her! Someone like you is not at all fit to be the Emperor." The guy’s eyes were reddened and he furiously spat out but the Emperor did not care.
Emperor Shojar simply continued looking at the distant figure who was strangely hovering mid-air. The man hadn’t made any moves yet but if he did, there would be nothing left. Shojar was very much aware of it but he did not regret his decisions.
If not today then, tomorrow. What was to come will come to fruition. He had no interest in delaying the inevitable. He let out a sigh and awaited the man’s next move.
And just as expected, the order arrived.
"There is no need for an entire empire to turn into dust," the voice echoed calmly across the desert sky. "Just hand over Blood God, and this matter ends here."
Zorthan’s face turned pale on hearing the name. Shojar did not answer. His gaze remained fixed on the distant figure hovering above the desert.
"Where is he? That monster? Surely, he must be able to deal with a B rank?" He scoffed. "So why run and hide? Why let us face his battles? Why force us to wipe his fucking ass?! Ask that bastard to get back here! Father! Do it now! Don’t you understand? You have to do this atleast for your Alzara’s sake if not for this Empire. How can anyone stand against Lord Volerick? If you don’t give him up, then Alzara’s future will burn along with the rest of this empire!"
The wind howled across the balcony as Emperor Shojar remained perfectly still, his gaze fixed on the distant figure hovering in the sky. The man had not moved even an inch, yet the pressure he carried felt like a mountain pressing down on the entire desert.
Finally, Shojar spoke. "You are wrong about one thing."
Zorthan blinked.
Shojar slowly turned his head. "Blood God is not running. He simply needs time and I am giving him that."
"At the cost of this empire! Have you gone crazy you old fart!" Zorthan did not speak anymore. His eyes almost popped out of its sockets when he saw the golden light gathering in the man’s hand.
Lord Adam Volerick, the man who had single-handedly defeated a wyrm and wore its scales as an armor, had already started gathering power.
Golden light condensed slowly in his raised palm.
At first it looked harmless, like sunlight reflecting off polished metal. But within seconds the light grew denser, heavier. The sky above the desert dimmed as if the sun itself had been swallowed by that gathering power.
The air trembled. Even the ancient formations protecting the imperial capital started flickering.
Zorthan staggered back a step. "He’s really going to do it..."
Far above the desert, Adam Volerick remained expressionless. The golden sphere in his hand expanded steadily, swallowing more and more energy from the surrounding heavens. A spell like that was not meant to strike a single person. It was meant to erase cities.
Shojar watched quietly. He had expected this.
Volerick’s voice echoed once more across the desert. "I will ask one last time." The golden light intensified. "Hand over Blood God."


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