Lord Shadow

Chapter 217: Usurping the heavens

POLAND

KRAKOW

It was like the end of the world. This is the feeling of the people living in Poland who did not know the reason for these disaster that has befallen their kingdom

The skies is red, thunder splits the clouds and lightning strikes mountains and buildings like a mad dog.

The earth trembles and the skies is crazy. Some people who were astute knows that someone very powerful induce these phenomenon.

But these did not lessen their wariness. Instead they become even more fearful and immediately runs as far away from the vortex of the disaster.

A few reclusive expert at the Seed Formation saw the energy gathering on the grounds of the royal palace of Poland and knows that is the focus of the calamity.

Knowing they could not defeat such a person they hide and run far away from the center.

While they could not teleport because of the seal placed by the Death Monarch, they are after all Seed Formation experts.

Their body itself is much faster than any car or modern transportation. If they could not teleport, they could run.

And run they did.

They trained to their level with perseverance all in the hopes of living a good life, how would they easily gives their lives fighting someone who has no enmity with them?

Poland was left to its fate

Meanwhile on the sky of the royal residence, only fear could be seen on the faces of the injured soldiers as they look upon that man on the clouds.

Fear and disbelief.

Azief presence is still rising, his presence could be felt all over the world, shaking the earth and fusing with the energy of the world.

The weather of Poland experience drastic changes, the hot region become cold, the cold region becomes hot, the sky rain down dark water that drain lives, and the rivers boiled killing fishes and water life form all over Poland.

The rivers boiled, the rains reap lives.

His terrifying presence weight on people mind like an unmovable mountain.

Slowly the soldiers felt like they are losing their control of their body, like their energy was drained, and their vitality decreased.

On the horizons of the palace, the dead rises from the ground, forming a large army of the undead.

And this manmade phenomena was akin of a plague.

Undead with rotting flesh, their eye sockets slithering with flesh eating worms marching behind the hundred cavalry as they march unimpeded into the front gate of the royal palace create a ghastly sight that brings chills to anyone heart.

Katarina drain her enemies energy with her abilities slowly accumulating energy to promote her strength

Azief said almost emotionlessly

‘Rise, those who dwell in the dust. This is my fury!’ And with it he waves his sleeve with Death Force empowered his undead.

Black mist comes out of his robes and his skeletal steed flew down attacking the soldiers on the walls.

Azief did not restrain his steed as he unleashed his black mist to cover the palace yard

The living suffers his energy drain. Some ages almost a decade, their longevity was absorbed into Azief body, making his already almost limitless vitality to soar even higher.

Some soldiers that survive suddenly puke black blood as they fall down to the ground, clutching their heart and thrashing about.

They came down with a diseases when they inhale the black mist that Azief has unleashed, their skins swelled before exploding, leaving them in terrible states.

This is one of Azief abilities when he form his own Death Source. To induce disease to people weaker than him

Some went insane, as they crashed their head to the walls and fainted. Some had their life sucked from them making then dried up to only bag of bones in a second.

It was pandemonium.

To those who immediately activated their artifacts or secret items, they managed to resist the black mist attack but terror and hopelessness uncontrollably spread through their minds.

Tyrone who still conscious after the formation was broken knows why they felt their body is losing control.

The other strength was so powerful that their bodies were instinctively protecting themselves, and their energy was unconsciously unleashed out trying to resist the pressure.

Tyrone look up at the sky and complicated expression could be seen inside his eyes.

All around him, his soldiers were screaming, thrashing about, coughing blood, aging drastically, but his eyes did not leave seeing the black robe person

‘Death Monarch’ he bitterly mutter. The feeling he felt right now could only be described as complicated.

Azief theatrics had already made him to possess the image of a terrifying calamity. That itself has already struck terror on the heart of his men.

But now, the Death Monarch uses his strength to emphasis his terrifying prowess.

Just his presence being unleashed was already this horrifying, what if he really went into battle seriously?

‘How strong was he?’ Tyrone seems to ask clutching his chest as he falls kneeling down, his breathing is hard and even talking is hard.

‘Grand Commander Raymond…Lord Hikigaya….Lord Oreki…could they defeat him?’ For the first time, he felt doubt about the power of the experts of the World Government

At this moment he felt even if Oreki, Hikigaya and Raymond was here…they could not match the momentum of the Death Monarch.

He knows it was an absurd thought but he could not shakes this thought in his mind.

Waves formed in his heart, this faith that the World Government could restrain the Death Monarch is crumbling.

And he is not the only one that thought this way. Tyrone and his soldiers had always been proud of belonging to the elite soldiers of the World Government.

But now, their pride is trampled upon so easily

He and his soldiers found today how laughable their pride was! In front of unimaginable and absolute power, every scheme and plot meant nothing.

Azief was that kind of existence now. He no longer think too much or plot and scheme too much.

Why?

Because whatever comes to him, as long as it could not kill him, doing so will only invite his wrath and his fury.

And for those who anger him he would use absolute power to crush his enemy. It was as simple as that.

No one had thought of it, not until this moment. Even Tyrone believes that even power has limits.

No one could truly imagine that one person’s strength could suppresses so many soldiers. They had never heard and seen such a feat after the world developed army formation

Today, they bear witness to the return of the man feared by the whole world. This feat that almost impossible was happening right in front of them.

The dead keep marching, the skeletal steed aiding the Ice Princess in her battles, and the Death Monarch is reaping souls, his terrifying presence choked the life of Poland, making the kingdom felt like it was withering by a terrifying force of death.

Tragedy…..befalls the kingdoms.

Azief floated down gently

As he slowly floated down, the ground beneath his feet is vibrating and almost seem like it want to bursts out like a pressure from underground is forcing it to explode.

BOOM!

A boulder exploded as fragments of the boulder broke free of the restraints of gravity and slowly spirals around Azief

Then slowly all the pieces of rock around the area broke free of the ground and spirals around him, creating an intimidating and terrifying storms of stones around him.

This storm shredded anything that the enemy could throw at him.

The magicians and snipers that hide in the remote corner had shot their attack but was immediately shredded by the spiral around Azief body.

Then one of the stones inside the spiral vortex the size of a fist broke free from the spiral and morphed into a thin but long sharp needle and flew towards the direction of the attack

A scream sounded and two bodies falls down from a building.

Without any signs of stopping, the spiraling storms of stones becomes even faster and even more destructive.

The ground was grinded turning hard soils into sand, morphing the green land into desert. Azief then shouted

‘HAH!!!’

His shout pierced the dark clouds and shakes the skies. His presence is as vast as the heavens and endless like the seas of stars as its spread and expands.

Before his presence was felt momentarily but this time his presence is expanding in such an accelerated rate that it almost seems impossible.

A hundred kilometers, a thousand kilometers, ten thousand kilometers, a million kilometers, until his presence usurped the Heavens.

His Will is the Will of the World. When he is angry then storms would forms and disaster will descend.

At Poland, the kingdom seems to be engulfed in an apocalyptic level event.

The fragments of stone was grinded into dust turning into sharp sands that could shredded the strongest metal.

The rivers in Poland stopped flowing, the air become restless as all around the kingdom whirlwinds and storms ravaged the land, the people suffers and gritted their teeth fighting this disaster.

But Azief eyes is always indifferent, but at the same time it was also clear that it could pierce people minds.

It was then Azief spread out his arms and this time his body turns blurry like he was some kind of a mirage in the dessert.

And then slowly, like he was being disintegrated by the power of the world, he disappeared like dust.

There was no light works or a powerful unleashing of energy.

He just…..simply disappears.

The world suddenly calm down.

The ravaging storms and whirlwinds dissipated, the terrifying presence disappeared, the false night went away and the dark clouds that covered the sky slowly making way for the light of the sun to go through.

But then suddenly all the people in the world could feel a mountain crushing presence that pervaded in every space and time of the world.

Somewhere deep beneath the Island of Peace, a man with blonde hair and muscly physique was sitting in his golden round steel cage that is suspended on top of a flowing lava bare-naked.

It was a prison designed for him. Runes fills every part of the prison stones. This person could feel the presence and his eyes shines bright.

Then he sighed. If only he is on the ground, he could communicate with the presence. It is because he knew the person who unleashed such presence.

After all this he once traded blows with that person.

He needs to tell. But his power is almost neutralized here not to mention he is permanently weakened here.

He then got up and walk to the other side of his steel cage as the chains around his necks, feet and wrist all move along with him.

He look towards his left and spotted the cell about three kilometers from him that is full of luxury

The man saw the eyes of that person in that other cell and he bitterly smiles as he thought in his head

‘In her eyes, could she never see me?’

But he shakes his head and then shouted to that person

‘Sofia…did you feel it?’ The person in the other cell is Sofia the Divine Archer. Sofia got up and looking at Raymond on the other side and hearing what he said, she also nodded

‘He has returned.’ And there is a smile on Sofia face before her gaze turns complicated.

On the outside, Hikigaya who was inside his cave could feel the presence but he ignores it as he is about to create another Disk inside his eyes.

He did not say anything but there is a smirk on his face.

Meanwhile on Poland, a face appeared on the sky. It was gigantic as it covered the entire kingdom skies.

The face was expressionless but in everyone mind it did not matter. Looking at the face, they all felt fear and terror spreading all over their body

Shining runes dotted the clouds with variety of colors, vast as an endless ocean. And at the centers of this sea of runes is Azief face.

He was like the sun, his eyebrows spat out thick golden flames and each breath he takes created winds that change the weathers.

Azief for a moment has merge with the Universe and usurp the Will of the World, as deadly silence fills the world.

Tyrone and all the ministers in the royal palace face were all ashen and bloodless.

By now, everyone has lost hope on ever beating Azief. Tyrone looked dazedly and before he knew it he unconsciously dropped his weapons.

He turns around and look at his soldiers and a deep regret come over him.

All of his plans, all of his schemes, in front of the Death Monarch it instead become the stage where the Death Monarch uses to announce to the world he is back.

Some of his soldiers who were not driven insane from the black mist all cried. They cried in fear. They cried because they knew it was hopeless.

And they cried like a baby. And Tyrone?

Tyrone felt like he had let his comrade in arms down.

If he knew that the Death Monarch is this powerful, he would rather surrender than fighting a battle that is so meaningless.

He couldn’t even began to describe the feeling he felt right now.

But seeing the crying and hopeless faces of his soldiers also made his mind clear of what he needs to do now.

He already lost. But he smiles.

His hand is still trembling, and blood is still dripping from his cracked nails. But he crouched down and grab his fallen sword.

He then got up, his back straight, his eyes clear.

His body is trembling and fear fails every part of his heart and Tyrone himself don’t know whether it was stubbornness or pride, or the desire to inspire courage in the hearts of his men, but he walked forward and look at the gigantic face on the sky.

‘I already lost. My life has been given by the World Government. Today, let me repay it’ He raised his head and he smiles.

Then drawing all the power in his body to the brink of destruction, he leapt towards the face in the sky.

‘RARRGHH!’ Tyrone shouted as his small figure was like a pitiful moth that is flying into a large fire.

Azief on the other hand felt more powerful than he has ever become. His Divine Sense covered the whole world, suppressing all other Divine Sense.

He was in a strange state. He felt like he possess no physical body yet at the same time he knows he could move his arms and feet.

When he wanted to move his hand, the northern hemisphere of Earth shakes with such intensity that it brought down mountains and swallowed city and small kingdoms.

When he wanted to move forward, the winds all over the world changed directions and rivers and seas flows backwards.

Just these two thought drains about 50 percent of Azief vitality. Azief face on the sky smirk

‘Usurping the Heavens’ he thought to himself.

For a while he could usurp the Will of the World.

But it is a truly taxing feat.

Azief vitality is almost limitless but with only two thoughts performed he already expended fifty percent of his vitality and his mind and soul is also being pressured.

The Will of the World is fighting against him wanting to expel him from these merging of heaven and human.

As he was trying to explore the feeling of merging with the world, his Divine Sense that envelopes the world senses Sofia.

He wanted to track it and he was about to when a white mist slice his divine sense and a faint laugh could be heard

An image of a person with a staff on his back and surrounded by white mist flashes inside Azief mind.

Azief was angered. And as he is now temporarily the will of the world, when he is angered, the world is angered.

Volcanoes all over the world suddenly become active, the skies hurls down lightning on earth ground, the earth shakes with an uncontrollable anger, the seas rises up creating large waves that rises up to forty meters tall and struck down multiple countries and swallowed islands.

Another 25 percent of his vitality was drained again by this unconscious act.

As Azief was about to resume tracking he then saw with his large eyes made of white clouds, a person as tiny as dust flying towards him, the aura around him overflow out of him

Azief immediately recognize the person as Tyrone the general of the World Government forces.

Azief thought to himself how pitiful that such a person would burns all of his vitality just to fight him

Azief shakes his gigantic head in the sky and with each rotating of his neck, the wind changed direction from his left and right creating a gust of wind that flattened the forest area on his lefty and right side of his face.

The wind pressure slices through Tyrone body, akin of the punishment of one thousand cut.

Azief though that Tyrone would stop but yet….the General was stubborn as he keep flying forward.

Azief looking at this could not help but marvel at the fact that the World Government have many courageous talents in their organization

But burning one vitality is one of the most painful way to die. Azief pity the guy so he decided to ease the guy pain

He will his mind and a tearing rip sound appeared on the sky, the sound waves travels the world four times.

A gigantic void appears and from the void a titanic finger descended down that blotted the sun and covered the skies.

This time Tyrone abilities to fly was restricted as the laws around him were immediately blocked and the space around him cracked and disintegrated.

That finger was black and dark red mist swirls around that finger, as it descended down. It seems slow but for Tyrone, it seems to descend very fast.

He could not move and he could not dive down. He was stuck in the clouds. The space around the finger all exploded creating explosions that created a mini black hole

The mini black hole did not managed to make any damage as the fingers absorbed the destructive powers of the mini black hole.

The sky breaks and the sun dims. Seeing the world from above, one could see that a hole has been puncture on the ozone

The radiation enter Earth but was instantly absorbed by the finger, strengthening it with the energy of destruction.

This finger was a finger of destruction backed by the will of the world.

Azief face on the sky was icy, like a heartless deity. He didn’t even seems to care that much about Tyrone attack.

The finger moves closer and closer before it collided with Tyrone. Tyrone compared to the titanic finger was like a speck of dust.

When Tyrone body collided with the finger, a great and blinding light was created, the land beneath all exploded as some of the undead that followed the cavalry all disintegrated because of the emission of energy.

A shout could be heard before there is silence.

Even Katarina on the ground has already stopped her attack as all of the soldiers on the ground has already either surrendered or injured.

Frederick who was underneath a few undead skeleton pry away the skeletons from his body as he stand beside Katarina.

With that finger, there was a powerful concept of life that destroyed all the skeletons in the ground.

But Katarina and Frederick did not think it is detrimental. Since, the battle has already been decided.

On the sky, Azief sigh.

And the whole world heard his sigh, as every hearts of humans in the world feel heavy as they felt compelled to share his disappointment.

After that last finger attack, Azief gigantic face on the sky slowly dissipating, as the clouds that forms his face went back to their positions and flow endlessly rowed by the winds.

That presence that covered the world has disappeared.

And Azief appeared back on his previous position, his arms still wide open, his physical body appear once again.

His eyes were cloudy for a while before his eyes regain clarity and with it he felt the loss of the control he has over the world.

He also sense something when he was one with the world. A heartbeat. A thrumming heartbeat full of life

He smiles despite himself.

He felt it.

At that moment when he merged with the world and fight control with the will of the world, he felt he was nowhere but at the same time he was everywhere.

He felt….omnipresent. He had walked into the domains of Gods and the beings he saw in his journey

He is one step closer.

And the fact that his path is not wrong fills him with confidence. His black robe rises up and his sleeve flapped as the wind blows over it.

There is no longer dark clouds or thunder and lightning g but even without these the impact of Azief face on the sky is enough.

That alone is enough to broke everyone determination.

He then sighed in regret.

Tyrone was a true man that did not back down even under a superior power. Even though he knew he would die, Tyrone still pick up his weapons and charged towards him.

Azief saw the last thing Tyrone look towards when that finger reached him. Tyrone look towards his soldiers like they were his children.

And when that finger obliterated him body and soul, Azief swear he could see a smile…even though he screamed in pain.

As Azief contemplate the feeling of merging with the world, the people below all cease their movement.

They are all in terror, in awe, and in disbelief.

So…simply. So easily. And it was done so elegantly.

From beginning to end, the battle was dominated by the Death Monarch without any chance whatsoever for the World Government forces to retaliate.

And for a moment, they saw the Death Monarch control the will of the world to do his bidding.

That finger that seems to be able to obliterate all creation send thunderbolt into people minds as they stand transfixed in fear.

Everything that happened was so unrealistic as though like it was a dream. Azief then realizes he was floating on the clouds without concluding his battle

He look down at the already injured soldiers and fearful people that has lost any will to fight and he said

‘Surrender or…. perish.’

The cold voice echoed in the palace area like an echo that will repeat itself for eternity. There is no pride, no happiness, just the same indifferent calmness in his tone.

Immediately, a soldier threw down his sword to the ground.

The sound woke the other soldiers.

They look at the soldier and it was a teenage soldiers who has already lost an arm and full of bruises and slash cuts from the wind gales and the pressure of the Death Monarch.

Nobody reproach the soldiers.

This level of power is beyond any of them. These kind of experts should be deal by another expert

With one person throwing down their weapons, it caused a chain reaction as magicians throw down their staffs, snipers and gunman throw down their guns and warrior and knight throw down their saber and blade.

After seeing Tyrone tragic and terrifying death, their last bit of spirit to fight was completely shattered.

Many of the officers of Tyrone army is crying, their knees kneeling on the battered ground mourning for their general

But none of them shout “revenge for the general” or calling to arms to fight the Death Monarch.

Resisting would only create more casualties for their side and Tyrone officers knows that Tyrone treated his soldiers like they were his children.

He wouldn’t want his commanders to orders his children to a meaningless battle that they have no hope of winning

As the clanging of thrown down weapons resonated in the courtyard area, they all knew everything was finished.

Katarina and Frederick enters the courtyard with their hundred men and they only had to make sure the surrendered soldiers would not be able to escape.

Katarina created a dome ice prison that contain all the soldiers on the courtyard of the palace in one place.

Not that anybody would dare to flee

Azief closes his eyes for a while before he opens it back and his eyes glints dangerously.

He then took a step and he appeared almost instantly inside the throne room, shocking the minister inside the room, some even stumbled and fall down in their surprise

Azief look at the person standing on the throne and he smirk. Artur was ashen white and his hand were trembling at the inevitability of his mortality.

He takes another step and like lightning he appeared in front of Artur

Azief was now face to face with King Artur. He look toward that King and smiles. The King unconsciously kneeled in fear, snot on his nose, tears on his face

Azief look down on Artur as he snorted in disdain

‘Spare m-‘ he was about to say when his head was separated from his body with a slash of Azief finger.

Azief finger was sharper than any human made weapon considering his body is powerful beyond belief.

Artur head rolled down and stop at the feet of one of the ministers

Azief then turn around slowly, his black robe floated from the ground, as he look toward the shocked minister and orders

‘Kneel’

And without hesitation all the ministers kneel and dare not lock eyes with the Death Monarch. Azief then walk toward the throne and sat down like it was his seat since the beginning

‘A democracy or a monarchy…let the people decide’ he muttered and the minister that heard this all nodded in fear.

Azief waited for Frederick to come inside the palace to meet him. By now, all the factions in the world probably would have already known his return to the stage of the world.

On the steps of the front gate, Katarina and Frederick push down the entrance gate and walk towards the palace throne room.

“That person have returned and like always he once again will brought storms in the coming days.”

The news have spread in almost an hour after Poland falls by the mysterious information gathering organization The White Owls.

They also distribute video message and articles. They are kind of like newspaper company but no one knows why they are doing it and for what reason.

The title was numerous

“The Prince changed his name to Death Monarch”

“The Battle of Krakow”

Even as the world react to the news and the forces of the World Government slowly getting out of Europe and around Poland, there are a few people who is rushing to Poland.

In the sky of China, a golden phoenix carriage traverse around the clouds heading to Poland with hope in her heart.

Fairy of the Stars Somi is coming.

On the skies of Norway and Greece, two of the heroines of the current era is also flying towards Poland to fulfill their oath or to break their promise.

At the same time the Dragon of Wawel who wanted to confront the being that threaten its existence has fled to underground after seeing the face on the Heavens.

It disrupt the magic in the body of the dragon and forces the dragon to assess the power of that human

After all the Dragon of Wawel was made from the accumulations of sentiments and thoughts of humans

The World Government on the other hand…is extremely quiet. The same could be said for the Republic.

Nobody knows what this means but everyone knows that tomorrow will become a different world with this new variable that has pooped out.

Everyone knows….the reason why the Republic and the World Government did not move is because those two colossus organization is preparing.

This is the calm before the storm.

***

PRESENT TIME

Azief open his eyes as he reflect what happens these past few days. He got up from his throne and then he take a step and a flash of lightning could be seen moving.

He then appeared inside a hospital built by Budiman. Inside a quartz capsule, floating inside the fluid filled capsule is Shinji.

Azief look at the chamber and nodded confirming that the warrior is recuperating well.

Then he take another step and disappeared without anyone none the wiser he just visited the chamber.

He now appears near the hangar deck of the Battlestar port. He saw from afar, Budiman orders his subordinates and guiding the new recruits in repairing the Starbirds.

Azief walk towards him leisurely.

The mechanics and the workers were all working when one of them accidentally saw that black robe and that worker dropped his pliers in shock startling the others

They look towards the direction of that worker.

It was then they also realized that the Death Monarch was present in the hangar.

Immediately they all kneel in fear, not one of them dares to look into the face beneath that black hood.

Budiman saw the Death Monarch and also kneels. But there is no fear on his eyes. He is after all the subordinates of the Death Monarch.

Azief waved his hand gesturing all the workers to disperse except Budiman, the Chief Engineer. They immediately disperse and there in the hangar of the Battlestar only two people are left.

Azief stand near Budiman and then he ask

‘Where is my clone?’ Budiman then handed a pill.

‘Sina refined that clone into a pill’ Budiman explained

‘Hoh’ Azief was amused.

So pills could even refine clones. He thought to himself, looking at the pill with a curios expression

Budiman then explains the usage of the pills. If the pills is ingested for a moment, a person would possess Azief clone powers

Of course that power was limited by the power of the original clone.

When the clone is destroyed, the people who eat the pills will return back to their original forms and then could still fight in top condition since the thing that died was the clone.

Azief was clearly interested in this so he asked Budiman

‘Could Sina mass produce this?’ Budiman shakes his head and Azief just nodded.

‘You never used it? All these years?’

‘There was never that many danger as you expected.’

‘Really?’ And Azief tone was cold

Budiman bitterly sigh and he continue

‘The dangers that the group faces now could not be solved by my lord clone made during your Energy Dispense Stage.’ Azief did not say anything. He only sighed.

Many things have changed. Looking at Budiman, while this person did not follow him into battle, Budiman expertise could help many people.

The fact that Budiman is in his camp made him one of Azief people.

And Azief will never mistreat his own people. But he was never that close with Budiman. To be honest, Budiman could be said to share the same root as Azief

Before the fall, he is a Malay man. And Budiman is an Indonesian. There is good ribbing on both sides, but in the end they share the same root of ancestry.

He should at least feel some familiarity or fondness with Budiman yet…he never talk too much with the guy.

Azief also recognizes that after the Fall, there is no Malay or Caucasian or African descent anymore.

Azief don’t know if only he recognizes it but he is pretty sure none of those people in the same level as him could be considered human anymore

Before, his race when he was in Seed Forming is Neo Etherna but when he checked his status window after he broke to Disk Forming, his race is now called Etherna Sacred

It reminds him of a story Alsurt once told him and hope he is wrong. He shakes that story form his head and look toward Budiman

‘Keep up the good work. And if Loki contact you…..’

‘I know’ Budiman said.

Azief put his hand on Budiman shoulders and then he takes another step and disappeared appearing back inside his throne room.

In his hand, is Sina pills which contains the essence of his clone. Azief did not say it to anyone but after he merge with the world, his body is still recovering.

He did well, hiding this weakness.

But he could no longer recuperating so slowly.

A few hours ago, the Fairy of the Stars arrived in the palace. She reported that Wang Jian was captured by the World Government. And he was captured because he wanted to save someone

And Azief could guess who that other person is. Azief eyes is now full of murderous intent as he said

‘Hirate….this time…you must die’

And he crushed the pills inside his palm.

***