The Rise of the Black Plain

2128 Beginning of the Ice Age

Another year had passed...

Minos spent practically all of the time since his departure from Dry City in the Seraphim's Ancient Sarcophagus.

The passage of time in the Spatial Kingdom he had gone to was different from the outside world. His minutes of conversation with the seraph had lasted for weeks outside of this alternate space.

After that, Minos had spent months trying to obtain the resources available in that resting place of the dead of the Spiritual Church and had not returned to the Black Plain Empire until now.

However, it wouldn't be long before he returned home. While he was still finishing his business in the central part of the Ancestral Sea, the entire Spiritual World was witnessing the beginning of a new era!

The Ice Age had finally begun!

...

At the southern end of the South Sea...

Several sea creatures were currently swimming at high speed, desperately trying to get as far north as possible.

While they were living an ordinary day like any other in these times, several beings witnessed the sea freezing rapidly and uncontrollably.

The world's temperature has dropped significantly in recent years, and the glaciers around all the oceans have grown in size. However, nothing like what started this morning had ever happened in recent years!

Suddenly, the beings around the South Pole felt as if something extreme had changed in the world, and then they witnessed the sea rapidly freezing in all directions.

Everything in the path of the freezing instantly turned to ice, and not-so-strong beings lost their lives as walls of ice covered them, as if there was nothing in space that wouldn't freeze.

The spiritual roots on the bottom of the ocean diminished in intensity, and some of them lost their volcanic glow altogether.

The sky above the frozen areas cooled to the point that space itself seemed to creak amidst the condensation of multiple frozen layers of various gases in the air.

Lightning flashed in the surrounding area, while the clear azure sky of moments before was filled with black clouds.

"Oh, shit! Calamity is among us!" A level 90 Sky Whale understood what was happening and saw the beginning of the crisis that would bring significant changes to this world.

Intentionally or not, the Ice Age would ravage this world along with the aliens. At the end of this period, either the Spiritual World will be much stronger and more developed, or the intelligent races on this planet will be completely wiped out!

Either way, the beginning of the current Ice Age would bring an unprecedented revolution!

...

While the sea creatures were dying around the seas of this world, fleeing from phenomena like those in the South Sea, the beings on the mainland were also suffering from the sudden change of that day.

The Ice Age had been gradually appearing over the past few years, but its beginning would bring extreme changes in a very short time!

Laura Cox, level 77, the current leader of the Immemorial Graves Sect of the Endless Snow Mountain Range, was watching the ice advance over her old sect headquarters.

Flying over the Endless Snow Mountain Range on the back of a giant tortoise, Laura sighed as she saw the ice layer increase by more than 200 meters from the ancient peak while the ice spread in all other directions.

Green areas of the Endless Snow Mountain Range disappeared into the white of snow and ice, quickly turning into frozen forests.

The earth and rocks themselves froze, while many living creatures, caught unawares by the sudden change, froze to death without understanding what had happened to them.

The phenomenon was so extreme that those caught in the ice died virtually without pain, as 100% of their cells and spiritual energy were instantly frozen.

"I didn't think it would be so horrible..." This level 77 woman muttered as she watched the end of this area along with soldiers from the Black Plain Army and members of her sect.

Celeste and Brooke, mother and daughter at levels 80 and 81, respectively, heard this and couldn't help but agree.

"Me too," Brooke commented as she 'watched' the spiritual energy in the air decrease its density considerably, concentrating in frozen blocks of energy and in the crystal mines nearby.

...

This afternoon, the many citizens of the empires and kingdoms of this world would watch the changing times unfold in real-time, and the skeptics would see why they had to abandon entire cities.

Some places would suffer greatly from the advancing glaciers, freezing completely and losing the conditions necessary for life.

Those who refused to move as directed by the higher forces would freeze to death or narrowly escape during their flight. As for those who followed all the recommendations, they would see and feel the climate change intensify, be less threatened by it, but still suffer greatly.

Even in the best-protected cities of the world, there would be people who would suffer greatly at the beginning of this new era.

Meanwhile, the crops that hadn't been properly prepared in previous years would lose their condition and gradually die in the coming weeks.

Those that hadn't been frozen that day would be unable to feed themselves and would soon die.

From that day on, growing plants or spiritual energy anywhere in the Spiritual World would be much more difficult, naturally making the world's food and military concerns even more problematic.

Now, there was nothing left to do to prevent it. The calamity was upon this world, and each party could only do their best to deal with the consequences of their actions in previous years.

Some would suffer significantly for underestimating the climatic phenomenon. In contrast, others would have an easier time of it, either through their own actions or those of their allies.

...

Believe it or not, one of the best-prepared places for the Ice Age was the Flaming Empire, the state previously limited by the 9th stage.

With a territory full of volcanoes and hot areas, the cold in this territory at the beginning of this new era was naturally less intense than in places like the Endless Snow Mountain Range and the Snow area.

While those two areas suffered from the advance of the ice sheet above them, the Flaming Empire was "breathing" at a level similar to the areas that had received the most investment from the strongest empires in the Spiritual World!

Anyway, along with Harold, level 86, was Oswald, level 87, the leaders of Albano, Rosser, and Blackrock, as well as many members of the Spiritual Church allied with Gloria, such as Forrest, currently level 95.

"Today, we begin a new chapter in our history." Emperor Edwardstone said to the group of people sitting next to him in the imperial palace, watching a screen that showed the burning ground that gave his empire its name, its flames extinguished by the onset of the Ice Age.

"I hope the old troubles are behind us. From now on, we will live as brothers in the face of this challenge. Please lend me your strength to get through this moment!" The red-haired man said as everyone took a deep breath, aware that from now on, they had to be perfect in their united stance.

There was no room for error now!