A golden figure emerged out of the light beam.
A huge pressure descended on the entire capital.
Every rank, be it the first or the third, or even Sovereign, felt a terrible dread.
It was as if a beast was watching their every move. One wrong step and they would be killed without any resistance.
Breaths were held, fists were clenched, prayers were sent.
Every Abyssal in their home stared at the light screen.
A six meter golden figure floated in the air and looked down at Reka city. A golden light trailed off from his finger and shot at the Fairy Emperor..
The light wrapped around him and disappeared with him.
Step.
Step.
Abyss Emperor walked towards the golden figure. His red robes were torn, his arm flung and his shoulder continued to bleed, dropping the imperial crystal green blood on the ground.
As he inched closer, Abyss Emperor felt something and glanced in a certain direction.
The injured boy, the rescuing soldiers and the surrounding hundred mile area were reduced to a desolate land.
The Perpetrator was, of course, the light beam emitted by the golden beast in front.
Without knowing it, Abyss Emperor clenched his fist and looked up at the golden person floating in the air.
He wanted to curse. Ask why the Fairy Emperor was rescued. Question why the boy was killed.
But he didn't. It was all useless.
Instead, he took a deep breath and said "Greetings, Envoy."
Abyss Emperor stood alone in the desolate region. It used to be a district housing at least two million Abyssals.
Now it was all gone. And took away some of the brightest Abyssals.
He remembered one of his late friend's home was in this district.
'I promised to protect his parents and children… but.' Abyss Emperor looked at the indifferent expression on the envoy as rage boiled in his heart.
If and only if he wasn't the Emperor, he'd train with everything he had and kill the envoy. And his race.
But... he couldn't leave everyone behind. Without him, no Abyssal would be left to survive under these hounds.
"Greetings, Emperor of Abyss." The golden man, no; the Zion — the race that called themselves as the darlings of paradise, spoke.
There was an awkward silence and finally, the Zion envoy looked down at the capital city with an amusing gaze.
At least 1% of the entire capital was destroyed. That was a lot of land and lives.
Generational wealth and generations of lives were lost in a snap.
Fairy Emperor managed to sneak past the barrier this time.
Every time in the past, he'd be detected when he encroached on the borders.
Then he'd be repelled by the Abyss Emperor—the only person who could fight off Fairy Emperor.
Even then, some damage was still inevitable. A few streets would be destroyed, and a couple of tens of thousands of lives would be lost.
But nothing of this level.
The damage this time equalled all the damage of his previous aggressions.
As for why he was able to successfully sneak in this time?
Every Abyssal had the answer.
The Zion.
'I swear I'll exterminate your race one day.' Abyss Emperor repeated his oath.
The Zion envoy was unfazed by the tragic scene and declared cooly "Do not provoke fights or Envoys would have to intervene. After all, Fairies are a peace-loving race."
Abyss Emperor took a deep breath and said "Yes."
The facts were twisted. He became the aggressor.
Fairy Emperor became a fellow ruler who just wanted to 'promote harmony between the Abyssals and Fairies.'
Of course, every Abyssal knew the truth.
Zions were arch enemies of Abyssals since antiquity. They were usually of equal power and the struggle continued with no clear victor.
However, the war 500 years ago damaged Abyssals severely and their overall power declined greatly.
On the other hand, Zions rose in the past 500 years by kissing the ass of the seventh prince.
Zion Emperor contributed even his main wife to the seventh prince.
Today's Zions were, in every conceivable way, much stronger than the Abyssals.
The only thing stopping them from slaughtering the Abyssals was the 'Jai protection.'
The military merits from the suicide fightings in the war 500 years ago gave Abyssals a 'protection' period until the next Providence Trial.
That meant only civilizations of equal level could fight them.
A higher civilization, such as Zions, could not exterminate Abyssals.
Of course, Zions didn't intend to slaughter Abyssals and risk breaking the 'law'.
So they raised a dog — Fairies and unleashed them upon Abyssals.
Fairies were originally far weaker than Abyssals. But with the assistance of their masters, the Zions, they were quickly catching up.
Now, even though they were still weaker than Abyssals, surpassing them was only a matter of time.
There were even rumors if the Emperors didn't fight, Faries would win the Abyssals.
Of course, the Zions were not doing this just for normal extermination.
This build up of Fairies was for the preparations to the providence trial a few decades later.
Fairies would challenge Abyssals in the trial.
If the Abyssals win, they'd get the 'Jai protection' and would be shielded from higher civilizations like Zions. That'd mean a long period of peace.
If they lose, they'd lose the protection and, of course, the next thing would be extermination of the race.
However, even the most common politician knew Fairies were definitely going to win. Abyssals were a declining hegemon. Fairies were a rising star.
'Even if they're sure of victory, Zions want to humiliate us till the providence trial.' Abyss Emperor clenched his fist.
"Then I'll take my leave. Me and my race are looking forward to your performance in the providence trial." The envoy disappeared with a flickering light.
But before he did, his gaze landed on the palace in the center.
Abyss Emperor's heart tightened, and he ran to the palace with all his might.
'No.' He prayed. 'Be safe.'
Whoosh!
He heard something cutting through flesh and rushed in the direction.
Thud.
Thud.
In the grand lounge of the palace, two heads rolled on the ground.
Not recognizing those faces, Abyss Emperor's heart calmed down.
He glanced up and saw the most beautiful woman and the cutest girl standing safe, albeit with golden blood staining their dress.
He heaved a sigh of relief.
"Daddy!" The little girl jumped into his arms.
Abyss Emperor patted her back and looked at his wife. His only wife.
She smiled at him with an expression that said 'I will take care of the dangers here.'
Indeed, there were several assassin corpses strewn all around.
Feeling his daughter's embrace and his wife's support, Abyss Emperor's conviction was once again strengthen.
Even if the odds were against them, even if their entire race was facing an existential crisis, he'd lead them out of the darkness.
He was their Emperor. Their Savior.
He stroked his daughter's little head with blood stained arms and at the same time, pulled his wife into a hug.
"We'll have peace one day. I promise." His promise wasn't just for them, but for the entire capital.
As his voice reverberated across every house, the Abyssal shed tears and nodded.