The ancient devil Alback was eliminated, and the aftershocks of the battle were felt by many Heroes, even far from the surface.
Fortunately, Ethan won again, and when the other Heroes returned to the underground city and saw the apocalyptic scene, they were deeply shocked.
“My God, such a magnificent underground city, an ancient royal city standing for a thousand years, was utterly destroyed…”
“Well, an ancient royal city must become ruins to fit the definition of having a long and storied history.”
“How powerful is Ethan exactly? This is terrifying! Is this the strength of a Rank S warrior?”
“No… I feel Ethan is no ordinary Rank S. Even among Rank S, he must be among the very best. This is good news, though. Now, if we go to war with other countries, we’ll have confidence, haha!”
“What a pity for this underground city. We could have easily rebuilt and reused it, but now everything must be reconstructed.”
“A living strong warrior is more important than a dead city, isn’t it?”
A group of powerful beings started discussing in low voices, their awe of Ethan having reached its peak.
…
Ethan returned to the palace above ground, where he sat in meditation for several days, the battle with the devil Alback having yielded much insight.
“This fellow’s power is definitely beyond Rank S… He’s touched the divine realm.”
“If he hadn’t been weakened, the outcome might have been uncertain.”
“The divine realm, I sensed a vague boundary, a domain beyond the reach of the system…”
Ethan’s expression became increasingly grave.
Initially, he thought that with the assistance of the system, Dark Lords and Heroes would be invincible to the indigenous people of this world, but now it seemed not to be the case.
Above Rank S lay the divine realm, a realm impossible to break into solely with the system’s power.
As for how to break through to the divine realm, Ethan had no clue…
He pulled out the previously seized “The Book of Devil” from Scott Wood.
Although it recorded some information about the divine realm, the cost was too great for Ethan to accept.
To use the power of “The Book of Devil,” one needed large-scale life sacrifices to obtain the “Devil’s” projected strength.
This transient power could vanish at any moment, and the risks of being possessed by the Devil were far too many.
“To understand how to enter the divine realm, I may have to figure it out from the indigenous people of this world,” Ethan slowly closed his eyes, lost in thought.
“It’s bad, Lord Ethan, very bad!” came a panicked cry from outside, and a Hero rushed in, breathless.
“Rebellions have broken out all over the kingdom…”
“Stone Rock Harbor has fallen into the hands of rebels,” the Hero panted.
“Rebels? Where did these rebels come from?” Ethan slowly narrowed his eyes, clearly displeased.
The old forces in the Blackstone Dwarf Kingdom had long been purged and fully integrated into the Hero’s ruling system.
These Heroes were not known for mercy; any who dared resist were now dead.
“Golden Stone Guild, it’s Golden Stone Guild!” the Hero hastily said.
“Sean has instigated a rebellion with the Heroes of Stone Rock Harbor. He wants to negotiate with the kingdom, establish his dominion, crown himself as the Rock King, and gain autonomy over Stone Rock Harbor.”
“Also, the Orc Empire and Elf Kingdom near Blackstone Hero Kingdom have assembled large armies and are gathering along the border… They might be planning to strike soon.”
“A messenger from the Orc Empire has arrived with a letter for you,” a Hero said, hurriedly handing the letter to Ethan.
Ethan opened the envelope and glanced at it, his face instantly turning livid with rage.
It was a declaration of war.
The Orcs had come for the Mana Crystal Vein, and the message was simple: if the Blackstone Hero Kingdom would willingly surrender ninety percent of the mining rights, the Orcs would withdraw their forces immediately. Otherwise, they would ensure the complete destruction of the Hero Kingdom.
“The audacity!” Ethan tore the letter to shreds, commanding his subordinates to gather all the high-ranking Heroes of the kingdom.
In the council chamber, the senior Heroes engaged in heated discussions over the map on the table.
Soon, the kingdom’s Heroes were on the move, with large forces heading to the border.
Thanks to the accumulated wealth from the Mana Crystal mine, they had the resources to wage a prolonged, large-scale war.
“The only problem now is here,” Jonathan said, pointing to Stone Rock Harbor on the map.
Stone Rock Harbor was Blackstone Hero Kingdom’s only seaport, handling vast amounts of goods daily. 𝑶𝑽𝔩ℯxt.𝑐𝐎𝑚
An essential trade route, it could rightly be called the lifeline of the kingdom.
After the kingdom’s establishment, Ethan had secured the loyalty of the Golden Stone Guild with generous incentives.
Sean had operated in Stone Rock Harbor for years, belonging to the Hero faction.
At the time, Ethan had chosen not to take drastic measures against the Golden Stone Guild to stabilize the populace’s sentiments.
He never expected them to cause trouble at such a critical moment.
“I’ll handle Stone Rock Harbor personally,” Ethan’s cold voice resonated, sending a chill through those present.
“Jonathan, you will oversee the kingdom. The mining of the Mana Crystal Vein must not be interrupted.”
“Henry, take your men and head to the border immediately. Call upon all Heroes within the kingdom, including those in enemy territory. Whether they want money or anything else, meet their demands…”
“Also, inform the Dark Lords in the Elf Kingdom and Orc Empire to stir up trouble. We’ll provide them with money and food.”
“Yes, my lord!”
The group dispersed, each following Ethan’s orders.
Ethan donned a black robe, a magical glow slowly rising beneath his feet from the teleportation circle.
The next moment, his figure vanished from the castle.
…
Stone Rock Harbor, Ethan’s figure slowly appeared at the port.
The harbor still bustled with a fleet of ships, and goods were being loaded and unloaded.
Every minute saw the exchange of staggering wealth…
Now, this wealth had nothing to do with Ethan or the kingdom.
The rebellion in Stone Rock Harbor had not affected the port’s operations in the slightest.
For the merchant caravans coming and going, paying their dues to the kingdom or to Stone Rock Harbor made no essential difference.
They only needed to safely load their goods and leave; regardless of who ruled Stone Rock Harbor, they couldn’t do without these merchant caravans.
“Sean, who gave you the nerve?” Ethan slowly walked towards Sean’s residence.
All along the way, the port’s residents were chatting and laughing, and the streets were as bustling as ever.
If it weren’t for the well-equipped Heroes frequently patrolling the streets, there was no indication that a rebellion had occurred here.
Upon reaching the villa that Sean had purchased, Ethan found no sign of him, sensing only a few maids and servants within.
As Ethan was about to leave, a hand suddenly reached out from an alley and grabbed him.
“What brings you here?” The one who grabbed Ethan was a ravishing beauty, a familiar face to him, Veronica.
“Never mind, this is not the place to talk. Come with me,” Veronica said, pulling Ethan through a small alley into a room in an inn.
Pouring a cup of tea for Ethan, Veronica sat down and asked, “You came here to find Sean, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” Ethan nodded.
“You’re not thinking of siding with Sean, are you? I advise you to forget that idea…” Veronica took a sip of tea, looking somewhat terrified as she continued, “I don’t know if Sean has gone mad, but he actually incited the Golden Stone Guild to start a rebellion.”
“That day was horrifying. A battle erupted between the people of the Golden Stone Guild and those Heroes who didn’t want to rebel. They fought from dusk till dawn. If not for the intervention of a few old men, Sean would have died that night.”
“Who knows if Sean has lost his mind? The new king of Blackstone Kingdom is a Rank S Hero; does he genuinely have no fear of death?”
Ethan listened to Veronica’s words and took a sip of tea.
Some of what she said caught his attention: “You mentioned a few old men intervening? Do you know anything about their background?”
“The Elder Council…” Veronica stammered, her face turning pale as if she was recalling some unpleasant memories.
“After the news of the Dwarf King’s death came, Sean suddenly approached me, asking me to find a few female Heroes. He needed to entertain some important figures… I didn’t think much about it at the time, and I spent a good deal of money to find the female Heroes for him.”
“The banquet was held at Sean’s villa. I stayed for a while after leading the people there, but then left. I heard from some acquaintances that those who came were a group of old men, calling themselves the Elder Council. They included members from various races.”
“A few of the old men were dwarves, and judging by their aged appearance, they must have been at least a thousand years old.”
“I didn’t want to be taken advantage of by these old characters, so I quickly left. It was only the next day when I came to take the people back that I discovered…”
“They were dead, all of them dead. The female Heroes I had helped find, all of them were dead, their naked bodies hung from the ceiling, tortured to death.”
