The march of three Kingdoms on Tor lands devastated its citizens. However, none were more surprised by this change of events than King Tor himself. He felt incredibly uncomfortable. After their Civil War, they lost the support of the Cedar Clan. Even before that, they lost the warriors of the Agnes Clan as well. With both of their top two Clans gone just like that, Tor Kingdom had less than half of its previous strength, yet now they were facing enemies from all sides!
By this point, the Heavenly Body Sect couldn't remain idle any longer. They had to do something! Under the pressure, Amory Tor, Ryu's grandfather, finally broke through the final layer and stepped into the Divine Vessel Realm!
The momentum of his breakthrough swept over the Higher Mortal Realm. He had finally become an expert those of the Pedestal Plane couldn't look down upon. Not just this, but he also gave hope to the Tor Kingdom, they finally felt there was a path to victory. They became the first Sect with two Divine Vessel Realm experts!
Who would have known that their opponents wouldn't turn tail after this news reached their ears, but would instead continue to march forward?! Before confusion could set on, Tor Kingdom soon became aware that the experts of the Nature's Emblem and Whispering Willow Sects had set off to attack them as well!
In that moment, the Sects were evenly matched. Each side had two Divine Vessel Realm experts and a comparable number of experts.. However, while the Sects were evenly matched, the same couldn't be said of Kingdoms. The longer the battle stretched out, the more devastated the ancestral lands of the mighty Tor Kingdom became.
It seemed like the perpetual dark clouds over their Kingdom had finally come to collect their debts. So much blood was spilt that the skies seemed to soak in their color, becoming an eerie violet that made it feel as though purgatory was descending upon their lands.
Just when it felt as though things couldn't get any worse, the Garis Clan once more launched a sneak attack, changing sides again and dealing what remained of the Tor Clan a devastating blow!
King Tor's rage reached an unmatched level. No one knew how he did it, but after years, he forcibly broke through, entering the Spiritual Severing Realm. The Tor Clan's Iron Body truly displayed its might, but unfortunately, one man wasn't enough to turn the tides.
The Tor Kingdom wasn't just facing the flip of the Garis Clan, but also the Jedrek's deep pockets! It seemed as though every hidden and unaffiliated expert of their Higher Mortal Plane was now flying under Jedrek's banner.
When the Tor Clan wanted to seek revenge on what remained of the Garis Clan, they were shocked to find that what remained of the Garis Clan had already relocated and sworn their allegiance to Opes Kingdom! Not only was the old General and young mistress Yaana nowhere to be found, but even Concubine Selene and Catalina an inexplicably vanished.
It felt as though everything that could go wrong did go wrong. An invisible hand blanketed the skies, playing with their lives as they saw fit. At times like this, many Tor citizens began to wonder just where their heaven defying Crown Prince had gone. Didn't he always win no matter what odds stood stacked against him? Where was he when they needed him most?
On this particular day, more than 90% of Tor Kingdom's territory had been snatched away. What remained of their armies were battered back time and time again. Soon, all that remained were the tall walls of Tor City.
What once was a vibrant capital city was now desolate. With so many battles having been fought, the mighty Tor Clan had become nothing but a cornered rat. If it wasn't for fear of being executed on sight, what families remained would have long since defected.
The guards that stood at the gates of Tor City were shifty eyed and nervous beyond compare, a far cry from the arrogant, sharp gazes they once held. They couldn't take their eyes off the horizon… At any moment, they felt like the dust clouds of an approaching army could enter their senses. Once that happened, their fates would be sealed.
So, when these guards saw a shadow slowly approaching them, their first reaction was despair. However, when that figure drew closer, shock, then a faint excitement colored their features. The Crown Prince, the Crown Prince had returned! He could turn this around, right?!
At this moment, King Tor sat on his throne. One sleeve of his elaborate robes was decidedly empty, making it clear that he had lost an arm. Not a single hair of lush brown remained, all of them having been replaced by dull greys. He didn't even have the energy to get angry anymore.
The fate of his father was unknown. The current Head of the Heavenly Body Sect was incredibly old to begin with, so his combat prowess wasn't like what it used to be. This put a heavy burden on King Tor's father in their battle. However, no one had heard word about what happened to those four Divine Vessel Realm experts since their battle began…
Around King Tor sat what remained of his empire. After the matters with the Cedar Clan, most of the Ministers had been executed, including Imperial Censor Briggs. So, only Imperial Censor Digby remained, but his frail, old and skinny frame seemed like it could collapse at any moment.
Aside from him, there were the two Princesses, Concubine Leilani, Queen Olivia, the First and Third Prince, and the nephew and niece of King Tor. At this point, King Tor couldn't bring himself to kill Olivia, not because he loved her, but because the Kingdom couldn't suffer anymore blows. The death of the Queen might be the straw that broke the camels back. Still… It seemed like they were all waiting for death.
At that moment, the sealed doors of the throne room opened. Considering how silent the room had been, the swishing of such large doors immediately caught all of their attentions. However, what really shocked them was the figure who was behind that door… Crown Prince Ryu Tor!
When King Tor laid eyes on Ryu's piercing gaze, he inexplicably began to laugh. It was a laugh filled with remorse and regret. There wasn't any rage or indignation, there was only resignation and sadness. In that instant, he understood exactly who controlled that looming invisible hand that seemed to cover the skies.
The two Princesses trembled seeing Ryu, it seemed that they too understood something at that moment. Their husbands had already died in the war between the three Sects, now the Tor Clan was all they had to rely on. Even though they had Garis blood, they weren't shameless enough to take advantage…
At this moment, everyone understood what true fear was. A man toyed with their lives without lifting a single finger. This was Ryu Tatsuya!