Soul of Searing Steel

The explosive sound of a burst of air echoed through the hallway.

No one was concerned by that sound, not even the patrolling guards. They simply turned around to take a quick glance towards the direction of the warrior. They did not concern themselves too much when they knew that the sound came from the warrior.

However, it was just like an illusion, the sound of the gentle burst of air that went across the hallway had struck Dimore's ears like thunder.

Whatever Joshua said little earlier was not something that was too difficult for anyone to understand. If that came from another person, the second prince might have thought it as nonsense and dismissed them. However, without a reason, whatever that came out from the warrior, regardless of how simple they were, sounded extraordinarily inspiring.

At that particular moment, Dimore was lost for words. His heart wavered with an inexplicable emotion. He clenched his fists.

That's right. Things should have been that way–

It shouldn't be so complicated in the first place. Powerful strength should be earned through endless battles!

Why do I only understand this now? 

Before the second prince could calm himself down, the main door of the central hall opened with a creak.

A deep and forceful commanding voice echoed into the hallway.

"Radcliffe, please come in."

The voice sounded as if the man was exhausted. However, the tone and the volume of the voice remained undeniably firm, "Dimore, come in as well. I need to speak with you."

Joshua did not hesitate. He immediately walked toward the main hall. The warrior walked pass in front of Dimore. Then the second prince reacted and immediately followed the warrior into the main hall.

The palace door was shut the moment Joshua and the others entered the main hall. The sound of the door shutting was deep and heavy. Many who wished to know what was happening inside the main hall as waited outside the door simply could not. They were the ministers or the servants to the ambassadors from other kingdoms and were informed to remain in the near just in case they could be informed with first-hand information as soon as the information became available.

"Who is Dimore?"

Some of the servants furrowed their brows. They tried to recall the names of all significant nobles and other significant men. They even tried to recall the descendants of those people. That was what the weak needed to do in order to survive in the circle of politics. They could avoid provoking anyone that could potentially bring them down with political powers. However, the name 'Dimore' did not ring any bells. That was because they have never heard of that name in their entire life. However, it seemed that the man by the name 'Dimore' was no ordinary man.

"Dimore…"

Some of the servants who somewhat vaguely remember that name suddenly froze as their expressions began to change. They began to dig deep into their memories, which they had locked away for over a decade ago, it was as if they were looking for a name that had been ignored or even forgotten by the world. One of the servants, who seemed to possess higher intellect, began heading towards the guest hall. The information of what Nostradamus and Count Radcliffe wanted to discuss with the Emperor had become insignificant.

Perhaps because the Orc Palace had been annihilated, none of the people of the Kingdom had to worry about anyone getting assassinated. Furthermore, Dimore had already grown into a man. So Israel had no need to conceal the identity of the second prince anymore. Therefore, he had decided to reveal Dimore to the public.

In the center of Morlaix Palace, Central Glorious Main Hall.

Steady footsteps echoed through the empty hall. Joshua, Ying, and Ling reluctantly walked formally. Each time when the warrior took a step forward, he kept his body balanced, but he was ready to launch an attack at any time. The two divine armaments were ever ready to activate their divine armament transformation.

That was the mutual understanding between the three of them, shared through the Spirit Sense they have. That was also the habits that were rooted in them after experiencing many battles together.

As it was already late, the pyroxene lights on the domed ceiling of the main hall had been lit. A bright light shone from the top, illuminating everything in the hall.

On the wall of the main hall was a spectacular sculpture. The mountains of the north and the south of the kingdom and the long rivers that stretched far away were all drawn on the sculpture. There were also gemstones in the middle of the sculpture of the vast plains, appearing just like dotted jeweled lakes. The sculpture stretched all the way up to the clouds that were found on the domed ceiling where there was a bright sun shining.

"The Nuclear Star! It's so huge!"

Upon seeing that golden-red crystalline object which was emitting real sunlight, even Joshua felt amazed. The Glorious Main Hall was the center point of the entire Northern Empire. Joshua had never been here before even in his past life. The warrior had heard his friends showing off to the others for they were lucky enough to be here to witness the glory of the place. All of them were able to feel the luxury of this place.

Before entering the main hall, Joshua glanced through the surroundings of the palace. He was a little disappointed. The decorations in the hallway were a little outdated. The style of the Imperial Kingdom was relatively crude. Even the sculpture was mediocre. It did not look magnificent as described by his friends in the past life. Everything looked so ordinary until he saw the Nuclear Star that was the size of half a man.

"They actually use this sort of toy as their decorative lamp! That's a little too extravagant…"

The Nuclear Star-that was the [Fragment of the Sun].

That sort of translucent gold-red material which was undetermined as an ore or a crystal was known to radiate almost infinite positive energy. In general, that precious substance would only be used to build very large floating fortresses, or as the energy core of the [Apocalyptic Scale] magic energy structure. Legend has it that the great shrine located on top of the Sacred Mountain has a huge melting star which has the ability to attract the power of the true God. That had allowed them to access the sanctuary of the gods.

That sort of material could only come from those worlds that were on the verge of destruction. When the end of a world was coming, the stars and moons would normally fall. The blazing sun would collapse and the great earth would be reduced into nothingness. The entire sky would be completely shattered. After that, some of the star remnants would drift into the void and be sucked into other outer existing worlds nearby.

In a world, which had the Nuclear Star nearby, there would definitely be the wreckage of a destroyed world. That was a fact that was already been proven by many sources. Joshua narrowed his eyes thinking about and recalling his memories related to the Karlis World. If he did not do what he did back then, that world would have been completely destroyed earlier than it should have. He had prolonged its imminent destruction.

Perhaps the other worlds in the surroundings of the Mycroft Continent had been marked by the Evil Gods now.

"You know something about that? Well, of course you do. You definitely do, as always."

Noticing the warrior's behavior, a powerful and intimidating voice came from the throne at the end of the great hall. The man who spoke walked down from his throne as he spoke to the warrior.

The burly man with dark blond hair wore a dark gray crown forged from steel. There was a golden Holy Glory Gemstone in the middle of the gray crown, which radiated light that cast shadows on the smile on his face. "After all, that isn't a secret at all."

The ruler of the Imperial Kingdom, Israel Diamond, seemed a little exhausted. It showed on his face. Nostradamus stood next to him. The old mage looked as serious as the Emperor. The Emperor lifted his head and looked at the 'sun' above his head. Then he spoke with a nostalgic tone, "This Nuclear Star landed on the plains of the orcs before Year 774. The meteorite had bombarded the canyon of the Northwest, leaving a deep basin there. The impact of the crash has pushed the plains up, which formed the highland of Tartaros today."

"My ancestor had obtained it from a war with the orcs approximately 500 years ago. The Nuclear Star was taken right from the hand of the orcs upon their defeat. Ever since then, the Nuclear Star has been the symbol of jewel that symbolizes the Orc King's power. It now hangs in the ceiling of Morlaix Palace as a constant reminder."

Israel remained silent for a brief moment then fixed his eyes on the warrior and spoke softly, "In this world, kill or be killed. Plunder or be plundered. Joshua's right, Dimore. You're getting sloppy these days."

After hearing his father's calm assessment, Dimore felt a little breathless. He did not know how to answer his father. He could only lower his head.

Israel was not done yet. He sighed and shook his head before he spoke again, "Ever since your return in Morlaix Palace, your will to seek for battle has weakened due to the comfortable life here in the palace. You have forgotten the precautions that you would have taken when you were still in the military. Perhaps you have also forgotten the murderous aura that your enemies had when you faced them. Perhaps you have even forgotten the reason you worked so hard."

The Emperor's tone suddenly turned harsher. "Do you really think that you have already firmly secured your position in the palace just because your brothers and sisters cannot beat you even if they joined forces? Have you forgotten that you must be vigilant at all time? Have you forgotten that you must not be careless with your enemies if you ever want to become the Emperor of the ancient kingdom? You must not underestimate your competitors and your enemies. In terms of influence and power, they are actually a hundred times better than you are now. Not to mention that there are also champions who could have easily beaten you in this very kingdom."

"Do you still remember your impulse to avenge your dear mother? Do you still dream of sitting on my throne as the next Emperor? Your strength is far from enough. Not enough yet, at least."