The Supreme King of the Barbarians felt as though boundless, inexhaustible power was surging through his entire body.
That endless flow, a blessing from the High God and the Ancestor Spirits, not only allowed him to break through the threshold of Legend in a single bound, but, more importantly, he awakened to an entirely new special class.
“I am the God of the Hunt, the living embodiment of slaughter’s dominion in this world.”
When the Supreme King of the Barbarians spoke again, his voice carried far and wide; though it was not loud, it entered the ears of everyone present with crystalline clarity, accompanied by an aura of authority.
Divine Favored.
Since the creation of the class system over a thousand years ago, countless people have tirelessly sought to change classes, yet most labored in vain. The special classes held immense power.
It required not only individual talent, mana accumulation, and one’s own qualities, but—most important of all—the recognition of a deity.
In a certain sense, the Supreme King of the Barbarians at this moment was no longer a mere mortal.
“Legend’s peak?” The Supreme King’s eyes shone with ease and contempt. “The strongest beneath the gods?”
Buzz—
The Supreme King snorted coldly. “Is that all there is to it!”
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Those barbarian warriors who had previously been immobilized by Green’s playing, tightly suppressed by the Domain, suddenly found themselves not only free but their auras surged higher and higher, faintly showing signs of a breakthrough.
“Divine grace?!” A barbarian warrior shouted with reverent awe, “Ancestral God’s blessing, Ancestral God’s blessing! The mighty Supreme King is indeed favored by the Ancestral God!”
“Praise our Lord!”
Amid the chorus of praises, the Supreme King of the Barbarians felt the power within him climb even more rapidly, and his view of the world through his eyes was no longer the same.
Every blade of grass and tree, the elements hidden within the air, even the emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and delight—within the hearts of the barbarian warriors, all began to appear in his mind. In that instant, the Supreme King felt he was fundamentally different from the common world.
In short, the Supreme King had ascended.
“Foolish mortals.” The Supreme King turned once more to look at the shameless peak-Legend who had just viciously humiliated his own heir, and his former anger had disappeared.
As a Divine Favored, beloved by the Ancestor Spirits and the High God, how could he concern himself with the petty gains and losses of the mundane world?
Even if that man was the so-called peak of Legend, the strongest beneath the gods, in the end, he was still ‘beneath the gods’, wasn’t he?
“It is thanks to your schemes that I was able to seize such an opportunity.”
The Supreme King lifted his head and laughed heartily.
That thunderous laughter echoed across the entire wasteland; just hearing it caused the Imperial army’s officers and soldiers to tremble with fear.
“Your petty tricks at manipulating people’s hearts are indeed interesting, but what a pity.” The Supreme King recalled how Green’s plucking of strings had rendered tens of thousands of his men unable to move, and felt a lingering fear.
Fortunately, victory belongs to me in the end.
As for the little setbacks in between? They were no more than minor episodes on the path to inevitable victory.
“In the face of absolute power, the schemes of you vermin are doomed to fail.”
Whoosh—
A cold, howling wind arose from who knows where. Wisps of emerald ghostfire swirled about the Supreme King; those figures dressed and featured somewhat like barbarians seemed to be answering his call, loyal as servants, circling at his side for him to command.
Ancestor Spirits.
Special beings formed from years of veneration after the death of the tribe’s revered elders.
Blessed by the God of Sanctuary, the Supreme King now possessed the authority to command the Ancestor Spirits.
“Tremble in the blood-soaked sacrifice to the God of the Hunt!”
Swish!
The Supreme King swung his arm with force.
“Oh, oh, oh! Blood sacrifice, blood sacrifice!”
“Cut off the heads of all these city-dwellers!”
“Kill their men, and turn their wives, daughters, and sisters all into slaves!”
The barbarian warriors surged forth like a tide once more, but this time, the totems branded upon their bodies burst into a scarlet glow, making their already savage faces even more terrifying.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Colonel Raine gritted his teeth. Though his heart had long since sunk to rock bottom, he still held his post, shouting to rally his already terrified subordinates.
“Looks like we’re doomed today.” Raising his machete, Raine threw caution to the wind, barreled into a barbarian warrior, and before being swarmed by others, ferociously plunged his blade into the warrior’s heart.
Bang…
After successfully killing that barbarian, Raine was satisfied to be tackled by the remaining barbarians. Pressing a hand to his chest, he prepared to detonate the Crystal Energy Bomb in his arms in his final moments.
“My one life for ten of yours…” Raine laughed wildly, “What a rush! Worth every bit!”
Buzz!!!
Powered by magic, the Crystal Energy Bomb glowed with dazzling white light, on the verge of exploding.
Sizzle—
Suddenly, the detonation sequence of the Crystal Energy Bomb was reversed.
“How is this possible?!” Raine’s eyes bulged wide.
“Crafty city-dwellers, always using underhanded means.” The Supreme King fixed his gaze on Raine and sneered. “But, after I received the Ancestral God’s blessing, don’t dream of using unfair tricks to harm a single brave of my Free Kingdom.”
“As for you…” The Supreme King’s voice was distant, his bearing calm as he looked to Theresa. “The future Princess Consort of the Free Kingdom. Now that you’ve witnessed my strength, do you understand what the right choice is?”
“Do you truly wish to die here, framed by your own brother?”
At this point, the Supreme King seemed to have no more intent to hide, and openly displayed the Magitech Barrier Crystal—supposedly the Empire’s highest secret—in his hand.
“To eliminate you, his greatest threat, your brother personally sent someone to give me this treasure, and even the artifact that let me break through to Legend was by your imperial brother’s hand.”
The Supreme King spoke with utter confidence: “Princess of the Empire, do you not crave revenge? Don’t you wish to return to the capital and enjoy wealth and splendor?”
Seeing the stunning imperial princess remain silent, her alluring figure trembling, the Supreme King became even more certain.
“Marry my son, and your children will become the future rulers of the Empire. Then, all those who betrayed and wronged you—I will see them utterly destroyed.”
The Supreme King painted a bright future for Theresa, coaxing, “And all of this, as long as you obediently agree.”
“Yes, Theresa.” The barbarian prince nodded repeatedly in delight. “Since my Royal Father has already promised, what are you hesitating for?”
“Unlike you city folk, as a Free Warrior and Divine Favored, his word is unshakable.”
Prince Chris gazed with longing at the holy aura his father exuded, and at the Ancestor Spirits from ancient legends now gathered at his father’s side.
“Don’t worry. The entire Empire will be ours one day!”
Thud, thud, thud.
Theresa gripped her imperial sword tightly and, expressionless, walked up to Prince Chris.
“Haha, so you finally understand what the right choice—”
Clang—
Dragon’s Tear moved.
In a flash, as the Imperial army fell into despair, Her Highness the Princess made her choice.
Splurt.
“You?!” Prince Chris stared in disbelief at his own chest. “You…”
“Chris?!” The nearby Supreme King could no longer maintain his composure. “Quick, heal him!”
At the King’s command, the tribe’s Ancestor Spirits swiftly flew to Chris’s side. Bathed in glimmers of light, his deadly wound quickly closed.
“You bitch!” Gasping, Chris glared and cursed, “You filthy whore, I’ll cut off your limbs, turn you into a doll, and let all the braves ride you every day!!!”
Theresa gave no answer, only glanced back at Green.
“It seems I truly am not fit to be emperor, Mr. Green.” Theresa smiled bitterly. “Old Martin always said that a successful leader must be able to control their emotions and weigh everything by profit.”
“But I really can’t do it.”
Theresa shook her head in pain, looked at the Imperial soldiers still resisting despite hopeless odds, and raised her imperial sword high.
“Soldiers of the Empire, hear my command—fight with all your might and break through the encirclement!”
With a resolve to die, Theresa raised her sword and charged once more at Chris. “As for the rearguard, leave it to this unworthy commander!”
Clang!!!
Dragon’s Tear shone brightly, but before the overwhelming might of the Supreme King, it was as feeble as a firefly in the dark of night.
“Father, don’t kill that bitch yet! I want to torment her myself!”
Seeing Theresa seeking death, the prince quickly called out to his father.
“Hmph.” Seeing his son’s wounds healing, the Supreme King recovered his calm. He reached out, intending to seize the ‘mad’ princess before him directly.
“Bringing death upon yourself…”
The Supreme King bared his teeth, preparing to unleash the power granted by the God of the Hunt.
“O Lord of slaughter and blood, Supreme Ruler of the Eternal Hunting Grounds, your emissary in the mortal world beseeches your favor. Bring down divine punishment upon these ignorant fools.”
After reciting the incantation, the Supreme King awaited the manifestation of the God of the Hunt.
Splurt!
Hm?
The Supreme King blinked.
His chest had been pierced. Of course, having ascended to a higher realm, such a minor physical injury would not harm him.
But…
Staring at the sword in the princess’s hand, the Supreme King looked up in utter confusion—how could this mere level seventy mortal possibly break through his divine defense and strike him under divine punishment?
Wait?!
Where was the divine punishment?
Only now did the Supreme King realize that everything before his eyes was calm and peaceful.
The terrifying storm he’d summoned earlier had, without a sound, simply dissipated.
“I see.”
At that moment, a familiar voice sounded by the Supreme King’s ear.
“So that’s the true effect of that pill?” The detestable “Bard” was now strolling about unconcerned under the Supreme King’s terrifying pressure.
He leisurely picked up the pill the Supreme King had used to break through, and, in his other hand, held a purple crystal—the Empire’s top secret Magitech Crystal.
When?!
The Supreme King glanced at his own waist in shock—somehow, his pouch had a conspicuous tear!
“Source of corruption, the sorceress, the Crown Prince…” Green frowned. “So my chosen form was actually meant to deal with those super-model things?”
“Well then, analysis complete, no need to waste more time.”
Green moved again.
“You!” Fury surged in the Supreme King’s heart. Even after ascending to a higher realm, this wretched mortal dared to ignore him time and again, as if he were nothing more than a joke.
Die!
The Supreme King was about to strike personally.
Thud, thud, thud!!!
Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet caved in, and an overwhelming pressure descended upon him once more. Despite the protection of Ancestor Spirits and the gods, he could not dispel it.
How could this be?!
“By the way, isn’t it still time for the blood sacrifice?”
As if recalling something, Green fixed his gaze on the Supreme King for a long moment.
That look—the Supreme King suddenly found it familiar…
Wait, wasn’t that how he looked at sacrificial prey?
“Your Highness, may I borrow your tool?” Green courteously asked, approaching Theresa.
“Mm?” Theresa nodded reflexively.
Clang.
Green calmly admired Dragon’s Tear in his hand. “Quasi-artifact? Hmm, good enough to kill a false demigod.”
“If luck is on my side, maybe it’ll even become a true artifact!”
Splurt—
Before the Supreme King’s eyes, full of disbelief, Dragon’s Tear slashed at his thick neck with blinding speed.
Silent as still water.
As if Divine Favored, god’s grace, Ancestor Spirit protection, Legend’s might—all those attributes simply didn’t exist.
Just like that, Green easily chopped off the Supreme King’s head.
Clatter.
Buzz.
Dragon’s Tear glimmered with brilliant color.
“Sacrifice complete.” Green turned his gaze to Prince Chris and the rest of the barbarian warriors. “Next up is the hunt.”
Green quietly returned Dragon’s Tear to the stunned Theresa and gave a small bow to the princess, whose emotions had been a wild ride.
“Your Highness, your indomitable bearing just now is truly the perfect subject for an epic.” Pulling out a roll of parchment and a quill from who knows where, Green began to write once again.
“And, unlike others, in my bard’s eyes, an emperor who weighs only profit with absolute rationality is but a mediocre king. A truly great ruler is one willing to sacrifice all, even themselves, no matter how foolish it may seem.”
That was Green’s assessment.