Keiren walked into the Courtyard, where the Knights had a merry chat with each other. Fermont and Suran sat by the side and the Knight Commander was teaching the Emperor's newest subject about knighthood. The moment she noticed Ken's gaze on her, she stood up and immediately bowed at him.
"Welcome back, Emperor."
Instantly, the other Knights jumped into action and bowed as well.
"Welcome back Emperor."
"Rajansam, I summon you." Keiren answered and a split second later the Demon Asura appeared before him. He was covered in blood from head to toe.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Rajansam kneeled, yet given his tall stature he was towering over Keiren. Noticing that this might be seen as a sign of disrespect, he shrunk down until he was the height of an average human.
'System, give me the jadeslip containing the inheritance of Elemental Thunderfire.'
# As you wish, Summoner. #
A white slip of jade appeared in Ken's hand. Imprinted on the top was a purple burning lightning bolt. Rajansam raised his head as he felt the imposing aura the item emitted.
"Rajansam, I have something for you." Ken said and presented him with his reward. "This jadeslip contains the comprehended knowledge about the Elemental Thunderfire from an Emperor Realm powerhouse. I want you to learn as much as you can from it before you teach it to everyone else. Focus on Knights who have the related Talent and Galatris. Those who show promise are free to study it on their own once they reach the Immortal Realm. Keep in mind that it is a priceless treasure and the more people master it, the better for us, so it is of the utmost importance that you give it your all!"
"Your Majesty, I shall not disappoint you. I will make sure to comprehend everything that it will show me and teach you and your Knights with absolute care." Rajansam answered.
Ken nodded and handed the jadeslip over to Rajansam. For some reason he really felt the loss, even though he was aware that in his own hands it was currently as useful as a diamond to a thirsty man in the middle of a desert.
Rajansam's own eyes lit up as he touched the precious item. He knew perfectly well that he had just been handed something that was far more valuable than anything he had ever received in his former life.
"By the way, how come you're covered in blood?" Ken asked now that he had said his piece.
"I was training your army. They are lacking in everything, and the fastest way to teach them is by ingraining it in their bodies that the slightest mistake can kill them. As such, I've decided to exploit the fact that they can ressurect endlessly." Rajansam explained dutifully. His mouth split into a grin that would have scared an army of Immortals shitless.
'He seems to have a lot of fun training the Eternal Einherjar.'
"Good, then I won't delay you any longer, continue your work, and good luck." Ken said and waved his hand. Instantly Rejansam vanished again.
'Now that this is taken care of, I should summon this Supreme Weaponmaster before he disappears! System, if you would do me the honor.'
# Summoning 1x Supreme Weaponmaster, Summoner #
A second later, the space in the middle of the courtyard shattered and a battered and beaten up figure got blasted out, sliding right before Keiren's feet. She turned out to be a real supreme beauty. Every man would go to war without the slightest hesitation just to see a smile on her face. Keiren was shocked since he had expected to meet a gruff looking old man with a beard, rather than a woman that fit his type perfectly.
If he had been asked to describe his ideal type, prior to dating Shyla, he would have 100% described that woman. She might be covered in wounds, yet her beauty was unquestionable.
Her long hair was red and white where it wasn't burned. Her face was angelic, her eyes were closed and blood trickled down her chin. She had just the perfect amount of breasts to look cute and sexy at the same time. Her belly was flat and ripped with a six-pack. Her hips were distinctive but not excessive, her legs long yet burned black like charcoal.
'System, how do I heal her? Tell me how I can heal her!'
# I shouldn't answer a pervert's question too easily. But if you ask the right questions, I will tell you. #
'System, I am not a pervert. Here I thought we had a moment earlier, so why are you messing with me now?'
# Just because you are denying the truth doesn't make it go away. #
"FUCK" Ken raged his brain trying to figure out what to do until it hit him like a hammer in the face. Apart from the Inheritance, and the Supreme Weaponmaster, he had received a third item. In fact, he had even been warned not to consume it rashly before, so those had to be related.
'Does the Thunderfire Essence have healing properties?'
# Yes it does, but if you give it to her in her current condition, the Thunderfire Essence will devour her soul as well as her memories. Still, the Thunderfire Essence would form a complete consciousness and eventually evolve into a very powerful Elemental. #
'What If I let her absorb the Thunderfire Essence within my Eternal Realm? Would that be enough to heal her?'
# In theory yes, but you would die from the energy consumption long before she had the chance to recuperate properly and with your death the Eternal Realm would crumble. As a result, everyone inside would be killed in the aftermath. #
'Does that mean that there is no way for me to save her? That doesn't make any sense. if it would be impossible, she wouldn't have been part of my reward.'
# Summoner, may I remind you that you still have 60.000 SP available #
'Is there a pack that would allow me to heal her?'
# 1 gift pack for friends: 0 SP #
# Supreme Grade clothes for a Supreme Beauty, 1 Emperor Grade instant healing pill, a book titled '1.567 Billion ways how to fuck' #
# Note: the Emperor Grade instant healing pill also has another name. You have to crush the pill in your mouth and breathe it with Thunderfire into her lungs. #
'You are still messing with me, aren't you? This pack is forcing me to kiss her. You're aware that I'm married, so why are you doing this to me?'
# This is for your own good. Speaking of your wife, she is peeking at you from the window. #
Ken turned around and looked at the window where Shyla stood and stared at him.
"Why are you hiding?" Ken asked here.
"Who says I'm hiding, I'm waiting for you to handle this situation." Shyla answered dismissively.
"Come here, I have a very important question to ask you." Ken said and waved at her to come over.
Shyla walked over and looked at Keiren: "What exactly is that important question?"
"If I had the chance to heal her, but had to do something you might not like, do you think you could forgive me?"
"Who is she?" Shyla asked with a stern face and solemn voice.
"She is a Supreme Weaponmaster who was at the Peak Layer of the Imperial Emperor Stage. Her current state is due to failing the Tribulation into the Emperor Realm, and if I don't do anything, she likely won't survive today. According to my System, the only way for me to save her is for me to consume a special pill, and then use my Thunderfire to breathe the medicine into her lungs." Ken recounted seriously.
"You are asking me whether I'm okay letting you kiss a woman who is a stranger? Is that really the only option?" Shyla asked. She was concerned about the woman and while she understood that allowing her husband to kiss someone to save that person's life was a small sacrifice to make, she nevertheless didn't like the idea.
"There is. I could let her ingest the Elemental Thunderfire Essence I've just received, but that would recrete her into a very powerful Elemental instead. I'm not sure how loyal she would be if I did that to her, though." Keiren answered honestly.
# Don't worry, Summoner, the resulting Heavenly Thunderfire Elemental will be under your full control. It has many uses, but without her memories, she can't craft any weapons. However, there is a good chance that she might relearn those things in the future, but there is no guarantee. #
After getting told about the other option, Shyla fell into deep thought. It took her a few minutes before she said something. "If I told you that I don't want you to use the first method, would you sacrifice her?"
"Without an ounce of hesitation." Keiren answered immediately. "Not only will I always treasure your opinion above all else, but if ever a person looks at you the wrong way, I promise you to defend your honor."
The Knights in the courtyard stood up and drew their swords. "We swear on our souls, that we will annihilate every person the Empress wants dead. It will be them or us."
The moment one breaks through the Mortal King Stage, they would awaken their Battle Spirit as it is the foundation of one's real cultivation. Each one of those Knights possessed a Divine Lightning Elemental Battle Spirit.
The Special Ability of High Humans is called the Spirit Link ability. It enables the body to transform into the Spirit or use similar powers. For these Knights it was the transformation into a Divine Lightning Elemental.
Each one of them had just made a Soul Oath, so they had to show what they are capable of.
Every Knight transformed into a 2,5 meters high, humanoid Divine Lightning Elemental Knight. They all emitted an aura of electricity that surged around the courtyard.
Seemingly responding to that phenomena, the body of the half-dead woman began to shiver and both Keiren and Shyla received the same message from their Systems.
# Feeling a threat to her life, a cultivator is about to awaken her Emperor Spirit, without having a Battle Spirit to begin with. It is now or never to save her or sacrifice her. NOW! #
"Shyla…" Ken started.
"Save her, but I want her to prove her worth by fighting them!" Shyla pointed at the Knights as she gave her approval.
"Fine. System, let's do it."
'Give me the gift pack for friends, BUT give me the book at a later time when I'm alone and nobody else is around me.'
# Yes. Here is your pill and the clothes. #
A small orange, purple pill appeared in Keiren's right hand while a supremely beautiful armor-dress jumped into existence in his left hand.