Keiren stood at a crossroad, trying to decide whether or not to save someone who had strayed from the path of honor. He was uncertain of his own role and purpose, and had no one to turn to for advice. He knew that he was the Eternal Emperor, or at least a Seedling of the Eternal Emperor, according to Galatris.
However, he also knew that the Valkyries considered him their Divine Lord and that he had the power to resurrect the dead and grant them a new life as Eternal Einherjar. But who had decided what it meant to be honorable?
Frustrated, Keiren asked the Valkyrie before him, "Tell me, what does it mean to be honorable? Who decides when someone is no longer honorable? At what point are they beyond redemption?"
The Valkyrie merely smiled and replied, "You are my Lord, so tell me, what do you think makes someone honorable?"
"You can't just deflect my question back to me," Keiren protested. "If someone is lost and has strayed from the path of honor, there must be a guideline for what is considered honorable. Now tell me!"
"I cannot tell you," the Valkyrie shook her head. "I am not permitted to interfere in your decisions. You must make them on your own as I am merely a tool just like it is. The only difference between the two of us is that I am older and stronger than it will ever be."
Curious, Keiren asked, "How strong are you?"
"I am as strong as you are," the Valkyrie replied. "The only difference between us is that I am aware of my strength and you are not. I am unable to help you become aware of your strength, as doing so would violate every oath I have ever sworn."
Feeling frustrated, Keiren tried to understand. How could he be as strong as the Valkyrie? Then, he realized that the Valkyrie was also affected by the Barrier of Equality, which suppressed her to the Adamant Stage. Yet she was still able to freeze someone as strong as the blue knight mid-air while speaking with him.
"How strong are you outside this realm?" Keiren asked.
"That's an interesting question," the Valkyrie replied. "It's hard to give you an answer that you can comprehend. In the outside world, I'm strong enough to traverse the void, meaning only the strongest beings are able to threaten my well-being. If I wanted to, I could destroy this realm and the realm where your feathered phoenix friend lives with just a thought.
"I am so strong that I could give you strength that would surpass anything your imagination is capable of. Were I to do so, you'd have the power to blast the Goddess who offended you, along with her entire pantheon, into dust with a mere flicker of your finger. Does that answer your question?
"By the look on your face, you're still not happy, but even if I told you the name of my cultivation level, you wouldn't be able to grasp anything from it. Now that I've told you this, I must also tell you that I cannot fight for you until you are able to comprehend the vastness of my power."
At this, the faces of everyone around them turned pale with shock. Keiren asked, "If you can't fight for me, why would you intervene in this situation?"
"That's easy," the Valkyrie replied. "Because if you wanted to, you could spank me in this realm like a little girl if you were aware of your strength."
"So you're just bending the rules to intervene on your own accord because it's a loophole in your oaths," Keiren said. "If I were to order you to help me, you wouldn't be allowed to because I'm unable to comprehend your strength."
"That is correct," the Valkyrie nodded in confirmation.
"There's something I don't understand," Keiren said, still trying to grasp the vast amount of power the Valkyrie possessed. "How can the Barrier of Equality affect you, with your strength?"
The Valkyrie merely smiled mysteriously. "The Barrier of Equality does not suppress the person. It suppresses the root of cultivation. Forgive me, but I cannot elaborate on that, as I have already revealed too much information."
Keiren fell into deep thought again, contemplating the concept of honor. After 30 minutes, he shook his head. "The question of honor is too difficult for me to answer at the moment. In my eyes, honor cannot be decided with hard lines. It is always an individual assessment. If someone strays away from the path of honor, we should always try to save those who can be saved, because saving someone is also an honorable task."
"Your wish is my command," the Valkyrie replied, and a blinding light appeared behind her. It was so bright that everyone around them was forced to close their eyes and look away.
—
In a black room, an old, haggard man stood before a blue crystal that rested on a podium. The room was filled with the multivoiced incantation of a ritual performed by a group of black-robed mages. Four torches burned with black fire around the podium, and the room was filled with distinct white lines.
The monotonous mumbling of 50 acolytes and one mage filled the room, as white lines on the floor were covered in a slow-moving black light that moved from the acolytes to the crystal and then into the torches. Suddenly, the torches began to flicker before a shining golden light shot out of the crystal ball, illuminating the black room for the first time.
The old mage was blasted away, releasing a glass-shattering scream as golden flames burned around the crystal ball. The flames ignited the formation, and before the old man could even hit the wall of the small room, the group of 50 black-robed acolytes ignited in a similar golden flame, incinerating them by the time the old man finally hit the wall.
The crystal shattered, and the torches were extinguished. The old man felt more than half of his bones snap, injuring the rest to a slightly lesser degree, causing him to spit out multiple mouthfuls of blood. The surrounding room was in an apocalyptic mess, with the shattered crystal and extinguished torches being the only things still with substance. The rest of the room was now ash and dust.
This situation took a total of one second to happen.
The door flew open and a group of knights rushed in, only to stop dead in their tracks as the light from outside and the torches they held illuminated the mess in front of them.
"Quick, fetch a healer!" the leading knight yelled at his subordinates before kneeling down to inspect the shattered crystal ball.
"Yes, Boss Number 40," one of the knights replied.
The old man coughed more blood and raised his head before saying to Knight Number 40, "Go tell the young master *cough* that Tunderlance has been freed from *cough* our control. Tell him *cough* he needs to act fast... before..."
Unable to finish his sentence, he fainted, but Number 40 knew what he had to do.
"You stay here. When the healer arrives, help him as much as possible. If he doesn't survive, I'll hold you responsible," Number 40 yelled before storming off to inform the young master about the happenings in the dark room.
He ran as if all the demons of hell were chasing him, his thoughts swirling around the punishment he would receive for being the bringer of bad news. His young master was never known for being lenient and kind-hearted.
In fact, young Emperor Kebon von Stein was infamous for his violent temper.
—
The violent light vanished and Keiren was able to open his eyes again. The Valkyrie was breathing heavily while looking down on the knight in blue armor that lay on the ground looking upwards. His eyes that had been unfocused before were sharp again.
"Thank you!" The blue knight said, while changing his ungraceful position into a kneeling one. "I am Harald Thunderlance. I am grateful for what you did today." Harald's voice was deep and musical to listen to. His emotions were obvious as he spoke. Telling a tale about anger, shame, hatred and frustration. He wasn't able to say much but what he said felt genuine and sincere.
# Congratulations, you've recruited a boss enemy: Knight Captain Harald Thunderlance (Thunder) (+200,000 Qualification Points) #
# *robotic sigh* weak willed men will always submit to beauty in the end. #
'Harald Thunderlance is a Boss enemy? System, can you please tell me what the dividing line between Superior Elites and Boss enemies are?"
# No, I will not tell you the difference. I will only tell you that every Boss is either a battle-hardened veteran or a peerless genius. #
'A peerless genius or a battle hardened veteran? So I have 100 Boss-like Knights because they are battle hardened? You at least tried to sell them as battle hardened.'
# If that were truly the case, would this still be deemed a challenge, Summoner? Your Knights classify as strong elites, while Suran is a superior elite. A Boss subordinate of yours would be the Valkyrie or the Commander of your Eternal Einherjar. #
'OK, I still need an army. Summon Rejansam Resemen, Destroyer of Hope and the Eternal Einherjar here to aid me in my quest.'
# Attention, Summoner, the Qualification Realm's purpose is to validate your claim and personal validation for the title of the Eternal Emperor. Relying on your Eternal Einherjar is not allowed. #
'Yet I do need an army, where do I get it then?' Seemingly getting enlightened he tried something else.
'Kerum Primus Soldum'
# Error! The Eternal God of Slaughter cannot be summoned into the Qualification Realm. #
'Fine, what about Yang Yin'?
# Error! The Supreme Weaponmaster eclipses the balance scale of the Qualification Realm. #
'Goddamn it, what about Richard, David, or the First Brigade of the Nameless Empire.'
# Error! The Best Saint, the Human God and the First Brigade of the Nameless Empire are not allowed inside the Qualification Realm. Be satisfied with what you have and stop trying to summon more help. #
'I am not surprised!' Keiren's thoughts echoed with disappointment.
A creepy smile splits Keiren's lips: 'You called for this. I shall burn down the city of Stonehaven. I will make sure that only ash and dust remains!'
# Attention: Current Action contradicts the Goal of the Q-#
'Then summon everyone that is allowed to help me in the Qualification Realm.'
# Summoning Personal Guards. #