"First thing's first, Your Majesty, would be to let those alive in the kingdom know you're still alive. Come on, we shall head to the kingdom square in the city and publicly announce your return to the land of the living." Felix said.
"Alright.." I said then stood up.
I followed Felix, Iris, and Yukari out the meeting room then walked downstairs to the first floor of the castle. We walked out the castle and went towards the stables. We got our horses and rode down to the kingdom square. My body acted upon its own as if I knew how to do this already. It certainly felt strange riding on a horse, but it was something I could get used to.
Once we made it to the city, I noticed how badly it was destroyed and looked around. I noticed the people look at me in shock and murmur that I was alive. We stopped at the public plaza and I got off my horse then watched a crowd form around me and my three knights. I looked back at the three of them. Felix and Yukari smiled and nodded at me. Iris, like the little sister she was, gave me a big smile and a thumbs up.
I nodded and looked at the people. I took a deep breath and exhaled. "Hello everyone. I'm still alive, as you can see. As I look around I can see that we are in some dark and troubling times. I can imagine that we have barely enough food to go around or...enough water to keep ourselves hydrated and not enough soldiers to keep us safe, but I am willing to do whatever I can to get all of us back on our feet. Just...give me some time and I'll figure something out. I can't remember anything if I'm supposed to remember something or do I fully understand what's going on, but I do know that if there's a will..there is a way."
"Wow...that sounded very genuine." A man said.
"Yeah most nobles do not talk like this, but I guess that is the charm of our God-Emperor." A woman smiled.
The crowd cheered and I could feel their boosted moral.
"The God-Emperor is alive and back! Praise the God-Emperor!" The crowd chanted and cheered.
"Encore! Encore!" Iris giggled.
I looked around and smiled. I closed my eyes then crossed my arms. "I, God-Emperor Ares, shall rebuild the Kingdom of Luceros even if it's the last thing I do. So please, my people, give me your strength so I can rule and become the best Ruler you all could ever ask for!"
The crowd cheered and chanted my name. Felix, Yukari, and Iris smiled at me then I turned around and hopped back on my horse. The moral of the kingdom has been boosted.
"Alright, Lord Brother, next on the list is to head to the royal court to handle the city affairs. We may be the enemy of many other kingdoms but it doesn't change the fact that Luceros has connections! Let's go!" Iris said excitedly. "Let's head back to the citadel."
Iris led the way and the rest of us followed. As we rode on our horses, I looked around and noticed some farmers trying their hardest to keep the plantations fresh and good. There were some farmers who had supernatural powers who used their plant abilities to fertilize the ground and make it stable enough to plant their crops.
We stopped at the stables and put our horses away. We made our way to the royal courthouse and walked inside the building. We walked to the main court room and I walked ahead, sitting in the judge seat.
"This is where all the governing for the city happens. This is a daily thing as we must handle affairs constantly as this is a Ruler's Duty. Once the affairs for the day have been handled, if any, you will be done with the most boring part of all of our days." Felix chuckled.
"Yeah, this was pretty boring for King Dad as well." Iris giggled then looked down. "But we made the most of it before he died by that awful Ruler's hand."
I looked at Iris then closed my eyes. "We can still make the most of this. This is just the start of something new for all of us. We have to push through." I said then opened my eyes.
Iris nodded and looked at me. "Yes, of course!"
"Alright. Since there are three of us, give us our orders. We have no decisions to make so what shall we do?" Felix asked.
I looked at the three and thought on it for a bit. "Felix, I will assign you for obtaining soldiers and training them. Iris, I want you to help harvest food. Yukari, you shall handle the business operations."
"I can't really harvest food, but I'll try my best!" Iris smiled the headed off.
"I shall find the best men and women who are best suit for battle." Felix smiled then walked off.
"I shall return." Yukari threw down a smoke bomb and disappeared in the smoke.
With the orders out the way, I decided to explore around and get accustomed to my new living situation. I left the royal courthouse and explored around the citadel. Here there was the basics, my home which was the castle, a dungeon, an Alchemist Lab, a personal library, and a giant tower. There was also a hot spring area and it seemed like there was another smaller castle next to mine.
I could say for certain that the castle was massive. It looked like it underwent a few renovations before the war and added thousands of rooms and more. I walked to the library and walked inside then noticed no one was inside. My knights did say a war happened and the kingdom was destroyed. There probably wasn't much to do around here in the citadel.
One question circulated in my head, why didn't they seize the throne? Was it because they couldn't "kill" me or was it because they couldn't make it past the final lines of defenses? I can only imagine there being enemies posted up outside of the kingdom. With that in my head I knew I had to try hard in defending the kingdom in the best way I could to maintain the kingdom. That said, I wondered what I could do and if I possessed any supernatural abilities. After all I am the GOD-Emperor so I must have some form of godlike power.
As I traversed the area I noticed Iris, Felix, and Yukari coming back.
"Lord Brother! Our tasks have been finished! I believe I could've done my job better, but we have enough crops to last the entire week!~" Iris said proudly.
"Good job Iris." I chuckled softly.
"We have acquired enough soldiers to handle and defend our nation from the Kingdom of Idrisid. We probably have enough to completely march there and with your powers, we could even march straight to the castle and defeat that damned Dark Lord and get back our Kingdom's Relic." Felix said.
"I see, we can talk more about marching ahead." I nodded.
"All business operations are a success and trading is very stable. We are gaining enough income to satisfy our city's needs and even can spend money on better training equipment." Yukari said.
"Good, now...what's the next step?" I asked.
"We train. I must see if you still know how to fight before we head off into battle. It has been some time since we last fought." Felix smiled then nodded.
"I see. Let us train then." I said.
Felix led us to the personal training grounds in the back of the castle and we walked onto the field. He walked ahead a bit more and stopped. I stopped walking as well and noticed him turn around. "Iris, Yukari we shall fight him at once."
"Whoa whoa. I don't even know what I can do get. Plus I'm completely unarmed!" I said then an array of energy weapons appeared around me and began to circle around me. "Huh. Very convenient."
"Those are all the weapons used by your Bloodline." Felix said.
The weapons were as such: A dagger, a short sword, a longsword, a katana, a great sword, a claymore, a bow, a lance, a trident, a battle-axe, a pair of gauntlets, a staff, a magic orb, dual hand cannons, and a shield. 15 weapons to choose from and my body knew how to use all of them. Every weapon followed the same color scheme as well which was black white and gold.
I chose the great sword and grabbed it. It manifested into its physical form. I looked at it and noticed how different it looked from the other swords. It had a long white handle, a circular hilt with a black orb in the middle, and the blade was a bit longer than the longsword and a bit less wide than the claymore. The blade was white and black.
"That's called the Blade of Paradise. The Goddess-Queen named Bemera wielded that blade. It has two forms. The one you're seeing right now is the Unawakened Form." Felix explained.
"I see. It's pretty light, or am I that strong?" I asked and held the sword in the air.
"You're just that strong Lord Brother." Iris smiled and summoned her shield. The shield was an ornate black and gold shield with a lion head design on the middle of it. The mouth of the lion was closed and the eyes were closed as well. "This is my special weapon call the Protector of the Pride!"
Yukari summoned her daggers and they emitted red and black aura. She looked at me and her eyes transformed into supernatural eyes. Her pupils transformed into a star shape and a white circle appeared around it. "The Mystic Eyes grant me abilities that makes me one of the best ninja in the world."
Felix unsheathed his claymore from his scabbard then pointed it at me. "There's nothing special about my blade as my power is my unparalleled strength and speed for my age. I've been serving your family for years, I grew up with this bloodline basically and my slowed aging allowed me to be one of the strongest of my kind. Don't take us lightly, God-Emperor Ares." Felix smirked.
I nodded then closed my eyes then took a deep breath and exhaled. My mind began to flash memories of this version of me about the combat I used to do with Felix. My body adjusted and became accustomed to combat. I tapped into my body's fighting instincts then opened my eyes.
"Ready?" Felix asked.
I nodded. "I'm ready."
"Come at us!" Felix bellowed.
I grunted and ran to them. I swung my sword and Felix blocked my attack then grunted and pushed me back. I sensed Yukari's attack from behind me then dodge rolled out the way. Iris shield bashed me and knocked me back. I grunted and closed one eye. For such a small size, she was pretty strong. I found my footing and looked at my sword then looked at Felix, Iris, and Yukari.
Felix stomped his foot down then dashed towards me and I braced myself. I blocked his attacks and stepped back. He rushed forward and feinted his attack, causing me to stumble backwards and lose my footing. He took the chance to attack and slash upwards. My body instinctively flipped backwards to avoid his attack and flipped backwards once more, creating distance between us.
Yukari appeared behind me then went for an attack on my back. I sensed it, but I was bit bit too slow to move and got hit. I grunted slightly in pain then kicked her in response. She slid backwards then spun her daggers in a circle rapidly before sheathing them and did hand gestures quickly before taking a deep breath. 'Ninpo Arts: Mist Field.' she thought to herself then exhaled and created a foggy field, obstructing my vision.
I looked around and noticed multiple shadows of Iris appear around me. "What is this..?"
"This is me and Yukari's special combined technique! This is called the Roar of the Pride!" Iris said then awakened her shield. She eyes of the lion head opened and the mouth opened.
I noticed multiple glowing eyes and saw energy beams being fired at me from all directions. I grunted and tried to dodge but I was too late. The beams collided with me and a massive explosion happened. The mist cleared and the smoke cleared as well. I grunted and fell to one knee.
"You did good handling the three of us at the same time, but how come you didn't use any of your skills?" Felix asked.
"I...I don't know how. Or at the very least, I don't remember how. I guess I have more work to do before I'm truly ready to go out there." I said then looked up seeing Felix's hand. I grabbed it and he helped me up.
"You do have Godhood in your body because of your parents, your father specifically so it shouldn't be too hard to reawaken those godlike powers that resides within you. For right now, let's all get some rest. It's a brand new day tomorrow meaning a new day in the courtroom and another day of training." Felix said.
"Yep and we will take all the time we need to make sure you're battle ready!~" Iris said encouragingly.
"Yes. I will do what I can." Yukari said.
I nodded and looked at my greatsword and watched it disappear. I was glad that Felix, Iris, and Yukari was so patient with me. Things could've been a lot worse but they chose patience over haste, something my ex couldn't do. As we all headed back inside the castle I noticed the butlers and maids doing what they could around the castle. It all still felt like a dream, but getting cut by Yukari actually hurt so I knew from that it was reality.
I decided to not think of it anymore as I followed a maid to my room and walked inside to get some rest for the evening. I was running off 4 hours of sleep anyway so this good night rest was about to feel godly.