With 10% of borrowed stats coursing through Ember, we fly through the desert faster than I've ever traveled, making it to the center of the dark continent in under a minute; coming to a halt right above the crater made by Arie and the Demon General's clash.
Ember reverts to his human form, and we float down to begin restoring the immobilized demons scattered across the desert.
Green restoration circles powered by 1% borrowed stats and Abby's yellow divine threads form beneath the paralyzed and dying demonic soldiers, neutralizing the poison and healing the lost limbs of some of the knights Luna sliced through.
I follow behind Abby, pulling out Qi crystals that I farmed from the desert floor below Palmyra, using my True Core's divine energy manipulation ability to crush the white energy into a digestible microscopic mist, and streamlining pure Qi into their cores.
For the orange-cored commanders, I pull a few orange divine fragments out, careful not to accidentally inject any of my own yellow thread into their bodies, and use red fragments to do the same with the knights.
All of the demons stand to their feet once we're done, and I hear a telepathy channel open for all of them; their leader is letting me in to hear their orders.
"Stand down, men. You may do what you wish with them once I enter the throne. For now, we do not engage."
The link is severed, and all of the demons leave without saying a word.
The yellow-core General gives Arie a glare as he leaves, but the others are shaken and keep their heads down.
I float over to Arie and Luna next, a smile across my face, and Arie speaks aloud.
"Sorry to put you in this position. I didn't know there would be—"
I shake my head and extend a hand.
"Don't worry about it; your stunt actually gave me the perfect moment to talk to their leader. It might have been much worse if I was the one to make the first move."
We shake hands, and I speak again, glancing over at Luna standing behind him.
"Glad to have you back, and I'm also glad I got the chance to see you two in real action. You've grown strong."
Ember and Abby float down to greet them next, and we have a brief reunion, interrupted by more telepathic messages from across the 8 Great Regions and Dark Continent—as people still worried about the aura I released moments ago.
I quickly respond now that their lives aren't in danger of the head Demon's wrath.
"Meet me above the Crimson Dome. It's not an emergency; don't be frightened by the aura I just released. This will be quick but necessary. There's someone I want to welcome back and an update to the incoming battle plan."
---
As requested, all notable figures come to the Crimson City.
Bri, Rodrigo, Maria, Raven, Monk, The Saint, Lith, Chester, Abby, Ember, Luna, and Arie all float before me in the air above the red dome in the dark desert.
Lydia and Fisher even emerge from the bunker for a few minutes to listen in, and I invite the dozens of high-level members of the Crimson Army to partake in this briefing as well.
We start by getting comfortable with the familiar faces here. Many reunite with Luna and Arie, while others like Bri, Chester, and Lith reconnect after years apart in the trade scene, even before they met me.
I quietly wait for everyone to get comfortable, scanning the crowd repeatedly, checking my status to see links of loyalty rise, using my all-seeing eye to monitor everything within a 5,000 km radius. Part of my mind keeps examining the interesting new gear Maria is wearing, from which I can't get a status reading, all while thinking carefully about the next words out of my mouth.
"Less than 30 hours remain... The first threat has shown its face, but we're at a stalemate until the Abyss completely recedes..."
I tell everyone here everything I know about the Big Three and the Demons, leaving out one small detail about my arrangement with the Demon in the Crimson City Labyrinth.
Many eyes widen, hearing for the first time about Divine Energy, a Demonic Realm, or even the Association being run by pseudo-gods who believe they can take over the world because they've been in control for hundreds of years.
Many of my closer teammates are already aware of this, but they patiently wait for the crowd to calm down and let this information sink in.
I speak up next with a grin.
"Many of you here were fighting right by my side when this city was founded, in the battle against the Dark One. You all trusted me and fought with your lives on the line, and now I'm asking you to do it again."
As these words leave my lips, I sense hundreds more forces gravitating toward the Abyss.
It seems to be a similarly sized force as the demons: hundreds of red cores, dozens of oranges, and a handful of yellow cores, all wearing Central Association logos.
Their trajectory isn't aimed at us; it's directed toward the open land in Sectors 3 and 4.
The only others who can detect this are Ember and Raven, so I send a private message to them to check it out and not engage unless necessary while I continue my briefing.
"There will be two other elite forces, possibly larger than our own, in this fight. One will consist of demons, and the other of humans just like us. Our goal isn't to kill everyone who shows up, as no sides have attacked anyone yet. But they are on our land... and while I sort things out with their leaders, there's a very good chance a battle larger than any one fought before in history will break loose. There is a high chance this will go down as the Second Great War."
I let out a sigh while continuing to watch the troops of Association soldiers in my mind's eye peacefully float across the sky over the 8 Great Regions.
"If they attack you, or a single citizen, do not hold back and have no mercy. It might be in an hour, 12 hours, 30 hours, or more... but get ready for war. This time, it isn't just to save a city; the entire world is on the line."
There's tension in the air as these last words hang, and many people in the Crimson Army begin asking questions one by one. I answer them without holding anything back over the next few hours.
---
The sun rises, and we've made no contact with the Association's troops.
They establish two separate bases near the Abyss, mimicking the demons' setup, avoiding Sector 2 as if ordered to steer clear of us.
Everyone in my inner circle, the Dark Continent leaders who will be up close on this matter, and the strongest Crimson Army fighters now know everything about the impending war and are ready to put their lives on the line the second I say the word.
Everyone returns to their posts to continue their day, but I stay floating above the Crimson Dome, staring toward the Abyss, anticipation filling my mind.
It's the calm before the storm, eating away at me from the inside out.
The only thing I want to do right now is start the fight, or at the very least; know who exactly I'll be fighting.
Or, if I'll be fighting anyone at all...
Arie and Luna talk with Monk and The Saint, led by Lith to teleport them back to Sector 1 to inspect some Originator Artifacts Arie had in his item box from their hometown.
He took them out after my speech to show us, and I recognized letters similar to those in the Tomb of Atom, seeing phrases like "A Realm Beyond" and "Energy of the Gods," but there's nothing new I don't already know.
Raven and Maria return to cultivating inside her volcano fortress, while Abby, Lydia, and Fisher head back to the bunker to use as much of the remaining yellow threads as possible in the time we have left.
Chester looks around the Crimson City, Bri and Rodrigo return to the Apex Region, emptying all the gold and mana from the treasuries to spread word of the Flame Emperor's loyalty link and its benefits.
By midday, I hear a notification as I hit 10 million links, but I hardly look at the status message for more than a minute all day as my mind is elsewhere.
---
[Congratulations! Rising Emperor's Domain Milestone Reached!]
[10,014,679/10,000,000 Links of Loyalty Created]
[New Perk Unlocked: Rising Emperor's Expansion]
Info:
All 5 Generals may select 2 commanders and share 50% of their total (Currently 1%) borrowed stats. Each Commander may take up to 25% max.
The caster may borrow 5% of all Base Stat Points and Mana Control efficiency from Party Members under the allegiance of the Rising Emperor. Additionally, 5% of the caster's Base Stat Points and Mana Control may be temporarily distributed to any Party Members under the allegiance of the Rising Emperor.
The caster may only borrow or share exclusively; both actions cannot be performed simultaneously.
Members affected by this perk are not required to be within range of the Rising Emperor's Domain.
This buff stacks with the [Dominance] perk, [Authority] perk, [Power Holder] perk, and [Ruler's Gaze] perk if used simultaneously.
---
Now, I have up to 35% of stats available to me, and the Generals are able to share half of the 1% they're borrowing with any two people they appoint as commanders.
I beam this information to Maria, Arie, and Abby, but continue to stare off into the open desert, my heart pounding.
Two slots remain, but something in the back of my mind intuitively makes me hold off and not fill them just yet.
The hot sun makes the air bend on the horizon, but my All-Seeing Eye still sees everything crystal clear.
Ember floats beside me in silence, and the citizens of the Crimson City go on with their daily lives as though nothing is happening.
Across the world, everything seems normal.
Even after my announcements in capital cities, asking for support and basically telling the nation a war is near, there are smiles everywhere—groceries and toys being bought, friends going out for drinks, even local newspapers still running their routes.
One in every five people has given a loyalty link to me, and the word keeps spreading. Some even mention a strange feeling that they felt in the night during a family walk in the park or as others eat a late breakfast together after a long night out partying.
The world is about to end or be saved within the next 24 hours, but only those with the power to grasp the enormity of this threat seem to care.
People are especially carefree in the Dark Continent, where new rulers, lords, and black market dealers constantly shift control, people just follow the continuously changing rules to support themselves or their families.
No one understands that this time is different.
I continue listening to my heartbeat as I watch the nation's day unfold, the Abyss receding faster toward the black tower at its center.
The Vermillion Family head watches silently too.
Even the Association's team remains in their structures, unmoving at their stations.
The world goes on, even as the sun sets and the final hours draw near. Everyone who will soon fight for control stand still in their bases, waiting for the throne to awaken or for someone to make the first move.
The Crimson Army, Luna, Arie, and all fighters in the Inner Circle who wield Divine Energy regroup above the Crimson Dome one last time to make plans to head toward the center of the continent.
While I make up my mind on the next order I'll make, the Demon's last words to me still linger in the back of my mind. It was a warning that he'll deal with our dispute inside the throne, as long as Redgrave doesn't get to me first.
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Author's Note:
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