In the Jade Kingdom Castle:
"Are we really going to attack the Faerie Kingdom, Sir Henry?" inquired Samuel, the king of the Jade Kingdom.
"This is the prophecy bestowed upon us by the God of Shadow," Henry replied solemnly.
"But the Jade Kingdom has only me as a Tier 4 Sky Knight."
"I've heard that the Faerie Kingdom possesses two," Samuel said with a concerned tone.
"Do not be troubled"
"With the assistance of the Shadow God Church, bringing down the Faerie Kingdom will be easy," Henry reassured.
...
In the Divine Continent, within a hidden folded space:
"I've finally discovered a hint of treasure!" whispered the God of Shadow.
He was a new god, having come into existence only a few hundred epochs ago.
(Epoch= billions of years)
Gods differ from mages and knights.
While mages and knights progress through training by refining their bodies and souls,
Gods are formed through faith and belief.
It's important to note that they are brought into being, not attained.
Over countless epochs, gods can emerge when enough faith and belief coalesce.
Upon his birth, he swiftly gathered believers to bolster his strength.
Unfortunately, being a fledgling god without a substantial foundation, the growth of his following was gradual.
Later, he learned that the Curse Continent was where god-tier beings had clashed and perished.
Certainly, a treasure must lie there.
With an ambitious spirit, he endeavored to expand his influence into the Curse Continent, only to be promptly repelled by a mysterious entity.
He later discovered that powerful beings were prohibited from setting foot on the Curse Continent.
However, he was not reconciled.
After ceaseless efforts with the passage of time, he cultivated a group of believers within the Curse Continent.
With this achievement, he set forth his plan.
He directed his believer to scatter across the land and scour for remnants of treasure left by the fallen gods of that battle.
A few months ago, his devotees were traveling when he suddenly detected a trace of treasure.
Though he couldn't pinpoint its location, he dispatched his followers to search manually.
Regrettably, Magnus, the king of the Faerie Kingdom, became aware and dispatched his forces to track down the believers.
This rendered them powerless and unable to locate the treasure.
He could only summon one of his most powerful believer in the curse continent, Henry.
With his divine blessing, Henry easily manipulated the king of Jade Kingdom.
As for controlling the king of the Faerie Kingdom, he had considered it.
However, upon probing, Magnus showed an exceptionally resolute will.
After careful deliberation, he ultimately chose the king of the Jade Kingdom, who was in closest proximity to the Faerie Kingdom.
"I trust that you won't disappoint me," he whispered as he sensed Henry preparing for battle.
...
After a month of preparation, the soldiers arrived at the edge of the Faerie Kingdom.
Johnson had been sent here by Maximus, as Smith took care of tending to soldiers at Moonshadow City.
"Are you the one sent by Count Maximus?" a soldier who was taking tabulation asked.
"Yes, this is the sigil."
"It's indeed the sigil of the Count of Shadowcrest."
"Go to the assigned location; just follow the army later," the soldier said.
"Hmm."
Johnson found his position as he readied himself for the attack.
"This is quite an experience," Johnson muttered.
After all, he was a general; now it was his turn to follow the commands.
Soon, all the soldiers from the Faerie Kingdom were assembled.
The king of the Faerie Kingdom was also present.
"People of the Faerie Kingdom, this time we are going to fight The Jade Kingdom."
"We need to show that we people of Feaire Kingdom are not someone they can provoke at will" Magnus stated coldly.
Normally, in the Sunburnt Plateau, there isn't much war due to the vast distance between the regions.
As the land is barren and filled with corrupted mana, the only way to establish a kingdom is by owning a magic crystal mine.
A magic crystal mine is a natural accumulation of mana that forms crystallized stones.
Each piece of magic crystal is worth a thousand gold.
But the more crucial function of these crystals in the kingdom is their use in forming formation arrays, like the one in the Faerie Kingdom.
The imperial capital is the center of the formation array, which is why it's lush with greenery and vegetation.
However, as the distance from the capital increases, the effectiveness of the formation diminishes.
The formation barely extends to Moonshadow City, which is why although Maximus's territory is barren, the crops can still be grown.
"Now, with both provisions and weapons ready, we march!" Magnus yelled.
Soon, the army marched toward the Jade Kingdom in an orderly manner.
...
Three months later, they encountered the Jade Kingdom's army.
Due to the sheer size of their group, the march was considerably slow.
This circumstance is also the reason for the lack of frequent conflicts in this region.
After all, the march alone can nearly deplete your stocked food.
If war really does arise, it typically entails direct face-to-face confrontation, continuing until one party surrenders or is defeated.
"Huh? A cult?" Magnus, having observed the Jade Kingdom's army, questioned.
Normally, one cannot distinguish if someone belongs to a cult.
However, Magnus treated believers of gods as nemesis.
During his adventures in the Arcane Continent, he clashed with numerous followers of gods, making him highly sensitive to divine energy.
His very body had been injured and tainted with divinity, allowing him to easily detect its presence in others.
"How dare you, Jade Kingdom, collude with a cult?!" Magnus yelled, infusing his voice with mana.
It's an open secret that believers of gods are prohibited in the Curse Continent.
"Hmph, I could kill you, and no one would even know," Samuel, the king of the Jade Kingdom, retorted.
"Are you still daydreaming after coming here?" Magnus mocked.
At his side, Shadow also readied his coercion, poised to strike at any moment.
"Lord Henry, I'll leave one to you," Samuel said, noting the presence of two Tier 4 Sky Knights on the opposing side.
"Hmmm."
"Attack!"
Soon, clashes of swords and displays of power erupted.
The Faerie Kingdom held a significant advantage with superior numbers across all tiers.
Johnson didn't go all out, preserving his strength in case of danger.
The other nobles who had also joined the war similarly focused on minimizing casualties.
Thus, despite the strength advantage of the Faerie Kingdom, the battle between the two sides remained at a stalemate.
...
On the other side, four Tier 4 Sky Knights were engaged in a duel.
"Heh, how dare you, Jade Kingdom, attack us when you're this weak?" Magnus jeered, sending Samuel flying.
Henry, observing from the sidelines, wore an unpleasant expression.
As Henry controlled Samual using divine power, the latter's fighting instinct and decision-making abilities plummeted.
He was now akin to a chicken in Magnus's grasp, ready to be struck down at any moment.
"Your opponent is me," Shadow attempted to slash Henry, capitalizing on his distraction.
"Hmph, not so fast," Henry muttered as he deftly evaded the sword.
The confrontation between the four fighters lasted a few minutes.
"Huh, I'm done with the warm-up,"
Magnus gathered his mana at the tip of his sword, preparing to execute his renowned move.
Witnessing this, Samuel began to panic as well.
*slash*
The sword in Magnus's hand swept toward Samuel's head.
Fortunately, Samuel had anticipated the attack and managed to dodge it.
However, the sword did not stop its motion and continued its swing.
This time, evading was more challenging, and parrying was near impossible.
Magnus's focus was clearly directed away from his sword; attempting to parry would result in death.
The sword in Magnus's grip operated as if it were a controller, with Samuel serving as the manipulated puppet.
Just as Samuel was finding his rhythm and preparing to counter, his entire body freeze up as if experiencing a muscle cramp.
Though it lasted only briefly, for individuals of their tier, it was akin to offering their heads to be struck.
Slash*
Samuel's head was sent flying, his consciousness struggling to grasp the unfolding events.
Unbeknownst to him, Magnus had executed a technique known as "Check Mate."
This maneuver controlled an opponent's movements like manipulating a puppet's ligaments and muscles, momentarily freezing them in command.
"Huh?" Henry witnessed this scene.
"Not good!" Henry, witnessing the battle's outcome, hurriedly escapes.
"You can't escape," Shadow swung his sword.
"Hehe, you can't catch me," Henry laughed.
Approaching a shade, he employed a divine technique bestowed upon them by the god, enabling his escape.
Shadow remained unrelenting, bombarding the ground in all directions.
Unfortunately, the sun was already setting, casting numerous dark areas that facilitated Henry's escape.
"Where's the other one?" Magnus inquired, unable to locate Henry.
"He escaped," Shadow replied with a somber expression.
"It's alright; I'll report this to the Etherium Embassy. Tier 4 cult activity is prohibited here," Magnus reassured.
The Etherium Embassy oversaw the empire's affairs in the Curse Continent.
While the Faerie Kingdom was merely a kingdom and had no direct dealings with the Etherium Embassy.
The cult activity raised significant concerns and was strictly forbidden by their mandate.
...
"Unlucky, I hope my god won't hold my failure against me too harshly," Henry muttered as he made his escape.
Just as he was on the brink of getting away, he stumbled upon two armies locked in combat.
"Oh? Maybe I still have a chance to change my fate," Henry contemplated.
After skillfully navigating the area and conducting a search.
Henry eventually located the quarter where the crown prince of the Faerie Kingdom resided.
"Who's there?!" Felix, the crown prince, became alert.
"Relax, Crown Prince," Henry reassured, isolating the surroundings to prevent any outsiders from noticing.
"It's you, the leader of the cult!" Felix exclaimed, a mixture of shock and fear in his voice.
He sensed the overwhelming aura emanating from Henry.
Despite his talent, Felix was merely a Tier 3 Earth Knight due to his youthful age.
"Don't worry, I'm here to discuss a deal," Henry said calmly.
"What kind of deal?" Felix also managed to regain his composure.
"I'd like you to join our Shadow Church," Henry enticed.
If Felix were to join their Shadow Church, Henry's task would be completed indirectly.
After all, being a crown prince, Felix's words could easily sway his subjects.
At that point, finding the treasure their god had spoken of would be just a matter of time.
As for directly controlling him, that was not feasible as Magnus is very sensitive toward divine power.
"No, I'd rather die than believe in your god," Felix firmly declared.
His father, Magnus, had warned his children about cults, emphasizing that believing in their god was akin to offering your head to the mouth of a tiger.
As long as the god willed it, they could control you like a puppet.
Even in death, your soul would remain under their control.
So, he would rather die with honor than be treated as a puppet.
Without further hesitation, Felix brandished his sword and swung at Henry.
"How dare you!" Henry retorted with anger, deftly dodging the attack.
However, the tent and the isolation he had created were swiftly destroyed, revealing his presence.
"Hmph, ignorant child, I shall end your life," Henry declared, swiftly beheading Felix as if slicing through vegetables.
Even in his final moments of consciousness, Felix had no regrets about his decision.
"The Crown Prince is under attack!"
Before the soldiers could arrive, Henry made his escape.
"Crown Prince!" The soldiers arrived only to find a headless body, causing panic to spread among them.