633 The Second and Firs

Asgard, the capital. The seas were frozen and snow blew over from far away, landing on the massive city that has been built beside a mountain. The bustling city was heated up, so the snow would melt and turn into rain to fall on the walls of the city. As the rainwater streamed down the walls, they looked like a forest that has been turned upside down. Occasionally, ice would crack and fall onto the ground with a crisp breaking sound.

This city that has been shrouded in ice and cold would be filled with such crisp and melodic sounds every day. The delicate sound would spread and be carried by the wind over the massive city and up the ice mountain. In the end, it would clash with the wall made of gold and iron to produce a deep and low resonance. In the entire city, the number of buildings decreased as one climbed higher. Other than the School of Rock and Iron that occupied the middle layer, the other buildings were observation towers that have been built by all of the major clans.

Back then, 16 clans had followed the Emperor and helped to build up this country. Their banners and totems could be seen everywhere to surround and protect the Emperor. The nine electors that ruled the country on behalf of the king also made up the Senate, and they all came from these 16 clans. Countless banners hung on those towers, ruffling in the wind and snow. The one that stood out the most was the Towering Metal City at the very top. It was a gigantic palace that was built with plenty of iron and decorated with luxurious and majestic black gold. It looked like a giant that was sleeping on the peak of the mountain, listening to the bustling of the world and opening its eyes slightly.

Gladysheim. The palace known as the 'golden palace' sat on the tallest peak of the world and was once home to the arrogant and proud Emperor. To date, it had been vacant for close to a century. Ever since the previous Emperor died, no one had been able to live in it. The electors of the Senate were the only ones who were able to step foot into it to bow to the empty throne. Underneath that gigantic golden palace and in the depths of Gladysheim dwelled eternal lightning.

Hundreds of layers of enchantments enveloped the entire mountain, blocking off any aether waves from escaping so as to conceal that terrible power. Eternal streaks of lightning lit up the dark underbelly of the mountain. The streaks of lightning were like the ebb and flow of waves. If one looked at them for a long time, one would think that the lightning had congregated into metal and interwoven into the capital of all Gods. Countless illusions of Gods would show themselves amidst the lightning before vanishing the very next moment, making their presence felt only for a fleeting moment.

When ordinary people walked through it, they were as miniscule as dust particles. This was the real core of the entire Asgard, the location of the real golden palace. As lightning streaked about in this narrow space, the sound it made was not ear-deafening thunders but majestic movements.

For centuries, countless musicians have immersed their Symphony of Predestination into the golden palace. These flames gathered together to create a terrifying blaze, such that the sea of lightning would give birth to an embryo of miracle. Right in front of that gigantic black-gold door, the amazing glow of rainbow that poured from the realm of aether congregated to form a physically huge bridge that connected the world of men to the Gods.

With the cumulation of the powers of Asgard, the lives of countless musicians, hundreds of host elements and 14 godly elements, this was a natural disaster that was man-made. The process of breeding caused the realm of aether to collapse, developing into a world of sublimation in the physical world. Before it was even born, it was already displaying incredible power that was on par with the Four Living Creatures, far surpassing the power of destruction of the Eight Phenomena. Even though it has been sealed up by the nine black-gold doors, the amazing aura it emitted was still irresistible to the elders standing in front of the doors.

That would be the eternal throne of the future Emperor. A natural disaster that was created by men and had gone against the orders of the Church, the king of kings, Odin! But in such a holy place, one could almost hear the sound of moaning behind the layers of black-gold doors. It was the hoarse sound of a wild beast that seemed to have gone through unimaginable torture and was now on the brink of death. Its cries were filled with pain and suffering.

On the rainbow bridge, the nine elders from the Senate looked at each other. There was shock in their eyes. "Helmut, how long has he been in there?"

"An hour." A red-robed senator looked up and spoke softly, "It is twice the amount of time compared to when he first started. He is now getting better at withstanding Odin's punishment…"

"It's insane." The white-robed elder shook his head. "He is more arrogant than we all thought."

"All Emperors are supposed to be arrogant." The green-robed senator said, "If he is able to pass the final test, there is a chance that he can merge with Odin and become a true Supreme Being. Now that he has already obtained the resonance of Odin's element, it is definitely possible. I think we can continue to monitor the situation."

The white-robed elder did not reply and only stared at the black-gold door silently. No one would have thought that two months ago, after witnessing how Bach threw the Spear of Destiny, the effect on the Third Prince would be this great. The Third Prince was only one step away from becoming a scepter. He was a talented and undefeated musician who had been said to be able to approach the Originator one day in the future… but he could not even approach within a hundred steps of the King of Back.

The difference between these hundred steps was disappointing. Within two days after the departure of Bach, the Third Prince returned to the capital and summoned the nine electors before informing them of his intention. Thereafter, he began this path of doom that had consumed plenty of Masters and scepters.

He wanted to earn the recognition of Odin and merge with that blank divinity. For the past few centuries, only the Princes that had run out of options would choose this route because they knew it would only lead to doom. No one would be able to last for an hour in the golden palace. Before one could even see Odin, one would be destroyed and turned into dust by the power embedded in those divine elements.

Now, amidst the veil of divinity and the judgment of lightning, not only had the Third Prince yet to be melted by the lightning, but his terrifying talent and potential had been developed continuously. Within the short time of a month, six visits were equivalent to six deaths and revivals. When he crawled out from behind the black-gold door this time, all nine electors could no longer recognize him. He was weak and frail, as if he had just been put together with dust. Through his half-translucent chest cavity, one could almost see the painful beating of his heart and the blood in his vessels being infected by the lightning that has already penetrated his bone marrow. Half of his handsome face had been charred and even one of his eyes had been burnt into nothingness.

But the remaining eye on that terrible face was now flowing with majestic golden light. It was like a miniature version of the sea of lightning. The divinity of Odin already seeped into his Symphony of Predestination. He was gradually reaching the stage of gaining the favor of the king of kings…

Half of his body might have died, but in that part of the body, there were signs of the rebirth of divinity. At this moment, the Third Prince was no longer just a normal human, but a hero in the fairytales and demigod who inherited the blood of Gods. Now, those terrible wounds were healing rapidly as flesh and muscles and skin were all growing back. Only the left eye that he had lost remained empty. But on the other hand, the lightning in the other eye was becoming sharper and more powerful.

"What is this?" The Third Prince leaned against the black-gold door and looked at the elders before him. There was joy in his eyes. "Did I make another mistake? Why would all nine electors of the Senate put aside your pride and come all the way here to find the Third Prince?"

"You are now the second." Helmut said, "You have already proven your abilities to the Senate. From this day on, you are now the 'Second Prince.' We hope to see more of your improvement."

"Not the first?" The young man cackled and raised his head. He looked around him and asked, "Where is my useless elder brother? Surely he has come along too?" With that, he looked behind the nine elders and said, "Is that you? Brother, I can see your crutches. My eye can no longer see as clearly as before. Please come closer."

"You are right, my dear brother. It is me," a deep voice said, and a middle-aged man hobbled forward on his crutches. He was only middle-aged yet he looked much older than that. His hair had already turned white and his congenital spine condition made his back hunched. There were developmental issues with his right leg so he always had to depend on his crutches in order to walk independently. As he got closer, the contrast between the two of them became stronger. One was as handsome as a God while the other was ugly and hunched. They were two polar opposites. It was hard to imagine that this was the First Prince, which was also the person that was closest to the throne of Asgard.

Every decade, the Senate would select young men that possessed qualities of becoming the Emperor from all the clans. They would be gathered together to form a brotherhood. They would abandon their original parents, their original names, and become the sons of the Emperor. Over a long period of time, they would compete against each other for the chance to become the Emperor of the entire West.

At this moment, this hunched First Prince was the person closest to that throne. There was no other.

"It has only been a few years but you have gotten older, brother." The Second Prince stretched out his hand rubbed his white hair teasingly. "Take care of your body. Don't die of old age before I can defeat you."

The First Prince almost tripped from the shove. The senators frowned. But the First Prince was not upset. He only looked at him, almost smiling, "Do you really want my title that badly? My brother…"

"Don't slack off, elder brother." The Second Prince replied coldly, "I will not allow a deformed person to stay ahead of me for too long."

"If that's the case, then bring back the Ultimate." The First Prince looked at him and said quietly, "I vow, in the name of the nine electors, that if you are able to bring it back successfully, I will give you everything that is mine."

After a prolonged silence, the Second Prince was stunned. "Are you sure?"

"Of course." The First Prince looked at the nine electors behind him. "The Senate shall be my witness."

"Very well." The Second Prince laughed uproariously as he glanced sideways at the elders, "I will prove to all of you who is the real ruler of this country!" He patted the First Prince's shoulder before turning around to leave. "Please wait patiently, elder brother. In the future, I will prepare a chair beside the throne so that it will be easy for me to touch your intelligent little brain whenever I want to."

Very soon, the electors of the Senate left, leaving behind Helmut and the First Prince. Helmut looked in the direction where the Second Prince had left and was filled with disappointment. "He is too proud."

"But he is powerful enough, isn't he?" the First Prince countered.

"This is what I'm worried about." The old elector sighed. "Asgard is already powerful enough. It doesn't need a powerful Emperor. His arrogance will destroy him and if he is made Emperor, his arrogance will destroy this country too." With that, he looked at the First Prince. "Why are you giving up now? Trust me. You are the only person who is closest to that throne in the past century… No one else. You still have enough time. Try again."

"So does he." The First Emperor was in deep thought. "There is enough time for him to change slowly. I will help him."

Helmut shook his head. "I don't know how you managed to convince the Senate to accept your suggestion but you are too pessimistic. Even if there is no Emperor, the Senate is more than capable of running this country as it is."

"No, the Senate might have protected Asgard when this country lost its ruler but it can no longer depend on the Senate any longer." The First Prince leaned against his crutches and his voice was low. "The times have changed, Helmut, everything is changing every moment. We can no longer rely on the previous method of governance, where we can have debates and meetings at our own pace… Too many voices will ruin this country. It only needs one leader. A powerful, authoritative leader who is capable of leading Asgard."

The old man countered, "And that person is not you?"

The First Prince laughed and lowered his head, patting his deformed right leg. "From the day I realized that I was a deformed child, I knew that person would not be me."

Helmut was silent. "In any case, to Asgard, it doesn't matter who the Emperor is, right?"

As the crutches knocked against the ground and the middle-aged man turned to leave, he said, "As long as he is not crippled…"