Chapter 289: Prophet of Doom

Chapter 289: Prophet of Doom

The Thunder Empire suffered another defeat, and this time, it was a disastrous one. The Eastern and Western Fronts, along with the Guardian Knight Order, represented a scale of conflict unprecedented in a millennium. Typically, even in clashes between imperial powers, the military forces involved would be on this level. Moreover, wars between imperial forces, short ones lasting a few months to longer ones extending over a year or more, would usually see both sides battling for a considerable time before a victor emerged.

However, the Thunder Empire dispatched two Grand Dukes and its Guardian Knight Order, and in less than half a month, the war had not only barely begun but had also completely ended. Even more bizarrely, there were no survivors. Nobody knew exactly what had happened. Even by the standards of this world's history and its wars, such a battle was unheard of and unseen.It was incredibly hard to believe, utterly baffling why such a thing would happen, yet it had indeed occurred.

In an instant, the entire empire, from top to bottom, was plunged into panic and despair. The very foundations of the empire were severely shaken. The spread of the Demon King's influence had almost reached a point of complete uncontrollability.

Upon receiving the news, Emperor Frelio XVI slumped onto his throne, overwhelmed not by rage but by an unprecedented sense of defeat and shock.

"How could this happen?" he murmured. "The mere Chaos Forest! How could it possibly possess such power?"

Only a few trusted ministers were present before Emperor Frelio, the most prominent among them being Marquis Gabrulain, the Empire's Prime Minister, along with several other top-tier, influential figures of the empire.

The Emperor clung to a sliver of hope, questioning, "So far, we haven't seen a single soldier who has fled or been defeated return. Could this be an illusion crafted by Darkness City, a rumor they've spread?"

Marquis Gabrulain responded gravely, "The likelihood of that is extremely slim, as both the Duke of the West and the Duke of the East have indeed perished."

There were many ways to sense whether someone was still alive in their world. Figures of the Dukes' stature would undoubtedly have left a soul imprint within the empire and their respective families. A soul imprint served as proof of life; as long as one was not entirely deceased, their soul imprint would not vanish. Conversely, once a soul imprint disappeared completely, it signified absolute death.

It wasn't just the two Dukes; the soul imprints of the Guardian Knights and the Empire's Chief Knight, Kroft, had also vanished. With these three pivotal figures lost in battle, how could the empire's army possibly stand undefeated?

Emperor Frelio exclaimed in anger, "If that's the case, why haven't we seen any defeated soldiers? How could an army of over a million be entirely wiped out?"

"That is indeed... very peculiar," Marquis Gabrulain admitted, lowering his voice. "We have yet to reach a conclusion and are still investigating. Our immediate priority should be to devise a response strategy."Finnd new chapters on nove/lbin(.)com

The others nodded in agreement.

Emperor Frelio furrowed his brows deeply. The annihilation of the knight orders from the eastern, western, and southern regions, as well as the empire's core Guardian Knight order, undoubtedly dealt a tremendous blow to the empire's strength. Yet, as a force of imperial caliber, its foundation wasn't just limited to that. The empire's heartland still housed other elite troops and numerous formidable individuals.

Among the four regions, the northern territory, known for its strongest military might and highest concentration of masters, had not yet deployed its forces and top fighters. It was too early to despair or consider the situation hopeless. Even with a significant portion of its strength severed, the empire still retained much of its power.

The issue was that Emperor Frelio had realized they had missed the optimal opportunity to suppress Darkness City. Even if he were to personally lead the campaign and mobilize the entire nation's resources, it might not be enough to subdue Darkness City.

Marquis Gabrulain spoke up, "Our strategy from the beginning was flawed. We aimed to annex the territories of the Sunset Empire and the Azure Water Federation, focusing all our war preparations and objectives around these two powers. The Chaos Forest seemed too insignificant, merely a stepping stone toward our goals, leading us to overlook the threat posed by Darkness City and allowing its Demon King and forces to grow increasingly powerful. Now, the situation has almost become uncontrollable."

With a furrowed brow, Emperor Frelio said, "What's the use of saying all this now? What solutions do you have?"

However, at that moment, the mysterious old man raised his staff. An invisible yet invasive energy, like flowing water, surged outward, passing by everyone and then a bizarre scene unfolded. The movements of all these individuals became incredibly slow, and some even appeared to be frozen in place.

Undoubtedly, this was a powerful control skill.

Marquis Gabrulain's expression darkened, "The power of time? You are that legendary Prophet of Doom!"

The old man chuckled, "Indeed, I do carry the moniker of the Prophet of Doom. You may also call me Primo, the 55th ranked Hero in the leaderboard!"

The tales of the Prophet of Doom were widespread across the lands. Rumor had it that he was an extraordinarily powerful magician with a rare, once-in-a-millennium talent for time manipulation, capable of foreseeing the past and future. This is why he was dubbed a prophet. He was a legendary figure. Numerous empire-level powers had extended olive branches to him, offering generous terms such as the position of Imperial Chief Magician or even a national advisor. Yet, he remained indifferent to such offers, showing no interest whatsoever.

The Prophet of Doom rarely intervened, but whenever he did, it was earth-shattering. Thus, despite his immense power, he remained an enigmatic figure. Who would have thought such a being would also identify as a Hero? And ranking 55th in the Hero leaderboard? Could there really be Heroes stronger than him? That seemed impossible!

The Prophet of Doom, Primo, spoke slowly, "In the recent battle in the southern borders of your empire, a powerful Hero tragically fell. He was the Formless Sword Saint, ranked 498th on the Hero leaderboard."

"As the foremost among the Seven Sword Saints of the Sunset Empire, he possessed the strength of an emperor. Yet, he still met his end, which only serves to highlight the overwhelming power and danger of the Demon King. He must be ranked within the top fifty, perhaps even the top thirty among Demon Kings, and has now fully come into his own. Your empire alone cannot contend with him."

The listeners exchanged looks of disbelief. For Emperor Frelio and the empire's elites, this was the first time they had heard of rankings for Heroes and Demon Kings. The leader of the Seven Sword Saints of the Sunset Empire was merely ranked around five hundred among the Heroes?

How formidable, then, must those ranked in the top few dozen be? Perhaps they had reached the legendary Level 7!

After pondering for a moment, Emperor Frelio gave Marquis Gabrulain a look, and the latter immediately dismissed the surrounding elites.

The emperor approached: "So, you mean to say, Prophet Primo, that you have come here for this Demon King?"

"Indeed!" Primo replied. "Although I'm ranked 55th among Heroes, currently, I'm the only one who can arrive in time to assist you against him. Otherwise, this empire faces complete destruction."

The expressions of those present soured slightly.

Marquis Gabrulain inquired, "This Demon King led to the total annihilation of our million-strong army without a survivor. We cannot fathom his insidious methods. What makes you believe you can confront him?"

Primo chuckled, "Because I am the Prophet of Doom. No secrets can remain hidden from me."

Intrigued, Emperor Frelio asked, "Is that so? Then perhaps, Prophet Primo, you could enlighten us, at least to understand the cause of our defeat."

"No problem," Primo assured. "I will personally visit the southern front. No matter the secrets or tactics the Demon King possesses, they stand no chance of remaining concealed from my eyes that can peer through time!"