Chapter 1072 Pride Goes Before Destruction [Part 1]
There was once a Saint who decided to build his own kingdom.
Due to his strength, the neighboring kingdoms feared him, and no one wanted to offend him.
However, the Saint had other things in mind.
After two decades of stabilizing his Kingdom, he decided that his territory was too small for him.
Having thought of that, he led his army to conquer the weakest Kingdom on his border and subjugated it.
A decade later, he repeated the same thing.
Soon, his Kingdom had subjugated three Kingdoms, giving birth to what was now known as the Vahan Empire.
This Saint was Emperor Andreas' great great grandfather, the founder of the Empire.
Like his ancestor, Emperor Andreas also wished to expand his Domain in order to let his name be written in the history books of the Empire.
Most people thought that the Vahan Empire only had two Saints.
But, in truth, they actually had five in total.
Three of these Saints were low profile and never showed themselves to the public.
And one of those three Saints was the founder of the Vahan Empire, who was nearly seven hundred years old.
When the Abyss tried to conquer Elysium, he was one of the Saints who had fought the invaders.
However, he received a serious injury and was forced to go into seclusion.
But, even without him, the Vahan Empire prospered because their Empire was strong.
Two years ago, Emperor Andreas was certain that, once his right-hand man, Aron, became a Saint, his dream of expanding his Empire would soon be realized.
The man who helped him manage the Vahan Empire was an S-Ranker. If given more time and resources, he would undoubtedly become the sixth Saint of the Vahan Empire, making it a true powerhouse among Empires.
Unfortunately, when he met the Dragons of the Crystal Palace, he realized that he was just a small fish in a pond, playing with the other small fish.
The big fishes, like the Crystal Palace, were in the sea, playing with the other big fishes who had the same rank as them.
This realization made Emperor Andreas feel depressed for two months. However, after that phase of depression, he managed to bounce back and set his sights on what was in front of him.
He might be a small fish in a pond, but that didn't matter. Even if he was only a small fish, he decided to become the strongest fish in the pond and devour all the other fishes who were within his playing field.
With this renewed vision, he set his eyes on the Fynn Kingdom.
However, he remembered the warning that his Father had given him before passing the crown of the Empire to him.
"Do not attempt to annex the Fynn Kingdom. They have a Supreme holding the fort."
Emperor Andreas respected his father, so he believed that he was telling the truth. Because of this, he didn't dare to intrude on the territory of the Fynn Kingdom and decided to shift his target to the Bjarni Kingdom.
He was already making preparations to invade their lands with the help of his allies.
Emperor Andreas believed that, in the next four months, he would be able to launch a successful campaign and bring another kingdom under the Vahan Empire's rule.
He believed that he was a conqueror and that he had nothing to fear within the small pond that was located in the Eastern Regions of Elysium.
His confidence was at its peak, and he believed that he was unstoppable.
But now, that confidence was nowhere to be found as he stared at the giant, flying Bone Ship about to enter the airspace of his Capital City, Dainsleif.
Aron, the Emperor's right-hand man, stood beside his ruler, wearing the same grim expression as the latter.
The other four Saints of the Vahan Empire also made their appearance and hovered above their city, ready to protect their Domain from the invaders who were about to enter their capital.
However, just as they were about to attack the giant battleship that was flying in the sky...
Hundreds of powerful presences descended upon these four Saints like a sledgehammer, making all four of them crash into the ground.
"By the Gods..." Emperor Andreas muttered. "Who have we offended?"
Emperor Andreas was an A-Ranker.
After being around Saints for a long time, he knew their level of power.
He had also met the Saint from the Crystal Palace, Piccoro, who was stronger than the Saints of his Empire.
Even so, the Dragon Born Saint's dominating presence was nothing compared to the raging tide of suppression that he was now feeling in his bones.
"Supremes," Aron's face paled after sensing the power of the foes that had come to their kingdom. "We're done for."
The High-Ranker knew that the Vahan Empire had suppressed many people in the past, and why wouldn't they?
They had the strength to do it.
They would be fools if they didn't use what they had to their advantage.
And yet, at this moment, they were feeling the same emotions that the people whom they had suppressed in the past had felt.
In the face of overwhelming strength, any resistance was meaningless.
Emperor Andreas took a deep breath and flew towards the sky.
At the end of the day, he was still the Emperor of the Vahan Empire, and it was his duty to protect his realm from any invaders.
"Your Excellencies, welcome to the Vahan Empire," Emperor Andreas said in a calm manner. "I am Andreas Cy Vahan, and it will be my honor to become your host and give you the best hospitality of my Empire."
Emperor Andreas did his best to keep his voice from breaking as he presented himself as a humble host who was willing to do anything for the guests who had arrived in his Domain.
If the people whom he had trampled on in the past could see him now, all of them would be joyous at the sight of him acting like a groveling dog in front of someone more powerful than him.noVe-lb-In
"This lowly one respectfully asks for permission to hear the name of your exalted leader," Emperor Andreas stated. "I will do everything in my power to provide him with everything he would need during his stay in my humble Empire."
A deafening silence descended upon the Capital City of the Vahan Empire.
It was as if all manner of sounds disappeared without a trace, making Emperor Andreas' ears hurt due to its eerie silence.
The only thing he could hear at the moment was the loud thumping of his heart, and his breathing, which was starting to get ragged.
"Since you are being humble, allow me to tell you my humble name."
A teasing voice reached the Emperor's ears.
For some reason, this voice sounded familiar, but Emperor Andreas didn't dare to raise his head and look at whoever was talking to him.
"My name is Lux," Lux said as he looked down on the Emperor, who had once looked down on him. "Lux Von Kaizer."
The Baby Slime that was perched on top of his head also stated her name.
"Eiko!" Eiko declared. "Von Kaizer!"
Emperor Andreas' body shuddered after finally realizing who was talking to him.
He slowly raised his head and looked at the red-headed Half-Elf and the Baby Slime who was perched on top of his head.
The Half-Elf and the Baby Slime were both smiling, yet their smile was the scariest thing that the Emperor of the Vahan Empire had seen in his life.
For a brief moment, he blanked out, unable to say anything as he stared at the two beings, whose mere presence was enough to make him feel that he was just one wrong word away from being sent to the afterlife.