In the capital of the kingdom, King Kalled stood atop his grand balcony, gazing out over his lands. The sight before him filled him with profound despair. His officials cowered in fear, their voices drowned in panic, but he barely heard them. Half his kingdom was already on the verge of collapse.
Years ago, the pure elves had launched an aggressive campaign, seizing three of his sub-kingdoms. They had originally only aimed for one, but their sudden offensive had been led by three King-Realm skill holders—those whose abilities ranged from Level 1 to 9 in the Epic tier.
He simply couldn't understand.
Why would such powerful beings waste their time on an empire with no means of retaliation? And why now, in the dead of night?
The Emperor of Josten had remained silent, making no attempts to counterattack when the Sandrian Empire took control of the territories bordering his own. The Josten Empire was vast, its seven kingdoms large enough to rival the ten-kingdom structures of other empires. Each one controlled immense lands, but that was no comfort to Kalled now.
Another deafening boom shook the palace.
The air turned dense, suffocating. The sheer magnitude of the force pressing down on him made his bones creak. His lips parted to speak, to issue an order, but then— Snap.
A single, crisp sound.
And then agony. An unfathomable force compressed everything around him, turning flesh, bone, and stone to dust. His lungs gave way in an instant, crushed before he could even gasp. His officials followed, one by one, their bodies rupturing under the relentless weight.
His vision blurred. His mind, his existence—erased.
Like that, a King-Realm Epic-tier skill holder perished in mere seconds.
A kingdom, once mighty, had crumbled within hours.
Vexion played idly with the fabric of her robe as she surveyed the devastation below. The city was little more than rubble now. She had used her skill, "Push," to create an overwhelming force, crushing entire districts into rubbles of their past states. Tens of thousands had perished, yet only one warrior had been sent to confront her—an Epic Tier skill user.
The mercenaries rampaged, eager to take slaves and treasures, but Vexion had given them strict orders: destroy everything. Only when she was finished would they be allowed to scavenge what remained of the final kingdom she targeted. And yet, despite the destruction of nearly a third of this kingdom, they had sent only one warrior against her. She sighed, shaking her head in disappointment.
Turning her gaze to the elf before her, she narrowed her eyes. Two forces surged outward—one pressing from the front, the other from behind crushing him from both sides .
"Ptsh."
Blood sprayed into the air as the elf was crushed between them, reduced to mangled flesh in an instant. Vexion smiled, recalling the agonizing training that had honed her abilities to such a level. She no longer needed to gesture to activate her skills—just a thought, a moment of focus, and her enemies were annihilated. She shuddered, from the memory of how many times her master had severed her arms to force her mastery of this technique.
A slow, delighted grin spread across her face as she thought of him.
Dante.
Her master.
'Master is truly unparalleled. I never imagined someone could wield skills with such perfect combat versatility.'
She walked on air, her figure shrouded in a dark, misty silhouette.
Vexion moved with deliberate, slow steps. Her control over her abilities was impressive but not absolute. She was still forced to raise her hand to direct her skill over vast areas. With a casual wave, an invisible, crushing force exploded downward, compressing the buildings beneath her into debris. The mercenaries rampaged below, their laughter twisted and wild as they slaughtered dark elves indiscriminately.
They weren't weak many wielded high-tier common skills, and their leader even possessed a Level 3 Epic-tier skill. But to her they were insignificant.
Vexion drifted forward, walking atop the clouds. The next kingdom loomed in the distance, its silhouette growing larger against the horizon. A deep satisfaction welled within her. She felt alive. Strong. Invincible. Master had entrusted her with the best part of the work, and she intended to revel in it.
She knew she would eventually face opponents on her level, but that didn't concern her. Watching insects scatter beneath her feet, hearing their screams, seeing their futile attempts to flee— It was exhilarating.
She smiled, licking her lips. Her master had always spoken about how he never really enjoyed tormenting the weak he was more unbothered about their deaths, and she had never doubted him. But to see it unfold, to see his plans take shape in such a ruthless, calculated manner—it sent shivers down her spine.
She adored him for it.
The pitiful cries. The desperate ones who begged for their lives. Those who thought they could run and failed. She loved it all.
Would her master be pleased?
She hummed softly to herself, a tune Dante often liked hearing when she pampered him. A pout tugged at her lips—she missed his presence. For a moment, she hesitated, torn between her two desires. Should she continue her beautiful massacre, drawing out the suffering? Or should she finish quickly and return to him?
She sighed, a bittersweet longing settling in her chest.
She wanted to be near him again.
But first, she had to draw out that annoying little wretch, Lexa.
Her expression darkened slightly.
She knew her master would eventually be surrounded by other women. She knew it was unlikely she could keep him all to herself for long. But that wouldn't stop her from trying.
No matter what, she would remain by his side.
Vexion was interrupted by a powerful aura, it was around her level but lower, she sighed as she cheered herself up with the torture she was planning on inflicting on the 2 auras she felt come her way. She felt they were similar, especially how the two auras tried to intimidate her from afar.
'These two? Oh it those two, Kai and Lee. I took their arms as a form of punishment, they are back again? Hehehe, how delightful, I can repay the disrespect towards Master even more effectively.'
She smiled as she heard a male voice ring out. "I have no idea who you are, as much as I would like to avoid a head on fight, you've already destroyed a large part of our kingdom, so I cannot allow you to leave, identify yourself and explain what enmity you have with the Josten Empire". Lee was the one who just spoke out, he thought that he was still hidden from sight as he used his skill.
Vexion smiled. 'Hmm, one is level 0 the ..also level 0. They are very weak, but so be it. Ill have some fun'