Empire's Tears
CEE entered the monster base.
The moment he stepped inside, countless eyes turned toward him.
The strongest monsters of the north stood before him — the 5 Calamities, the Guardians, ancient beasts, and the Monster King himself.
But CEE ignored them.
He sensed it.
The faint life energy of the kidnapped Hero of Wind and the five warriors. Their bodies were broken, hanging on the edge of death while the monsters tortured them.
The atmosphere became heavy.
Some monsters laughed at the human who dared enter alone.
Others immediately attacked.
In an instant, countless claws, curses, blades, and beams rushed toward CEE.
But before the attacks could even reach him—
Time stopped.
No.
It was not magic.
CEE’s speed had surpassed the flow of time itself.
The entire battlefield froze.
The monsters remained motionless mid-attack.
Even the air itself became still.
CEE walked through the frozen world calmly.
He reached the Hero of Wind and the five warriors. Their bodies were covered in blood, barely alive. While the monsters remained frozen in the middle of torturing them, CEE carried all of them effortlessly.
Then—
CEE punched space itself.
The dimension shattered like glass.
A portal leading directly to the Imperial Magic Hospital opened.
Without hesitation, CEE stepped inside with the rescued warriors.
The portal closed instantly.
And only then—
Time resumed.
BOOM!
The monsters’ attacks collided with empty space.
Silence filled the destroyed battlefield.
The monsters stared in shock.
None of them saw what happened.
Not even the Monster King.
Not even the God of Time, who watched from beyond the world, noticed CEE’s movements.
The Hero of Wind and the five warriors had vanished.
Meanwhile, inside the Imperial Academy, the entire Imperial Council watched the magic surveillance in horror.
Before CEE’s signal disappeared, they sensed the presence of the missing heroes.
They were alive.
But barely.
Without hesitation, the Emperor activated his teleportation magic and disappeared from the academy.
A flash of light crossed the world.
The Emperor arrived directly at the monster base.
But he was too late.
CEE had already rescued them and retreated.
The moment the Emperor appeared, the monsters unleashed devastating attacks from every direction.
The Emperor dodged them with overwhelming skill.
Then—
The Monster King stepped forward.
The battlefield fell silent.
The two strongest beings of mankind and monsters faced each other alone.
And the war between legends began.
BOOM!!!
Their clash shattered the earth.
Mountains collapsed.
The monster base was destroyed instantly from the shockwaves alone.
Their speed surpassed sound.
Their power shook entire kingdoms.
Even distant monster territories trembled from the force of their battle.
The Emperor fought equally against the Monster King.
The entire Imperial Council watched in disbelief.
For thirty minutes, the Emperor resisted the impossible.
But then—
The 5 Calamities entered the battle.
Alongside countless powerful monsters, they attacked the Emperor together.
Even the strongest human could not withstand such overwhelming power forever.
The Emperor’s body became covered in wounds.
His breathing weakened.
Still—
He continued fighting.
Until the Monster King finally appeared behind him.
One swing.
A black slash crossed the battlefield.
The Emperor’s head fell.
Silence.
Inside the Imperial Academy, nobody could move.
The surveillance crystal trembled as the Emperor’s body collapsed to the ground.
Then the signal was cut.
The Emperor was dead.
The Imperial Princess fell to her knees in tears.
The Imperial Guards clenched their fists with rage and despair.
But there was nothing they could do.
Only the Emperor possessed teleportation magic capable of reaching the northern monster lands instantly.
Meanwhile, under the full moon, the monsters celebrated wildly.
Even though the battlefield around them was completely destroyed, the Monster King stood proudly above the ruins.
Holding the Emperor’s severed head in one hand.
The monsters roared across the night.
Then the Monster King raised the head before the entire monster army and declared:
“Mankind has lost its Emperor.”
“The barrier will fall.”
“We will destroy the remaining six kingdoms.”
“And humanity will disappear from this world.”
The Monster King stood beneath the full moon, holding the Emperor’s severed head before the endless monster army.
His crimson eyes glowed with madness and victory.
Then his voice echoed across the northern lands.
“Mobilize all armies.”
“Destroy the barrier.”
“Erase mankind.”
ROOOAAARRR!!!
The monsters roared violently.
Across the north, every monster kingdom began preparing for war.
Massive gates opened.
Flying monsters darkened the skies.
Countless beasts marched like an endless black tide.
The Guardians gathered.
The 5 Calamities prepared for battle.
Even the three Demon Lords finally moved after centuries of silence.
This was their greatest chance.
The death of the Emperor had weakened mankind.
The barrier protecting the southern kingdoms could finally be destroyed.
Meanwhile, back in the Imperial Empire—
The bells of calamity rang throughout the entire nation.
DONG!
DONG!!
DONG!!!
The sound echoed endlessly across cities, castles, villages, and military camps.
It was the highest emergency signal in human history.
The Emperor was dead.
The news spread like wildfire across the empire and beyond.
The expedition armies.
The frontier soldiers.
The Imperial generals.
The heroes.
Every person heard the impossible truth.
Different emotions filled the empire.
Some cried in disbelief.
Some fell into despair.
Others burned with rage.
The soldiers clenched their weapons tightly, unable to accept the death of the man who protected humanity for decades.
But despite the grief—
The Imperial Council acted immediately.
“All armies prepare for war!”
“All citizens evacuate to defense zones!”
“The monsters are marching toward the empire!”
The Empire chose to fight until death.
Not only for survival—
But to avenge their fallen Emperor.
Across the southern lands, the Imperial Army mobilized completely.
Magic cannons were prepared.
Defensive barriers activated.
Elite knights gathered at the frontlines.
The surviving heroes retreated toward the defense zones to prepare for the incoming war.
At the River of Pilipo, one of the main invasion routes, countless soldiers waited in silence.
Jorem stood at the front with Jin Law beside him.
Behind them were academy students, instructors, and few soldiers.
Everyone stared toward the northern horizon.
The scouts had already confirmed it.
The monster army would arrive in three hours.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
Meanwhile—
Inside the Imperial Magic Hospital, the rescued Hero of Wind and the five warriors received emergency treatment.
CEE stood quietly near the window.
Expressionless.
Silent.
Then suddenly—
BOOM!
The hospital doors burst open.
The Imperial Princess rushed inside desperately.
The moment she saw CEE—
She ran toward him and hugged him tightly.
Tears streamed endlessly from her eyes.
“My father is dead…”
Her voice trembled in agony.
“I… I couldn’t even say goodbye…”
The Princess cried against his chest helplessly.
CEE remained silent.
His face showed almost no emotion as always.
But for the first time—
There was visible darkness in his eyes.
He looked at the crying Princess quietly.
Guilt slowly filled his mind.
If he had stayed…
If he had not retreated…
Perhaps the Emperor might still be alive.
But CEE said nothing about it.
Instead, he gently comforted her with only a few calm words.
“…He fought until the end.”
“…Your father was strong.”
The Princess continued crying silently.
CEE slowly turned around and began walking away.
The Princess looked up immediately.
“W-Wait… where are you going…?”
CEE stopped walking.
Without turning around, he spoke calmly.
“I’ll be back.”
Then—
He slightly turned his head toward the Princess one last time.
And before she could stop him—
CEE vanished.
No sound.
No explosion.
No magic.
His speed was so overwhelming that even time itself failed to perceive his movement.
Far beyond the knowledge of mankind—
Far beyond the territories of monsters—
The true rulers of the world watched silently from different corners of existence.
They were not gathered in one place.
The “Top Creatures” existed separately, each ruling their own domains beyond mortal reach.
Some slept within endless voids.
Some watched from abandoned dimensions.
Some ruled kingdoms hidden above the clouds or beneath the oceans.
And some existed in places where even time itself could not flow properly.
Yet despite the unimaginable distance between them—
All of them sensed the same thing.
The balance of the world had begun to collapse.
In a frozen realm covered by eternal snow, a gigantic silhouette slowly opened its glowing eyes.
“The God of Absolute Force…”
“So he has finally moved.”
Its deep voice shook the entire icy continent.
Meanwhile—
Inside a ruined palace floating above a crimson sea, another entity laughed while sitting upon a throne made of bones.
“The Monster King killed the human Emperor…”
“How amusing.”
A third being rested inside complete darkness somewhere beyond reality itself.
Only its glowing eyes could be seen.
“The creatures below are becoming noisy again.”
“But what interests me…”
“…is that human.”
At the bottom of a bottomless abyss, chains trembled violently.
An enormous creature sealed within the darkness slowly smiled.
“So the child who transcends time has appeared…”
“Interesting…”
Across countless hidden realms, forbidden lands, ancient ruins, and unknown dimensions—
The strongest beings in existence began awakening one by one.
Because for the first time in countless years—
The world itself was beginning to change.
Beyond the mountains, beyond the dark skies, hidden in an unknown realm untouched by mortals—
A massive ancient castle stood in silence.
The atmosphere around it distorted unnaturally.
Even space itself trembled from the overwhelming presence inside.
Within the throne hall, several figures sat in darkness.
Their faces could not be seen clearly.
Only their terrifying auras filled the room.
Each presence alone felt powerful enough to destroy kingdoms.
A woman sitting upon a black throne slowly crossed her legs elegantly.
Her crimson eyes glowed faintly within the darkness.
“So…”
“The God of Absolute Force has finally appeared.”
“And he chose to stand with mankind.”
Another woman beside her lowered her head respectfully.
“Yes, my lady.”
“The Monster King has already beheaded the human Emperor.”
“A great war will begin within the next few hours.”
The atmosphere became heavier.
Then a man sitting in the shadows suddenly spoke.
“The Monster King…”
“What exactly is he thinking?”
His deep voice echoed through the hall.
“I’m certain… those beings above will react to his actions.”
The man looked toward the dark sky beyond the castle.
“But the Fire God…”
“And the God of Absolute Force — the strongest God — are standing with mankind.”
His voice echoed quietly through the throne hall.
“So for now…”
“No one can say who will win.”
The second woman remained silent.
Then the man continued.
“The ones you call Top Creatures…”
“They are Gods as well.”
“And they stand with the monsters.”
The atmosphere suddenly became heavier.
The first woman slowly smiled.
“So the sleeping Gods will finally awaken…”
The man closed his eyes calmly.
“And when they do…”
“The Gods themselves will fight.”
