It was hard to breathe. The sheer number of corpses—once-living n and won—mixed with the rotting remains of the undead, poisoned the air to an unbearable degree.
The devastation was staggering. It would take weeks to tally the dead from both the Draconian Empire and the Crimson Sun Empire. The dead were in the millions.
Worse still, the bodies had to be burned. The stench alone threatened to unleash a plague of terrible illness, and no one dared to take that risk.
"Zaroth... did it," Roran muttered in awe, his eyes wide as they gazed across the fallen legion of undead. The army's might had been terrifying. Yet sohow, Zaroth had found a way to stop them—most likely by killing the emperor of the Graveborn Empire, the most powerful necromancer known to exist.
Many shared Roran's gratitude toward Zaroth. But this was no ti for celebration. Not with so much death on their own side.
Of the original seven council mbers, only three remained.
Elysia—the strongest woman in the empire. During the battle, it was safe to say that she had solidified her title.
The eldest mber among them—Ezzan. The old fool seed to have the goddess' luck to his side, leading him to survive for so many years.
And finally, Tyran—the man Elysia despised more than any other, and with good reason. He was Althea's father, the very one who had sold her off to the now dead emperor.
The council eting was held imdiately after the battle, close to the blood-soaked battlefield. The situation demanded swift decisions about what ca next.
Draconian Empire had been damaged, yet not as severely as the Crimson Sun Empire. All of their council mbers had been killed, as well as their legendary General Hadrik, and if the rumor about their capital was true, then his right-hand man Thorne was most likely dead as well.
The Crimson Sun Empire had truly fallen, the sa could be said for the Graveborn Empire. So the Draconian Empire was going to absorb them both, becoming the dominant force on the continent.
In addition to the surviving council mbers, others had joined the gathering—those who had contributed the most in battle, and who would likely beco the new rulers of the lands.
Zack, Roran, Lily, Grace, and Sofia—each of them stood above the rest in power. Their actions during the battle saved countless lives, earning them the title of heroes
There was another figure among them, her face hidden beneath a hood. From the few glimpses they'd caught, she possessed the ability to transform into a srizing fox—its fur a vivid orange, its eyes white like twin moons.
The truth was, she was Varik's daughter—the very one responsible for the infamous beast arena fights. Naturally, due to her connection with her father, she occasionally entered the arenas herself, fighting under the na 'Destiny.'
Midnight was there as well, though not for long. As a demon, she cared little for the fate of the land—she had only co to ensure her friends were safe before departing for one of the demon continents.
"Nobody agrees with you, Tyran," Elysia spoke coldly.
"Oh yeah? Can you stop ?" Tyran scoffed. "My division was one of the strongest. It's only natural, I should be rewarded for my efforts!"
"You greedy old bastard," Sofia snapped. "We're not giving you the entire Crimson Sun Empire!"
A confrontation seed imminent… but before it could escalate, a shadow fell over the gathered group.
"Nightshade?" Midnight was the first one to recognize it, yet even she wasn't fast enough to prepare for what was about to co.
Out of the shadow, the panther appeared.
However, she wasn't alone.
A tall headless figure with two great swords in his hands stepped out before Tyran.
It was Eldros, of course. Obeying his master's command, he delivered a single, clean strike—beheading Tyran without hesitation.
It was justice for Althea. Everyone who had caused her great misfortune in her life was now dead. She would finally be able to rest in peace.
Hellweaver jumped out from the shadow as well, moving so fast no one was able to react. With deadly precision, it sunk its fangs into 'Destiny,' the one that had killed it long ago in the arena.
In that mont, Zaroth on the other side of the continent heard the system words echo in his head,
[Hellweaver is ready to evolve]
Not wanting to delay the process, he dismissed the beast imdiately, causing it to vanish.
anwhile, Eldros went back into Nightshade's shadow just as quickly as he had appeared, and the shadow left the area in a heartbeat.
Everybody present had their mouths wide open in disbelief.
They were undoubtedly Zaroth's beasts, but what about the headless man? Why had they attacked the hooded figure and Tyran?
Midnight was the one to break the silence, her lips curling into a mischievous grin. This was so like Zaroth—doing whatever he deed right, no matter the cost, and leading the world to follow. It was one of the many reasons she loved him.
"I see my boyfriend is alive and well. Looks like my job here is done. Farewell!" With a laugh, she spread her wings and took to the skies.
"Had we been fighting with a demon all this ti?" Ezzan's eyes widened in disbelief. He was the only one that didn't know about Midnight being a vampire.
He gazed at his body and the cane he used to move, making him let out a sigh, "It seems I have beco too old for leading." He shook his head. The world was changing too fast and he wasn't able to follow along.
"I resign," he said, bowing his head to the group. "With you young ones, I'm sure everything will be in good hands."
The others looked on, stunned.
And just like that, Elysia, Zack, Roran, Lily, Grace, and Sofia beca the new leaders of the three empires with zero opposition.
Just as planned.
In her shadow form, Nightshade traveled next to the forr slave city to ensure all was alright.
It was, in fact, even more than alright—it was prospering. The people that Eldros had put in charge had been doing such a good job that the city had been completely transford.
What was more interesting was there were posters and even statues of Zaroth in his 'Ghost' attire, hailing him as a hero that they would follow to the very end with no hesitation.
Curiously enough, Zoe had co here as well. She didn't want to live with regret, so she decided to help the people, playing a hand in turning the city into sothing greater.
Seeing everything was alright, the shadow moved to its next destination—Drakmire Bastion.
There Betty was working in the tavern as always, her radiant smile never leaving her face.
Thomas was still yelling at the miners to stop lazing around, while his twin brother, Torin, was diligently crafting weapons as always—his trusted hamr never leaving his side.
Finally, Nightshade reached her last destination. Thanks to her current form, she moved with startling speed, having no problem reaching the Draconian capital.
There, she moved through the familiar—now repaired—streets, making her way to the room Zaroth had been assigned during his ti at the academy.
She positioned herself beneath the titanium bed—the one Zaroth had purchased for such a ridiculous sum that he'd gone to great lengths just to retrieve it!
The bed sank deep into her shadow and vanished from sight. Then, sending a ntal signal to her master, Nightshade inford him that the plan had been completed.
Without hesitation, Zaroth desummoned, and then summoned her back to his side, causing the shadow to vanish.
And with that, all loose ends across the continent had been dealt with.
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