Chapter 221 The Naive Ones (1/2)
CHAPTER 221
THE NAIVE ONES
[Lyonel Qa'yi – Human – Level 281]
Titles: Adept of Writ (???), Empyrean Soldier (???), Continental Crafter
Occupations: Beggar (Level 68), Blacksmith (Level 200 - Continental Master), Cultivator (Level 8)
Martial Arts: Empyrean Will (Level 1), Peerless Empyrean Spear Scripture (Level 1), Sword of Chaos (???)
Primal Spirits: Ra, Ye, Gu, Li, Glog, Tet, Astub, Ashta
Damage: 1,840,000
Defense: 18,000
Named Creations: Celestial Rod (Unique), Celestial Plate (Unique), Bisected Soul Set ((Chest) Soul Armor), Cleft Shadow(Epic), Twin Shadows (Legendary), Hell's Belittlement (Epic), Spear of Salvation (Legendary), Jailer's Wail (Rare), Earth Scorcher (Epic), Heaven-Cast Armor Set (Legendary Unique), World Defender (Epic), Celestial Crusher (Unique), Phantom Blades (Unique), Northern Frost (Unique Legendary), Lunar Beheader (Unique Epic)
Gates Opened: 4/72
Lino stared at his status window sheepishly, his eyes shining like small diamonds. It has changed quite a bit since the last time he checked, and if he ever needed a way to know just far he'd come, the letters and numbers he was seeing were it.
He, however, couldn't stare at it for too long; he still had two major headaches to deal with, the Emperor who no doubt would not simply wait for him to come knocking, and the Devils who will soon try and get access to the Titan Realms in order to take Umbra. Though Eggor was watching over the latter, Lino had told him not to do anything too out there, as he simply wanted to see what methods they'd use.
As for the Emperor Rex, he was the first priority. Since nobody could ever quite know what a maddened man will do -- especially one as powerful as the Emperor -- Lino had asked Hannah, Ella, Scarlet and Annar to gate the city, while he, the Unholy Guardian, Patriarch Chen and the Sky-Bearing Monk headed off toward the Palace and the entrance to the Titan Realms.
Lino would have simply allowed the three of them to take care of things if he bothered to trust them enough not to do exactly what the Emperor wanted to do; while he still couldn't quite grasp the ultimate importance of a Prime to a Clan or a Sect, he was fairly certain that it wasn't tiny, and that most would do quite literally anything to obtain one.
The once grand-looking Palace was now in a sorry state, its walls and most of the buildings crumbled and toppled over by the corpses, its previous golden and holy shine nowhere to be found. Lino was, however, still quite apprehensive; even if he had three Titular Voids on his side, the Emperor still had his own Guardian, to say nothing of the Defensive Artifact. Chances are that they'd have to have a battle of attrition, if not even invite help from others, if they wanted to come out on top of it.
Entrance to the Titan Realms was beneath the floating rock on top of which the Palace stood, over ten miles deep underground. They, however, didn't have to travel that far to meet the Emperor, as he seemed to have been waiting for them, standing near the entrance alongside the Guardian of Light, holding a tattered-looking scroll emitting golden shine in his hand.
”...” Goddammit, why can't you just surrender?! Lino groaned inwardly, realizing that the battle was inevitable. ”So you choose extinction?” skipping the small chat, Lino went to the crux of the issue.
”I choose to fight.” the Emperor replied calmly. ”What makes us different than those on the Holy Continent who all posses a Prime?”
”Well, for starters, they're forbidden from awakening it,” Patriarch Chen replied with a frown. ”We were lucky that the Descenders were here with us this time around, Rex. Otherwise, you could have caused the collapse of the entire Continent.”
”Save the speeches for someone who doesn't know you, Chen,” the Emperor replied in kind. ”You stand on that end now, but if you were in my shoes, you would have done the same thing.”
”... I've asked you a question,” Lino interrupted the two, exuding a slight ounce of Will outwardly, causing the air to grow ten times as heavy. ”Will you surrender and receive punishment on individual basis, or will you fight and sentence your entire Bloodline to eternal grave?”
”... are you saying you're going to go after my family?” the Emperor suddenly frowned, glancing at Lino with piercing eyes. ”I see that Great Descent is as thorough as ever. You people are nothing but beasts donning human skin.”
”... while you piece of shit pissed your royal diapers inside,” Lino growled. ”I've had to ensure your goddamn stupidity didn't cause the extinction of the entire Continent. Goddamn right I'll skin you lot alive. What if I am a beast? At the very least I'm not a vehement moron incapable of rational thought, sucking on the people's bent beliefs and stroking my own ego like it's my cock. You've repeatedly pissed me off ever since I came here, yet time and again I've given you a way out. And you want to take some retarded form of a high morality with me?! Look inwardly, you obstinate piece of shit. Fucking dog's shit has more integrity than your broken ego.”