Monkville was in a state of combat readiness.
This massive city was located in the Loen Province in the north of the Empire. It was a border city with fortresses, castles, and palaces. Speaking of its history, it was probably even older than the Empire on which the Sun never set. Monkville was built in the First Epoch under the rule of the Titans and Dragons. Back then, in order to resist the raids and attacks of the Dragons, the Titans enslaved thirty thousand Lodo Giants and hollowed out twelve mountains before finally completing the construction of this peerless fortress.
At that time, Monkville was definitely considered the center of the world. The Titans used it as a foundation to wage war in the north and south. They fought more than ten wars with the ancestral Red Dragon "Last Flame" in the south and the "Akatosh" Blue Dragon family in the north, constantly expanding their territory. Finally, at the end of the First Epoch, they established the Titan Empire that spanned across the river, the swamps, and the Northern Plains. Its territory was even larger than the present-day Blackwing and the Empire on which the Sun never set.
Unfortunately, the glory only lasted for a short moment. With the fall of the Titan God Crodias, the Titans of the material planes retreated and returned to their homeworlds. Thus, the creatures of the various planes woke up one day and were surprised to find that the rulers of the world had disappeared without a trace overnight, just as suddenly as they had descended.
Many Astral Wise Men mocked the Titans for being a race whose brains were filled with power. They did not understand how important it was to control the material planes. They did not know how to judge the situation. Even if the Main God fell, they could rely on the faith and worship drawn from the material planes to give birth to a new God.
But to the Titans, they had been here and conquered. That was enough. They were born to be conquerors and not rulers. A land without war was meaningless to the Titans. They were eager to return to their homeworlds to brew new flames of war, to seek revenge against the Gods who had killed the Titan God.
After the Titan left, Airadia entered the second era. That was undoubtedly an era of blooming flowers. Humans, Ancient Orcs, Elves, Dwarves, and even the Seafolk emerged one after another. They got rid of their status as slaves and established countries of various sizes, madly fighting for the inheritance left behind by the Titan. First, they joined hands and exterminated the Lodo Giants who had some Titan blood in them. Then, they fell into conflict and opposition caused by racial issues.
At that time, Airadia was also very exciting. The kingdoms fought against each other and cooperated with each other. Today's allies could be tomorrow's enemies. The major races took turns to play the role of the main characters of the continent. After four hundred years of turmoil and disputes, the weak were finally eliminated one by one. Only two of the strongest stood out in the arena, occupying the two ends of the world: the Empire where the sun never sets in the south and the Orc Alliance in the north.
In the middle of the second era, the Orc Tyne Skaron used his tyrannical strength and will to complete the unification of the seventeen tribes. He ruled the Northern Plains as the Emperor and established the first Orc Empire in history — the Skaron Dynasty. He gathered the power of the entire Orc race to the peak.
At the end of the Skaron Dynasty, the ambitious new Emperor took the initiative to launch an attack. He led a large number of troops to the south and blew the horn of war. The three famous racial wars in Airadia's history broke out with the humans.
Other than the first victory, the other two wars ended in defeat for the Orcs. The last war even directly announced the destruction of the Skaron Dynasty. There were two key turning points in that war, and one of them was the Battle of Monkville.
The invincible orc army had broken their swords and sabers here. The Skalon Dynasty had lost nearly a hundred and fifty thousand soldiers, but they were still unable to take down the giant fortress. This solid barrier built by the Titans had become an insurmountable chasm. Monkville looked at the orcs who were like a swarm of ants with an inviolable attitude, watching as they were defeated one by one under his feet.
In the end, the defeated Orcs could only be shackled and exiled to various remote and desolate corners in the north. The human Gods left a curse in the Orcs' bloodline, making them unable to possess power above the Legend rank. From then on, the sun that never sets in the south of the continent rose slowly. The human Empire ruled Airadia for more than 1700 years.
Now, everything from the ancient times had turned into bubbles. The glorious Titans of the past were already far away, pushed to the edge of the universe together with their Gods. The insufferably arrogant Skaron Dynasty had also fallen apart, turning into countless poor and weak green-skinned Orc clans. Meanwhile, Monkville still stood in the middle of the mountains. The mottled city walls were filled with the marks of history. The countless corpses beneath his feet repeated the rise and fall of the dynasty over and over again.
In the new era, Monkville also had a new meaning. The southerners now called it the "Gate of God's Sigh." Even the Gods could only sigh in front of it.
This huge city that was built by the Titans and enhanced by countless magical technologies gave the people an unparalleled sense of security and confidence. They generally believed that as long as it wasn't breached from the inside, no matter if it was a natural disaster, a tsunami, a stampede of beasts, or an army of the undead, they could easily keep it at bay.
Looking down from the unreachable tower, the creeks and valleys in the distance were as sharp as if they were carved by knives and axes, as if they were wounds left behind by a giant God wielding a sharp weapon. In the shadows of the corners of the tower, demons appeared silently.
The person looking down stared at the creeks. "They said that General Maihele, who was favored by the Goddess of Wisdom, stood here and watched the Orc army under his feet fall down one by one."
"The failure of Hejian was not the general's responsibility," the demon said softly.
"The weakness of the people of Hejian was well known. They lacked glory and faith in their bones, so they couldn't resist the Blackwing Clan. Moreover, Kahn even received reinforcements from Odín in the end."
"Even so, I have to admit that I misjudged Kahn's power and made a serious mistake."
Stedt turned his head. There was a huge scar on his face, extending from his forehead to the corner of his mouth. This was the scar left by the "Black Death" Kahn, as a medal of failure. "I didn't expect the Tangerine family to have such a powerful dragon. It's very similar to the legendary Black Emperor."
"Not at all. Kahn's power came from our gift," the demon said.
"There's also a Demon Monarch, Azliers, the King of Flames on the 606th floor of the abyss."
"As far as I know, you are Kahn's trader, Barkley. You gave your power to my enemy and helped it defeat me and trample the countries of Hejian under its feet."
Stedt's voice turned cold. "I'm very surprised. Why do you still dare to appear in front of me?"
The demon squatted in the corner, showing his sharp fangs and a magnanimous expression. "Don't look at me with such a hateful gaze. I'm just a merchant selling goods. There's no camp to speak of. I can trade with Kahn, and of course, I can trade with you."
"What makes you think I'll trade with you?"
"Of course you will. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here."
The demon named Barkley chuckled. "Perhaps in the future, Monkville will become the greatest shield against Black Wing's invasion. But as of now, its function is only to act as the transportation hub for the frontlines. Before General Lyon's Dawn Legion is defeated, there's no war to fight here."
"This isn't what you want, Stedt. You desire battle, you desire glory. You want to be the most powerful person in the empire where the sun never sets. You must perform well in this war and use your glory to overshadow Lyon's and Ramel's."
"No wonder the demons can always get souls so easily. When it comes to the control of people's hearts, no race can compare to you."
Stedt sighed. "What can you do?"
"Power, army, wisdom. As long as you can pay the price, we can give you everything you want."
"I want to kill the Black Emperor with my own hands. Can I do that?"
"It's not impossible to kill the Black Emperor, but the price of inviting the Master of Nine Hells to appear is not something you can bear. No one in this material plane can bear it."
The demon bowed slightly as a greeting, as familiar as a merchant introducing goods. "We've examined your bargaining chips. The best choice now is for you to pay half of your soul and personality. We'll raise your power to the point where you can assassinate Kahn single-handedly. Kill that dragon, take back Hejian County, and your shame will be swept away. Emperor Enrihill will once again transfer you to the frontlines."
Stedt frowned and thought for a while. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly felt the sky darken. Then, he heard a deafening sound.
He looked at the source of the sound. His gaze moved up, up, and up again. Finally, it became a ninety-degree gaze that pulled at the skin of his throat.
That was —
The Black Emperor.