Guzznad's face under the hood frowned for a brief moment before continuing:
"The Magus did not easily dominate the Astral Realm. During their rise, they encountered many obstacles, many worthy opponents. The most dangerous of which was the Witch Plane.
"The Magus suffered the most while conquering that plane. One could argue that they did not even succeed. Do you know why?"
Guzznad ignored Edward's fierce gaze as he snickered:
"The Witch Queen sacrificed their entire plane to place a terrifying curse on the Magus Race; to be precise, she directly cursed their bloodline source. So, after this war, the Magus Race lost such a powerful plane but was also cursed. I would say they lost the battle, wouldn't you?"
Guzznad did not care there was no response; he only wanted to buy more time.
"After this event, the Magus Race delved deeper into Bloodline Research, trying to cure this curse. They succeeded, of course. But without paying a price.
"The Magus Race instilled their bloodline into many races in an attempt to solve the curse. If I guess correctly, the humans on Earth are the descendants of test subjects during that era."
Edward no longer paid attention as he looked at the screen before him. The Space Elevator in Brazil had exploded, killing hundreds of millions of people. If not for the fact all citizens of the Empire were now mages, the casualties would have been even worse.
"It took me a lot of effort to come up with this plan. I had to make a deal with an Abyss Lord with the Curse Authority, allowing me to control the right people," continued Guzznad. "The defensive measures on this planet were over the top, so it took a lot of effort."
Edward clenched his hand. During the battle, he did not take Guzznad seriously since he was nothing but a pawn to control the galaxy. He needed to film their battle as propaganda, so he took things easy.
Even when he noticed something was wrong, he thought it had something to do with the remaining five Star Systems. He thought they were Guzznad's final trump card but never imagined the latter would target Earth.
I mean, why would he? After the last attack, he boosted the Empire's defense, so he was reassured. As for the problem of the Wizard's bloodline?
He also thought about it after learning of the Magus Race's achievement during his time in the Naruto World. So, after returning, he had a team studying the bloodline to ensure there would be no problem with his Ultimate Magic Body.
But so far, he has not detected any residual curse from the Magus Bloodline.
"Boss, we have news."
Edward looked at her:
"We captured all the other assailants."
"The casualties?"
"Less than a hundred."
Guzznad's face changed after hearing this. His plan was to use the other people as hostages to negotiate with the Arcane Emperor. Now, he just learned all the other pawns he controlled were dealt with.
"Good," said Edward with a cold calmness. "Fire the Void Canons and annihilate Guzznad and his remaining territory."
Morgana wanted to say something but closed her mouth. She controlled Netheril and used the highest energy setting.
Boom!
A white light flashed, and everything was gone. The remaining Five Star Systems and even the Mirror Dimension were torn apart. However, Morgana, who still had her emotions in control, took something from Guzznad's dissipating body.
Meanwhile, Edward controlled the Floating City to instantly return to Earth.
As he floated above the ruins of the Space Elevator, hearing the agonizing screams of the injured and the families of the victims, he felt a tight pain in his chest.
As an Emperor, his task is to protect his people, and he failed miserably.
"Come here," he ordered, and his Time Staff appeared in his hand. He could tell Guzznad was very vicious and granted True Death to the people who died, so the Death Staff was useless.
Edward mobilized his Time Rule, boosting it with the power of the staff. An enormous clock appeared above Brazil, moving counterclockwise. He immediately felt a great resistance, preventing him from moving time backward.
However, Edward did not care.
"Put the Energy Core on overdrive," he ordered. Morgana once again wanted to say something but chose to be silent. With this new blessing, Edward pushed his Time Rules to the limit.
However, the resistance he faced was proportional to the effort he put in. Alas, Edward was not about to give up.
He activated his Arcane Spark to use Karma Empowerment. He used the ability from the Akashic Records that allowed him to take some mana from all his citizens. He controlled the Mana Grid to get more energy.
Finally, he linked himself to the other two Floating Cities for even more energy.
He entered the Mana Sage Mode, boosting his Energy Control Ability to its highest level.
Crack!
Edward heard the sound of something breaking, followed by a great sense of dread. His Cosmic Awareness activated, and he saw his name appear in a strange machine. He did not know what the machine was, where this place was, or why did his name appear, but he knew it was not a good thing.
However, he did not care about this problem for now.
He focused on his tasks at hand until he succeeded. Half an hour later, the spell finished, and he watched as the dead appeared one by one as if time was rewind.
The destroyed Space Station returned to its original state as if nothing had happened. However, Edward felt something was wrong.
"What is the problem?"
Morgana took a moment before saying, "According to a brief scan, more than 3 million people did not return."
"What?"
Although 3 million dead is nothing compared to the previous more than 100 million, this number was still astronomical.
"Do you know the cause?"
"Insufficient data."
Edward frowned as he activated the staff for a second time, trying to bring them back. Unfortunately, it was useless. He even tried a combination spell between the Time and Death Staff.
The result was the same.
In the end, he sighed before teleporting away. There were many things to deal with after this event. By the time he arrived, all the people with the highest authority in the Empire were waiting for him.
Edward walked to his throne, sitting down with a face as if everybody owed him money. No one said anything as they did not expect things to reach such an extreme.
After more than ten minutes of silence, Edward opened his mouth to say something but suddenly paused. He then closed his eyes and found himself in a white room.
"Cronai?"
"I don't have much time, so I have to be fast," she said. However, Edward could see chains appearing on her wrist before disappearing.
"Your actions have broken the Space-Time Continuum Rules of the Plane, so the Guardians are coming for you.
"The Guardians? Who are they?"
"The only Tier 11 in the plane."
"I thought you said there were no Tier 11."
"They are only Tier 11 in this plane and because of an ancient pact. Once they leave, they are one of the most powerful Tier 10 Gods in the Astral Realm but not Tier 11."
Edward finally understood why these other planes did not immediately invade; it was not only because of the fear of the Magus Race but also because of this Guardian.
"I have bought you some time, approximately 50 years. If you want to survive, you must find the Savant Race–they have the answer."
"Can't you tell me more? Who are these Guardians? Why do I need to look for the Savant Race?"
"My actions have broken the rules," said Cronai, showing the chains on her body. "As the Planar Will, I need to be impartial and treat all life the same. But I have broken the rules to the best of my ability.
"The rest is up to you."
Edward opened his eyes in the room, a deep frown on his face.
{AN: I don't think anyone cares but the volume called Undead is over. The next volume is called Time Criminal.}
After opening his eyes, Edward remembered a saying often used in Eastern Fantasy novels he read online:
"Heaven is ruthless and treats all sentient beings the same as dogs."
This saying can apply to the Cronai, the Planar Will. As the consciousness responsible for ensuring this world operates properly, there is almost no difference between an ant and a Tier 10 God–it must treat them equally, applying the rules to all of them.
However, it seems Cronai has gained some sentience, or maybe it's the desire of all life forms to become more powerful. She calculated the Arcane Empire was the civilization most likely to allow her to succeed, so she granted them differential treatments.
However, Edward's actions went beyond the help Cronai can offer since he broke one of the fundamental rules.
'The first time I traveled to the future, my future self told me there were consequences if I messed up with the Space-Time Continuum. Is this what he meant?'
Edward felt great pressure. He did not know whether he could elevate his floating city into a Tier 11 weapon in 50 years–even with Time Acceleration. Furthermore, he has many problems to deal with, including the Soul Limit of the people; otherwise, the progress of the Empire will be halted.
'Is my only choice to find this Savant Race?'
He cannot move the Empire into another timeline. If these Guardians have the power of Tier 11 in this plane, they should have access to the Multiverse. Furthermore, Cronai should have told him of such a simple solution.
'So, if everything fails, my only solution is to migrate to another plane and plan an eventual return.'
He did not want to start again from somewhere far away. However, if he did not have any choice, this might be the only way to survive and preserve his legacy.
Edward exhaled deeply, finally focusing on the people in the room.
"You have failed me, and I have the people," said Edward, his words creating great pressure on everyone. "Now is not the time to find who's at fault. Let's deal with the aftermath of this event."
The discussion did not last an hour, as everything was discussed as swiftly as possible. Then, the royal family appeared before the screen of every citizen, wearing all black.
The Emperor was addressing the people.
"Hello, my fellow citizens. Today, I am addressing you because I have failed you as the Emperor. For that, I deeply apologize."
Edward did not hesitate to bow, followed by the royal family behind him. Then, he continued with a solemn attitude:
"My duty is to protect you, and I have failed in my mission."
Edward did not make any excuses, such as trying his best. The people witnessed how he tried to revert time to undo this tragedy and failed. However, failure was failure.
"Today was the darkest moment in the Empire's history," continued. Such massive casualties did not even occur during the Fall of Darkness.
"During this war, we have learned of the cruelty of the universe. But today's event allowed us to experience it personally.
"Our rise will threaten the grip the Gods have over this universe. As such, a single mistake, a single error, could cause the destruction of civilization, of our home, of the people we love."
He paused to allow his words to marinate:
"But we cannot allow such a thing to happen. No, we Will not allow it to happen.
"We will not allow fear to control our thoughts and actions. We will inherit the Will of the ones who prematurely left us, shoulder their dreams, and continue to move forward.
"May the Arcane Truth bless all the ones who left before us."
[May the Arcane Truth bless all the ones who left before us.]
The citizens repeated this phrase across every territory of the Empire, creating a strange atmosphere or power around the entire galaxy,
The Empire declared a seven-day mourning for the dead. The media talks nonstop about the Emperor's Inherited Will Speech, saying how it was a wonderful way to condense the spirit of the citizens who had lost faith in the Empire.
A monument appeared to honor the people who died in this incident and the war. The monument was a towering glass a few stories tall with countless names engraved on it.
The glass was enchanted so that people could use their soul strength to see the information and life experience of every individual on the glass.
After the speech, Edward and Rowena had to go on a tour around the Empire to meet the family of the people he failed to save. He also used this time to reassure his citizens.
A few hours later, they finished and returned to the palace to have a meal with the family.
"How are you guys doing?" asked Edward as he sat down; the food was still warm.
"We're fine," said Hermione. "How about you?"
"Holding on," said Edward, sighing deeply. Could he have saved these people? His rational mind told him it was impossible since he did not know about the curse. However, he also knew this situation might have been avoided if he had been too arrogant and used Guzznad as a pawn.
"Don't beat yourself," said Olivier. "If Guzznad did use this curse, someone else might have used it, making the situation even worse. In a terrible sense, we should be glad this problem was discovered so early."
She was correct. Guzznad was only Tier 9, so the destruction he could create based on this curse was limited. Furthermore, the population of the Empire was not too large, so the Magus Race bloodline was not spread too far.
Regardless, the situation is still devastating.
"Alright, let's not talk about this and eat. Wait, where is Luna?"
"You should probably talk to her," said Edward's mom.
Edward stood up and headed to her room in the palace. After entering, he saw her lying on her bed with listless eyes.
"Are you alright?" he said as he rushed next to her.
"I should have listened to you," said Luna, tears dripping from her eyes.
"What are you talking about?"
"I should have listened to you and fused with my variants from the Dark Multiverse. They could have increased my Seer Ability and prevented this tragedy.
"I should have listened to you."
"No, no, don't blame yourself," said Edward as he held her tightly. "If you did, there is no guarantee you would have foreseen something."
Luna kept crying, not appeased by his words.
"I'm glad you did not listen to me," continued Edward. "Our family has two moral compasses–you and Hermione. If not for you two, me and the others might have gone too far.
"However, Hermione's competitive nature allowed her to bend more than you. So, I am glad you can keep your own morality and not be influenced by my darkness."
Edward was not telling the complete truth. Their family had a third person with a good moral compass–Wiz. Although Tsunade has a kind heart as a healer, she has been traumatized by being a child soldier, so she has her own demons to deal with.
Only Luna and Wiz can be the moral compass of this family, preventing the others from going into the deep end. However, Wiz has only just joined, so her power and influence are too weak, so Luna has to be in charge.
"Are you telling the truth?" asked Luna.
"Of course, when have I ever lied to you?" replied Edward as he caressed her hair.
"Thank you. I need to hear this."
"There is no need for pleasantries between us," nodded Edward. "You need to sleep, and I will help."
"Okay."
Edward opened his mouth, and a beautiful lullaby emanated. Immediately afterward, Luna felt her eyelid heavy and fell asleep. Edward waited a few minutes before she was still in a deep sleep before standing up.
However, he did not take a few steps before he received an emergency communication.
"What is this time?" he said, his voice very grave. The Royal Guards standing outside of the room trembled in fear after hearing that cold voice.
A screen appeared before Edward, and his face became extremely solemn. Without hesitation, he teleported to the Time Auror's headquarters.
"Where is he?" asked Edward as soon as he arrived.
"We have him apprehended and waiting on Cell EX7."
"You did a good job," nodded Edward before taking a deep breath and walking to his destination.
As soon as he saw the prisoner, his pupils dilated.
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