Chapter 404: Chapter 404: The Regretful Emperor
"The power of a divine saint is indeed not so easily usurped."
Within the flaming clouds, the silver dragon Garon gazed down at the unfolding events below, pondering silently.
There was no doubt that Emperor Alphax's temporary disregard for the threats posed by the Saint of Blazing Flame and his agreement to Camus's plan were influenced by the saint.
"For the sake of immortality, was it worth it to hunt a divine saint?"
"Probably, Emperor Alphax will regret it once he knows the truth."
Garon shook his head slightly.
In contrast, the Grand Arcanists of Netheril only needed the spell of eternal life to achieve near-immortality. Although not truly eternal, it was practically so because the cost was minimal.
The Alphatia Empire, although powerful, was not perfect.
For instance, the empire's spells, while mostly of unmatched power, could not compare in diversity and application to Netheril's arcane magic, lacking spells like eternal life.
Time passed quietly.
Garon and Isaac, as observers suspended in the heavens, recorded the last struggles of the fire mages of the Alphatia Empire.
Meanwhile, under Camus's leadership.
The fire mages' expressions became solemn as they began to cast their spells in unison.
Although not as adept at resonance casting as the wind mages, resonance casting was a fundamental method taught in all magic academies, and most fire mages were proficient in it.
Blood resonance, magic gathering.
When numerous beings of at least level thirty-six and ordinary fire mages resonated, the whole world seemed to tremble with their immense magical power.
Emperor Alphax took a deep breath.
Next, the emperor's body, enveloped in flames, shot like a meteor into the small sun-like fireball at the top of the Flame Light Tower.
One by one, the fire mages raised their arms, chanting in deep, resonant voices.
Huge waves of resonant magic gathered together, and along with Emperor Alphax, they flowed continuously into the core of the Flame Light Tower, augmenting its power.
Buzz!
Instantly.
A pillar of fire shot up from the tower, piercing the sky like an inverse cascade of flames, its magnitude so immense that it was visible even thousands of kilometers away from the imperial capital.
Boom!
Space shattered.
As the pillar of fire reached nearly ten thousand meters high, it exploded into a circular shockwave, fracturing space wherever it passed and forming a vast gateway to another world—a world ablaze with flames, its fiery energy coloring the entire sky red.
This spectacle was witnessed by the besieging wind mage allied forces.
Feeling the terrifying energy that changed the very color of the heavens and seeing the endless surge of fire elemental energy, the wind mages realized the gravity of the situation.
"Emperor Alphax and his fire mage lackeys still have this card to play."
"Whatever they plan to do, we cannot let them succeed."
"Move, it's time to march on the imperial capital and end this feud!"
Great winds rose from the ground.
The wind mages, riding the fierce winds, began to close in on the imperial capital from all directions.
In just moments, the wind mages clashed with the royal guards defending the capital.
With the highest-ranking supreme mages and royal demi-gods gathered near the Flame Light Tower, only the ordinary royal guards were left, clearly insufficient to oppose the wind mage forces, but they could still buy some time.
In the tumult of wind and fire.
The cracks in the sky's planar barrier grew larger.
"Such a massive gateway."
Garon looked up.
The gateway in his view, now widened by the efforts of numerous fire mages, had grown beyond description as merely a gate.
More accurately, it was like a curtain of fire.
Endless flames covered the sky, churning ceaselessly, the intense heat distorting the air around it, and within it, numerous fire elemental beings could be seen.
Sizzle!
Flames descended from the sky, beginning their assault on the land.
Various fire elementals like fire cats, lions, and wolves fell from the elemental realm to the material world, still somewhat bewildered.
"Fire Elemental Barrier Domain, solidify!"
The Saint of Blazing Flame led the resonant magic, casting a spell while shouting out.
For a moment, the churning flames in the sky paused.
Then, the curtain of flames went berserk, an infinite blaze pouring down like a celestial river, pressing directly towards the ground, covering every inch of space with fire, and any mortal flesh caught within it would be incinerated within seconds.
The entire imperial capital, at that moment, turned into a realm of fire, engulfed and corroded by the fire elemental realm.
And the fiery domain continued to expand.
No longer needing the fire mages' magic, once the planar gateway opened, the endless energy of the fire elemental realm
naturally invaded the Alphatia Empire's main star, enveloping everything in flames, even threatening to cover the entire main star.
Buildings twisted, the ground melted, rivers evaporated, and ancient trees turned into torches.
"This kind of magic, Camus, had you brought it out earlier, how could it have come to these wind mage rebels running wild on the main star?"
A fire mage closed his eyes, feeling the endless energy of fire elements, and said.
Within the fiery domain, every fire mage felt an unprecedented sense of power, as if their strength was limitless, filling every cell in their bodies.
At the same time.
The line of defense formed by the royal guards was breached by the wind mages.
However, looking at the situation, which was already decisive and still expanding, the wind mages wore grave expressions and did not advance further into the center of the imperial capital.
"They've breached the barrier to the fire elemental plane."
"In this environment, we stand no chance; retreat."
Without lingering.
The wind mages decisively withdrew, moving away from the fiery domain's barrier.
At the same time.
At the core of the Flame Light Tower, Emperor Alphax's entire body was aglow with flames, appearing to have become a being of fire, with a strange sense of divinity emanating from inside and outside his body.
Leveraging the power from the fire mages' resonant casting, and due to the crisis,
Emperor Alphax, spurred by urgency, absorbed all that remained of the Saint of Blazing Flame.
However, Emperor Alphax did not know that each of his steps, every decision, was influenced by Camus.
Including completely absorbing the first captured saint.
Emperor Alphax had previously refrained from absorbing this saint all at once because he could not consume the divine power of a saint in one go. Thus, he had cautiously built the Flame Light Tower, gradually drawing the saint's power, trying to eliminate the saint's influence.
Yet.
Even with the choice to slowly draw power, he was still unknowingly influenced by the Saint of Blazing Flame.
This time, by absorbing all that remained of the saint at once, the consequences were predictable.
At this moment, Emperor Alphax's mind was suppressed within his body by the Saint of Blazing Flame, unable to control his own body, astonished and at a loss.
In other words.
The first saint to descend in this world, the Saint of Blazing Flame, had resurrected within the body of Emperor Alphax.
"Alphax."
"Ignorant, fearless, lacking reverence for the divine, deceiving and imprisoning a saint, you will now face divine retribution."
"As punishment, I will let you witness your cherished empire crumble to nothingness."
In the world of will.
Emperor Alphax's soul was bound by chains of fire, unable to move.
Before him, a pair of eyes made of flames stared at Emperor Alphax with an indifferent and ruthless gaze.
"Camus? No, the Saint of Blazing Flame."
Emperor Alphax came to his senses under the saint's scrutiny, his complexion growing increasingly pale.
Realizing that Camus was another incarnation of the Saint of Blazing Flame, Emperor Alphax's thoughts cleared, and reflecting on the empire's recent experiences, he understood much.
"Alphax, do you regret it?"
The Saint of Blazing Flame asked calmly.
Emperor Alphax was silent for a moment, then lifted his head to meet the saint's gaze and said, "I do not regret my decisions."
"Even if I could do it over, I would still choose to hunt down your saint and seize your power."
Regret was useless.
Emperor Alphax knew this.
No matter what he said, the Saint of Blazing Flame would not spare the Alphatia Empire.
The imprisonment and plundering of a saint were great humiliations for any deity.
"The Saint of Blazing Flame, you have won."
"But this does not change the fact that your divine saint was captured and imprisoned by me."
"The mighty power of fire, the ruler of the fire elemental plane, a primary elemental god, had to skulk about like a rat in the sewers within my empire, which is utterly ridiculous."
"The rise and fall of an empire are inevitable; you were merely a small cog in this process, insignificant. Do not think that Alphatia perished because of you."
"If the world knows of the Alphatia Empire, they will admire my courage and laugh at your weakness."
In his final moments, Emperor Alphax maintained a defiant stance, speaking mockingly to the Saint of Blazing Flame.
Under Emperor Alphax's words, the Saint of Blazing Flame's gaze grew colder.
What he wanted was to see Emperor Alphax fall into a pit of despair and regret, but it seemed the emperor was unwilling to give him that satisfaction.
Moreover, what most disple
ased the Saint of Blazing Flame was that what Alphax said was mostly true.
Uninterested, the Saint of Blazing Flame said calmly, "So be it, then watch your empire turn to ash here."
After speaking.
The will of the Saint of Blazing Flame took control of Emperor Alphax's body.
"Your Majesty, with Director Camus's barrier domain, the wind mages can do nothing against us."
"As long as we hold the main star and cover it with the barrier domain, given time, we can surely turn defeat into victory."
Under the cover of flames, a supreme fire mage spoke with gleaming eyes.
But just as he finished speaking, looking at the Alphax emerging from the core of the Flame Light Tower, the fire mages sensed something was amiss.
At this moment, 'Alphax' was glowing with a faint divine light, emanating an aura of merciless fire, lofty and disdainful, alien to the material world.
At the same time.
All the flames seemed to swirl around 'Alphax,' as if welcoming the arrival of a king.
"Director Camus, what's happening?"
Since the fiery domain was primarily initiated by Camus, a fire mage shifted his gaze toward him.
But before the words were spoken, Camus's body turned into a burst of flames and rushed towards Alphax, then under everyone's gaze, they collided and merged with a boom.
Whoosh!
Flames danced wildly.
Within the fiery domain, the two saints merged, and the surge of energy was like a hurricane, making the surrounding demi-god supreme mages stiffen, feeling a profound and terrifying pressure from the Saint of Blazing Flame.
Due to the corrosion of the fire elemental plane.
The suppressive force of the material world was much diminished within the domain, and the merged saints' might far exceeded ordinary demi-gods.
"Your Majesty?"
"No, he's not Emperor Alphax."
"Who are you? Get out of Emperor Alphax's body!"
Several royal demi-gods immediately surrounded the Saint of Blazing Flame at the center, and the fire supreme mages also changed their expressions, staring intensely at the Saint of Blazing Flame.
Finding himself once again surrounded as before, the Saint of Blazing Flame recalled being defeated by Emperor Alphax and his forces, his expression darkening as the surrounding flames churned.
"I am the king of the fire elemental plane, the original fire, the Saint of Blazing Flame."
"Emperor Alphax showed no respect for the divine, insulted divine might, and has now received divine punishment."
"You mortals are ignorant and foolish, but I, being merciful, am willing to give you a chance for redemption."
He paused, then the Saint of Blazing Flame said gravely, "Forsake your emperor, forsake your empire, kneel and worship me, become my apostles, honor me from this day forward, and I will forgive you."
Feeling the Saint of Blazing Flame's might, the fire supreme mages couldn't help but hesitate.
Facing a powerful divine saint, they were understandably nervous.
However, due to the large number of people around, mostly top-tier fire mages, the supreme mages did not fear a saint, even though his might exceeded that of ordinary demi-gods.
As the fire supreme mages were still hesitating.
The six royal demi-gods loyal only to Emperor Alphax took action.
They could not stand by as the Saint of Blazing Flame occupied Emperor Alphax's body.
"Chains of Wind!"
Six chains formed from solidified wind shot out, tearing through space, piercing the omnipresent flames, and coiling towards the limbs of the Saint of Blazing Flame from all directions.
Seeing these chains, the Saint of Blazing Flame's expression darkened, flames rolling in his eyes.
Hundreds of years ago, the Saint of Blazing Flame had been bound and sealed by many royal demi-gods using these very chains of wind.
But this time was different.
"You think the same spell will work on a god again?"
These six royal demi-gods had also participated in the previous encirclement, and seeing them fearlessly attacking him again, the Saint of Blazing Flame's anger surged.
Whoosh!
Furious flames formed a vortex, swirling violently around the Saint of Blazing Flame's body. The several blue chains were caught in the fire vortex, immediately with flames running along the chains towards the other end, towards the royal demi-gods.
At the same time.
The boundless flames seemed to come alive, pressing down on the royal demi-gods present.
Seeing the sudden outbreak of battle, the fire supreme mages changed expressions but hesitated to move against the Saint of Blazing Flame.
The Saint of Blazing Flame was the king of flames; these fire mages' powers were almost completely countered because of the fiery domain's enhancement. Although they possessed surging power, it seemed disobedient.
Within the domain
barrier, the royal demi-gods felt unparalleled pressure.
Every inch of space around them was occupied by flames, leaving no room for wind elemental energy, making every bit of their power difficult to replenish.
In contrast, the Saint of Blazing Flame could maintain peak condition at all times.
Endless fire elemental energy replenished his expenditure continuously.
The wind howled non-stop, trying to clear a blank area within the fiery domain to cut off the connection between the Saint of Blazing Flame and the fiery domain, but under the suppression of endless flames, the wind's momentum weakened and was almost completely extinguished by the flames.
Under Garon and Isaac's watch.
The six demi-gods struggled against the Saint of Blazing Flame, but just a few minutes into the battle, they were already at a disadvantage.
"If there were no fiery domain, the Saint of Blazing Flame might not have been so unbridled."
"But within the fiery domain, these wind and fire mages are no match for Him."
Garon thought silently.
It was already difficult for fire mages to battle the Saint of Blazing Flame, let alone now that they were within his domain, and the number of wind mages with combat capabilities was insufficient to contend with a divine saint.
If the fire mages united and vowed to fight the Saint of Blazing Flame to the death, weakening his control over the flames, they might have had a chance.
However, they hesitated, clearly harboring other thoughts.
The battle had just begun, and the outcome was already sealed.
Sizzle!
The Saint of Blazing Flame streaked by like lightning, his fiery hand tearing through the chest of a wind demi-god in elemental form. Rolling flames burst from the wound, exploding and disintegrating his elemental form.
Seizing the moment when the Saint of Blazing Flame paused.
A wind demi-god cast a spell, conjuring a tumultuous and seemingly world-rending wind spear from behind, stabbing towards the Saint of Blazing Flame.
However.
Whoosh!
A barrier of fire sprang up, intercepting the wind demi-god's attack.
"Albert, you!"
Loyal to the royal family, the wind demi-god turned in shock and anger.
A fire supreme mage demi-god had constructed the defensive spell that blocked his attack.
"Great Saint of Blazing Flame, I wish to become your apostle, please forgive me."
Like a spark igniting a blaze.
Half of the fire mages defected, willing to become apostles of the Saint of Blazing Flame, betraying the glory of the empire.
The remaining fire mages, after a moment of struggle, chose not to submit to divine might, opting to fight alongside the royal demi-gods against the Saint of Blazing Flame and the defected fire mages.
"Alphax, do you see?"
"These are the fire mages you supported."
In the world of will, the Saint of Blazing Flame scoffed, and Alphax remained silent.
In fact, when it came to loyalty to the empire, the ancient and long-standing wind mages had more, but Alphax and the Alphatia Empire had betrayed the trust of the wind mages, elevating the newly emerged fire mages, with only a few hundred years of history, as the orthodox magic of the empire.
No matter what he said to the Saint of Blazing Flame.
Deep down.
Alphax still regretted it.
___________________
(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)
If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters
Read Ahead
Patreon.com/INNIT
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone