Way of the Knights

Chapter 920: Raven’s Domain

The Forbidden Ultima Core…

If there’s something that the God Emperor valued a lot, even more than his own people, there’s no doubt that it would be this. 

Simply put, this core is the key to everything. It was the reason behind their rise and their evolution. It is the very source of their strength and it is the very thing that kept them going. 

Augustus placed so much importance on the Forbidden Ultima Core that made an edict that aside from him, nobody’s allowed to enter the room where it was nor even think about using it. This obviously includes the people who built the damn thing in the first place. 

It had to be known that the God Emperor had no inputs on the creation of this thing. He didn’t help nor even bothered. He hadn’t spared a single idea to contribute for it’s creation nor developments but he had the audacity to claim the thing as his. 

That’s just how he is, after all. For the sake of his own goals, he wouldn’t hesitate to step on the bodies of his own race. 

The Forbidden Ultima Core’s existence played a big role on all the developments that happened to Paradise, hell it’s the very same thing that allowed them to warp to any location they know of. The freedom and power it gives the Abyssal Race is enormous, coincidentally, since the God Emperor shamelessly claimed it for himself, he’s the one who benefitted the most. 

The core’s located at the very foundations of this tower where the God Emperor’s throne is. It is heavily guarded and not even a shadow could enter the room unless they are courting death. Going close to it is risky on its own since the place is filled with all sorts of deadly traps. 

When the God Emperor attacked Raven just now, he drew at least 5% of the core’s power. Do not underestimate this percentage, the core holds so much power that it could supply entire paradise for hundreds of thousands of years. Drawing 5% of that supply is already considered waste to deal with a single enemy…which is why Augustus’ shock was understandable considering that he felt the core drained in power yet the attack turned out to be a dud. 

And now…he has to deal with the information that somehow, this human managed to infiltrate his base so deep that he had tampered on his most prized possession, all without him noticing it. 

Coupled with the fact that now, every inch of his tower is covered in complex lines, which he doesn’t understand at all, and it was all done right under his nose without him being the wiser. The God Emperor’s outburst surely is within expectations. 

“Come on, there’s no need to be this upset. Doesn’t it look prettier? I actually think it’s better this way.” Raven stated ever so casually, completely unbothered by the God Emperor’s raging fury. 

“DAMN YOU!!!”

Augustus could no longer reign in his fury. He dropped all pretenses and used up as much power as he could in his attempts of killing Raven. 

Raven didn’t dodge. He just smiled and waited for the God Emperor to come to him. 

Their initial clash was explosive. The tower creaked dangerously behind the weight of their blows. Fist against fist, kick against kick, the two of the turned into mere blurs with how fast they clashed. 

As the fight went on, the God Emperor’s horror grew. 

Weren’t humans supposed to be a puny race? Weren’t they supposed to be weak, pathetic and fragile?

Then how can somebody explain this? How can this human match him blow per blow without even looking remotely concerned nor hurt? In fact, how is it possible that this Human was able to push him back through sheer technique and finesse? 

Augustus knows that he had more raw power compared to the human but why can’t he hurt him? On the other hand, how can this human know where to strike his body where it hurts? Weren’t humans supposed to be stupid? 

Upset by not being able to hurt his foe, the God Emperor employer the use of his Godly Abilities. He used the power of the Void, Rot, Decay, Sin, Withering…all sorts of abilities he plundered from his fallen foe which he absorbed were used without holding back. 

Yet for some unknown reason, none of his abilities even come close to touching the hem of this human’s clothes. 

Nobody can explain the confusion and anger he felt when he saw the Human standing there still, looking just as fresh as the moment he entered this place. 

How can this be? 

“So? What’s next?” Raven asked in a bored tone. “Now that everything you threw at me was rendered completely useless, what’s your next move going to be?”

“…”

“Wait, wait! No! Let me guess.” Raven placed a thoughtful expression and then said: “Oh right! The core right? It’s about time for you to siphon more energy from the core to deal with me!”

“…”

“Well, what are you waiting for? Go on, then! Use as much as you want. Come on.” Raven taunted. 

And for a brief moment there, the God Emperor was so consumed by his anger and the humiliation he felt that he actually considered doing just that. He planned on draining all the remaining power of the core to release a single attack that will surely decimate this pesky human in front of him. 

Alas, a brief flash of rationality returned to him which caused him to calm down. 

He realized that he was being lead-on by the nose and if he really did as the human said, there’s a huge chance that he will regret his actions greatly. 

The God Emperor forced himself to calm down and be intelligent about this. At this point, all kind of prejudice he held against humans thoroughly disappeared. With him experiencing the ferocity and strength of a single human, he realizes that he already committed himself to a great disadvantage. 

If he doesn’t wise-up, this war will be over before it even starts. 

Augustus summoned a Talisman to his hand. He drew an edict to it and teared into pieces. 

Fluctuations propagated from the tower and reached all Abyssals around. Seconds after this, the whole of Paradise began entering war preparations. 

“…tch. You’ve caught on. This is no fun anymore. You’re no longer stupid.”

The God Emperor had to fight the urge to not jump at Raven because of that comment. Seeing as how the human reacted, the God Emperor realized that he made the right move. 

“But that’s sad though…” Raven stated with a sneer on his face. “I’m afraid you’re a few steps behind.” 

Raven waved his hand and all of a sudden, the runes, arrays and formations surrounding them converged into a ball, trapping both of them inside. 

Augustus tried to resist it but he powerless to stop it from trapping him. He could only relent and brew in his simmering rage. 

“You know, my Domain is much bigger than this.” Raven stated as he magically summoned his cup of tea to take a short sip of it. “If I stretch it out, it is possible for me to overlap it with the entire Paradise. But I guess this will do for now.”

“Typically, when we, humans, use our domains and fight within it, we’re usually stronger than our foes. That’s unless our foe release their domain as well. But you see…my domain works a bit different from theirs.” 

“If others feel stronger inside their domain, I on the other hand, turned invincible while I’m in it.” 

The God Emperor shivered upon the implications of those words. Raven doesn’t appear to be lying either. 

“Of course, it has its downsides. Nobody can have everything. Invincibility comes with a steep price.” Raven kept his tea cup away and stared at the God Emperor. “My domain is composed out of sets of runes, arrays and formations. So long as one understands how they function, they can potentially solve the mystery behind it.” 

“If that happens, my Invincibility will be gone and I’ll suffer from a terrible backlash. I’ll be weakened greatly and it would be very easy to kill me.” 

“…”

“You’re probably wondering why I’m telling you all of this, right?” Raven raised a brow in amusement. “Well, it’s simple really. You see, so far, nobody managed to solve this puzzle of mine and it’s quite a shame really. Therefore, I am giving you a chance to do so! Isn’t that great?”

“…”

“You’re trapped in here whether you like it or not. Brute force will never work on this, neither from the outside nor inside. It’s completely impenetrable unless you take your time to solve it.”

“…”

“Also, don’t think that you can call out for help here. That edict you released earlier was the last message your people will hear from you. If you want to see them again, you’ll have to get out of this place first.” 

Raven chuckled coldly when he saw the grim expression on the God Emperor’s face upon the realization that he had been duped again. 

“I gave you a chance to retreat earlier but you didn’t take it.” Raven shook his head, he stood up and turned ethereal.

But before he disappeared, he told the God Emperor this:

“You and your kind should’ve stayed where you were.”