Step Step
"....."
King Aiko walked forward with deliberate steadiness, or at least, he forced himself to.
The entire grand procession moved forward at a slow, steady pace, yet his every fiber was tense.
While others were captivated by the paradise-like beauty surrounding them, marveling at the legendary battles unfolding in the heavens and the dazzling, ethereal auroras, his entire focus remained locked onto the golden army standing in flawless formation on both sides of the grand pathway.
Everywhere he looked, there were glittering ranks of warriors, each clad in pristine golden armor, their weapons gleaming under the unnatural brilliance of the sky.
It was oppressive.
After rely two minutes of walking, King Aiko had already realized sothing chilling—
The number of soldiers he had seen so far already surpassed the entire invasion force that had attacked his ho planet— the sa force he had once fought off in a legendary stand, even after their agreent with Aro, they still calibrated this event!
And this…
This was rely the welcoming procession.
What lay ahead in the capital? The thought made the sweat running down his back feel ice cold.
After ten minutes, sweat began trickling down his forehead, dampening the edges of his traditional garnts.
Despite the agonizingly slow pace of their march, they had barely covered any ground.
He hadn't even seen the city walls yet.
And yet—
He had already counted enough soldiers to reduce his entire planet to rubble in less than an hour.
No—
Not the soldiers.
Just the hundreds of martial emperors casually welcoming citizens, patting children on the head, and laughing with ease— those alone were more than enough to wipe out his world with not much as a signal.
No—
Even without the martial emperors, just the thirty Warlords he had spotted so far could chew up his army and spit it out like dust!
The sheer disparity in power was suffocating.
King Aiko's eyes drifted toward the adjacent roads—the paths dedicated to the other planetary delegates.
He saw the sa expression on their faces.
Every single one of them—commanders, rulers, and warriors—was drenched in sweat, their heads lowered in silent tension.
Despite the fact that the golden army around them was simply playing with children and securing the pathway, they all felt as if mountains were pressing down on their shoulders with each step they took.
Fear.
It was a rare thing for rulers to feel, but right now, it was as if the very weight of the empire was crushing them all.
But not everyone was thinking this way.
For example—
Behind King Aiko, at least a thousand of his own people were following in his footsteps.
Most of them had been dragged from their hos before they even had the chance to wear their traditional clothing—or any clothing at all, for that matter.
At first, when they were taken, they were embarrassed and confused, uncertain of what was happening.
But the mont they stepped out of the portal, all of that vanished.
The sheer grandeur of their surroundings, the impossibly vast details of the world before them—
They forgot everything else.
Now, they were simply marching forward toward the capital, their mouths wide open, their eyes on the verge of popping out of their skulls.
Each one of them was hypnotized by the radiant fields of endless greenery, the exotic blossoming trees along the paths, the mystical inscriptions carved into the rocky walkways—every detail was unlike anything they had ever seen before.
Even the air slled different.
It was pure.
Every breath felt energizing.
...Nearly an hour had passed since they first exited the spatial portal, forced to walk at a grueling pace behind their guide— Joseph Burton.
And finally— They saw the walls.
At first glance, the walls were not particularly high—only about twenty ters tall. Constructed entirely from the sa golden tal as the soldiers' armor—or at least, coated in it—each slab of the wall radiated regal authority.
But what caught Aiko's attention even more were the dark, pitch-black pillars embedded into the structure.
The light around them seed to vanish, as if the tal itself devoured it.
The entire wall was also etched with intricate engravings, giving it a sense of elegance and grandeur.
And standing below these imposing walls—
Tens of thousands of the legendary Terra Cavalry, fully armored, gripping their black-gold spears, standing in impeccable defensive formations.
And above the wall— There stood giants.
Towering figures, ten to twenty ters tall, so even taller than the walls themselves!
Each one radiated an ancient, primal force, as if they were born from the very bones of the earth itself.
Aiko's body froze on the spot. His throat tightened. His breath stilled. "…These things aren't Warlords!!"
"Haha! Good observation." The host, Joseph Burton, let out a hearty laugh, his large belly shaking with amusent. His voice carried an air of ease and authority, as if he had seen such reactions countless tis before, "They are from the Treant race!"
King Aiko's gaze remained fixed on the towering figures ahead. Their sheer presence was unsettling, "The Treant Race? What are they? I've never seen them in your army before!"
Aiko's voice was sharp with curiosity and suspicion. He had fought against the Empire's forces before, but these behemoths were completely new to him.
"The Treant are an ancient race from a planet called Greenland," Joseph explained with a tone of pride, crossing his arms over his round chest, "However, seven of their oldest ancestors turned against their own people, slaughtered entire generations, and destroyed the planet's ecosystem to ensure no new ones could be born."
Aiko's brows furrowed.
"What? Why would they—"
"Power," Joseph interrupted smoothly.
"They wanted to be the only ones of their kind. The strongest. The rulers. But in their selfishness, they dood their own species."
His voice grew more animated as he spoke, as if retelling a legend he had personally witnessed.
"But then—His Excellency stepped in."
The mont those words left Joseph's mouth, an invisible weight seed to press against the atmosphere. Even the air felt heavier.
"He defeated them all, restored the planet's balance, and allowed the Treants to return to existence once more."
Joseph's chest puffed with pride, and he gestured grandly toward the massive warriors.
"Now, every single one of them is deeply grateful to His Excellency!"
He then clapped Aiko's shoulder with a casual yet unmistakably firm grip.
"Take a good look at them and don't be afraid! These giants will be your comrades in the Third Army—the first line of defense for all of you!"
King Aiko relaxed slightly, but only slightly.
"His Excellency… He seems to be excessively invested in the military, doesn't he?" The words slipped out before he could stop them. His voice was light, casual even, but inside—his mind raced, "Why is that? We will not rebel against him!"
Joseph only laughed, as if Aiko had just made a childish observationو "Haha! You're thinking too much, Your Majesty!"
Then, with a broad grin, he slapped Aiko's back in a gesture that might have seed friendly—
If it weren't for the sheer force behind it.
"Your past is behind you now! You are with us! His Excellency is already looking far beyond that!"
Then, with a dramatic flourish, he extended his hand forward.
"Co! Co! You have arrived at the true capital of the Empire of the Beginning!"
Gulp.
King Aiko felt his knees weaken.
The entire army outside was just for security?
Just for a celebration?
He wasn't stupid.
He knew better.
Then why were there siege weapons stationed outside?
Why were there colossal war beasts—the kind used for transport and large-scale destruction?
Why were there entire logistics divisions and rapid-response dical teams scattered among the ranks?
This wasn't just a security detail.
This was a military demonstration—designed to terrify them.
It was a reminder.
A reminder that the Empire of the Beginning didn't just rule over worlds—
It dominated them.
And if anyone dared oppose it— They would be erased.
If just the road to the city contained this level of psychological pressure and intimidation…
Then what awaited them inside?
But he had no choice. He had to move forward.
Whoosh!
Finally, King Aiko took a step through the massive gate—
And instantly, his eyebrows furrowed in surprise.
"Hmm!?"
Gasp.
Joseph spread his arms wide, grinning, "Did you feel that? It's the city's temperature regulation and air purification system!"
His voice was filled with pride as he continued.
"No matter how cold it is outside, no matter if entire forests are burning just beyond the walls, the air inside the city will always remain at the perfect temperature with pristine purity—providing our citizens with the utmost comfort! Haha! Co in! Co in!"
"…Air purification? You have air purification system?!" King Aiko muttered under his breath, forcing his legs to keep moving forward.
A person who spent his entire life escaping in valleys and caves from the brutality of the Great Serpent Empire would never understand this level of luxury.
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