Son of the Hero King

Chapter 783: Dust...

On his way back to Lustburg, Sol appeared above the frontier separating Lustburg and Wratharis. He was not surprised to find that, beyond some damage, the destruction caused by Euphoria’s meteor strike was greatly contained in this place and close to the center.

The peripheral islands of Wratharis were greatly damaged instead, but thankfully there were not many people there so the loss of life was minimal.

Some destruction was inevitable, but compared to what could have actually happened, this could only be seen as a miracle.

“Thank you, guys.” Sol faced the seven sages. Though six of them were only at the Duke level, they were in fact very close to the King rank.

The very moment the meteors struck was witnessed; they moved in unison under the order of Wukong and Kiku.

“Don’t mention it.” Wukong twirled his staff with mixed feelings as his eyes stayed on Lilith.

Wukong and Lilith became closer after all the time spent training together, and they could even be called friends and good sparring partners.

But at their cores, they were two martial artists striving to reach the pinnacle of their own martial arts. If Lilith wished to reach a level where she could sever anything with just one blade. Wukong wished to reach a level where his entire body would be utterly indestructible. In a way, they walked totally opposite paths of power— an antithesis to each other’s existences.

This made them rivals and even enemies in a way, as each other's concepts denied the existence and establishment of the other. If Wukong proved his concept, this meant Lilith could, in fact, not sever everything, and if Lilith proved her concept, this meant that Wukong could never truly become indestructible.

“You have grown stronger.” He offered his rival a bitter smile, filled with mixed feelings. A part of him regretted not joining the fight. He stayed behind on Sol’s order in case someone came and tried to steal the divine weapon, but no such thing had happened.

He was happy to have smashed some of the meteors, and facing what could only be considered as celestial wrath did help Wukong grow a little more toward his path of indestructibility. He was a genius after all. Yet it was nothing compared to the kind of growth Lilith experienced in her fight against the goddess.

Lilith grinned with difficulty; her healing factor was trying to kick in, but most of her wounds were tainted by divine power and was thus too hard to heal properly. “Don’t be jealous. I am pretty sure that at this rate, we will fight more gods than we ever could have wished for.”

“Is that so?” Wukong's bitter smile changed instantly into a fierce, feral grin. He had felt the reverberations of Euphoria’s power even at this distance, the whole world had witnessed and felt the goddess’ wrath, and he knew that as time went by, the future gods would face fewer and fewer restrictions.

This frightening knowledge filled him with nothing but pure joy— joy at the chance of growth even through the heavy possibility of complete annihilation.

“Lilith is right. Soon, we will face increasingly stronger enemies, and in the future, we might be the ones limited by environmental constraints.”

Fights between demigods and gods at this level were world-ending. Even a being on the King realm could lay waste to entire Kingdoms if they so wished and went all out. In the past, there was some tacit understanding to limit the surrounding destruction. But soon, the agreements would become null and void with the emergence of the ancient gods and goddesses.

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“Lustburg also doesn’t have a Supreme or Holy daughter anymore.” Without one, they were simply unable to create a holy territory.

“The situation is dire for us. Fortunately, the solution is simple. We just have to become stronger. Lilith, Wukong, I believe it’s time for both of you to become true demigods and establish your territory in my dimension. I will give you the exact spatial coordinate most suitable for both of you in a few days.”

Sol’s eyes were cold. It was time for his dimension to reach a completely new realm of existence with the establishment of two demigod territories. If he could bring gods into his dimensions with no fear, then he could fight anywhere and everywhere at full power.

Nodding at the sages, he left. The day was still long, and there was much he needed to deal with before he could finally rest, preferably in her beautiful wife’s arms.

* * *

Three hours had passed since Euphoria's banishment, but the world still trembled with faint aftershocks and quakes. The realm had destabilized due to the rapid injection of divine power, and the world would bear the aftermath for an indefinite amount of time.

In Lustburg's royal palace, away from the devastation in Gluttony Foss, Sol stood before a tall mirror, methodically removing pieces of his battle-worn wedding suit. His silver hair had faded back to gold, and his eyes once again displayed their familiar blue hue. The transformation was nearly perfect, but there remained a faint iridescent shimmer at their edges— rainbow fragments that refused to fully disappear no matter how much he willed it to be gone and replaced with cerulean blue.

A soft knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Enter," he called, not turning from the mirror.

Clara stepped in, bowing with practiced grace despite the chaos of the day. "Your Highness, I have the reports you requested."

"How bad?" Sol asked, his tone even and measured as he patiently waited for the report.

"The casualties in Gluttony Foss are significant but fewer than expected. Most chimeras fled before the meteor's impact. Our estimations place the death toll at approximately twelve thousand." Clara's voice remained professional, but there was a tightness around her eyes that was hard to miss or even hide. "The structural damage, however, is catastrophic. Nearly ninety-five percent of the capital has been reduced to rubble. The seal holding Echidna's body was also greatly damaged.”

She looked down at her data, “Lustburg is in a similar situation. But thankfully, the casualties were kept to a minimum thanks to the witches’ prompt response and deployment of barriers and spells. Not to mention, the shield they created around the capital was strong enough to survive the brunt of the damage, and many hidden powerhouses acted. One of which was Iris Diligentia.”

Sol's reflection stared back at him, unblinking. "And the other kingdoms?"

"Slothein's shield protected the most populated areas. The smaller meteors that penetrated caused limited damage. Current reports indicate fewer than a thousand casualties across all protected territories." She hesitated. "However..."

"However?"

"Several smaller settlements along the frontier of Greed Dike were destroyed. They weren't covered by the shield. The dead are mostly dwarves, but we also had soldiers stationed there. Many died trying to protect the civilians there with their lives on the line.”

Sol's jaw tightened imperceptibly. "I see."

"There's more, Your Highness." Clara continued, eyes downcast, body trembling in grief. "The Light of Judgment was witnessed by millions. The angels did not attempt to hide it this time. Iris’s help, while fortunate, also increased the idea that we were saved thanks to the angels. The political implications are... significant.”

"They want everyone to know who protected them." Sol laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. "Let them have their moment. We'll discuss this at a later date."

Clara nodded but started to fidget. “Your Highness…”

“You are curious as to why I did not show our fight to the entire world this time? Seeing us beat a goddess would make everything far easier.”

“... Yes.”

“There were no deep reasons behind it.” Sol mulled, finally facing Clara., “I am a pragmatic man, and I willingly used many unfortunate situations to further my own agenda and increase my power. But just this one time, I decided to take the illogical option.”

“Was it because of Lady Medea?”

“Bingo.” He laughed, then he offered her a broad grin that reached his eyes, “I love her, and this wedding is our day. A day I will dedicate entirely to her.”

In many ways, it was stupid and illogical. For Sol, who chased power, this was the most inefficient way possible to handle this matter. Yet, he felt no regret. He could never feel regret for standing up for his loves. For acting out against any twisted beings that wished to trample on their feelings.

Clara nodded, then produced a sealed letter from her robes. "Also, this arrived from Iris Diligentia herself. She is currently residing in the church."

Sol took the letter without opening it. "Thank you, Clara. You may go."

When the door closed behind her, Sol broke the seal and read the letter's contents. His eyes narrowed slightly, then he tossed it into the small fire burning in the hearth.

"Always playing the long game," he murmured to the flames, eyes lost in contemplation.

***

Guys! Son of the Hero King Omnibus 1-6 is now available on Audible and Amazon. An omnibus is basically a boxset with all the content in one book. Please do leave a review or buy the ebook if you are interested. Any supports is appreciated. Reviews on Amazon are incredibly helpful. Book 6 is the end of the War and Sol becoming a King. Of course, Support on Patreon also appreciated.

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