Weeks turned into months, and months into years. It had been five years since the death of the great Emperor. The empire was still shackled, and nothing was in order. The new kings of the land were at war with dark forces trying to take over the empire, along with the constant pressure from the fifteen knights. But all of this was unknown to Xaidon. For him, it had been three years since he escaped from the Kin clan slave base and joined the Dark Order. Alongside his two partners and their Master, they always went on missions outside the base—they would do evil things. They were sent to burn villages, steal from towns, rob merchants, and carry out other deeds. Their Master was the one who gave them these orders, testing their strength. Xaidon had grown into a powerful young man. Only twenty-three, he could already slash a giant rock with ease. He had also become very handsome. His brown skin was now clear of cracks, and his black hair had been cut short, reaching only his neck.
Peter had also improved. He no longer needed a touch and could summon fire from nothing. He had become a great mage. He let his hair grow now, reaching his shoulders. Skylar had also advanced in her archery. Now, using her Qi, she could shoot arrows that traveled miles. If she focused enough, she could destroy a tree with her arrows. The group had grown quickly, but it wasn't easy. Their master was sometimes insane, making about fifty members of the base attack them, with the intent to kill. He would even offer rewards of gold coins if they could seriously injure his subordinates. Of course, in the beginning, it was hard, but eventually, they managed to survive and defeat them.
Today, Xaidon and Peter stood in front of their mansion, waiting for Skylar. Peter turned to Xaidon. "What do you think he wants to talk to us about?"
Xaidon thought for a moment. "Who knows? Sometimes he gives us pointers, and other times he talks about how much he hates the fifteen knights and wishes he could meet and kill one."
Peter chuckled and looked toward the entrance. Skylar approached them gracefully. "What good gentlemen you are, waiting for me," she said with a smile, which made Xaidon roll his eyes. He would have left her long ago if not for the last time he did—she complained to their Master, which resulted in facing him for a full hour with no breaks.
The three slowly walked toward their Master's house. Everyone at the base avoided standing in their way, fearing to offend him. They reached the house and went straight to the underground training area. When they arrived, they found their Master shirtless and covered in bandages. They knew he sometimes went on missions, but this was a surprise—few people could make him bleed.
Seeing his subordinates, he called them over and signed them to sit on the ground, which they did as was typical.
"Today, I'll tell you about beasts," Eleven said with authority. "Beasts are very dangerous creatures that use negative Qi to survive. Humans have classified them from rank 1 to rank 8. The beasts you've faced so far are mostly rank 1 or 2, maybe one step away from rank 3. We've seen many beasts appear, but few have troubled us, like the rank 6 ones. For example, a rank 6 beast in its prime is comparable to a Demon of our organization."
He paused, searching for the right words. "As for rank 7, only the old powerful Demons at the top might fight them. Our leader can probably handle them. But rank 8—there are few who have even seen them. They're believed to have unimaginable power and authority. Globally, very few have been recorded. We've identified the ten strongest. At the bottom is the Supreme Lion, an elusive beast that mostly keeps to itself, with little known about it. Next is the Worm Queen, which controls much of our empire. Then there's the Goblin King. We learned about this one from the dead Emperor—he fought and defeated it, but it's uncertain if he killed it.
He paused again to analyze their faces. Seeing no reaction, he continued. "The seventh is the undead Leech, which has dark, unspeakable powers and is thought to be able to corrupt the soul. The sixth is a mighty Wyvern, said to possess lightning powers capable of destroying mountains. The fifth is a sea creature called the Kraken—no one has survived an encounter with it, and nobody knows how. The fourth is complicated: two creatures are vying for that rank. One is a giant titan over a hundred meters tall; the other is a serpent. No one truly knows their strengths, but many believe the titan is stronger."
Peter raised a hand. "It doesn't sound like you believe that."
"Of course not." Eleven said darkly. "The titan has appeared a few times, and each time, the Emperor and his knights managed to push it back. But in the last fifty years, the serpent has only appeared once. That resulted in the Emperor, his knights, many other powerful warriors, and even our leader, along with some Demons, having to work together to push it away. It turned an entire kingdom into a wasteland."
Suddenly, the training area was filled with a cold aura. The three couldn't believe the amount of power from a single creature.
"Anyway, the next one isn't truly a mad creature, but it is still very dangerous—the Fire Phoenix. A bird of fire, some even believe it can be reborn. That's nonsense. Then, we have the second most powerful: another serpent with wings—the mighty Dragon Lord. A red, formidable beast ruling over tens of thousands of dragons. Luckily, they prefer solitude and live on an island far at sea."
He exhaled coldly as he spoke. "The most powerful creature we've recorded may not even be rank 8. Some say it's rank 9 or 10, simply because its power defies understanding. No one has ever seen its full form. Some say it's as large as an empire; others say it has a human form. No one truly knows. What I do know is that it once appeared and vanished, and when it did, five empires disappeared along with it. Nothing was left—not even a soul, nor trees, nor buildings. Just a wasteland."
Xaidon hesitated. "What do you call it?"
Eleven studied them for a moment before speaking. "We call it Empyreal."