Chapter 71: Wrath of the Warlord's Remnant
The air trembled with molten heat as Kael stepped into the innermost chamber of the ancient vault. Pillars of fire coiled like serpents toward the sky, their dance illuminating the throne of obsidian where the final guardian awaited.
From the throne rose the Flame King's Remnant—a towering war-forged figure clad in molten armor, his flesh fused with flame and anguish. His eyes were twin furnaces of unrelenting fury, remnants of a tyrant's soul unwilling to fade into history.
[Boss: Flame King's Remnant — Overlord Class]HP: ∞Phase One Initiated
"I am the Will of Fire Eternal," the remnant thundered. The skies inside the vault turned blood-red. Lava bled from the walls. The dimension itself began to quake.
Kael's grip tightened on his blade. He didn't answer with words.
He charged.
Sacred fire burst from his weapon, flaring with divine resonance. His blade met the Remnant's greatsword in a collision that ruptured the battlefield. Golden and crimson shockwaves raced outward, shattering obsidian slabs beneath their feet.
Kael's muscles rippled as his divine weapon's buff activated, strength and speed surging through him like liquid lightning.
[Divine Weapon Buff: Active — Strength and Dexterity +200%]
The Remnant roared and responded with a sweeping arc that cut molten air. Kael ducked under it and twisted, his blade ripping upward through the Remnant's shoulder. No blood spilled—only magma, which sprayed forth in razor-sharp arcs of lava.
Kael grunted, dodging as the blades hissed past, grazing his arm with searing heat. He countered, activating Heaven's Sigil to blunt the elemental onslaught.
[Heaven's Sigil Activated — Elemental Resistance +15%]
The Flame King's laughter rumbled through the vault.
"You think yourself worthy of my wrath?"
A fist slammed the earth—and a titanic pillar of fire exploded upward beneath Kael.
[Phase Two Initiated][WARNING: Tyrant's Judgment Approaching]
Kael rolled mid-air, boots hitting a wall of flame with unnatural finesse. He bounced off it and soared downward, sword wreathed in jet-black and crimson flame.
[Sin Synchronization: 89%][Skill Unlock: Tyrant's Judgment Flame — Unsealed]
His aura burst outward. Black wings of sinfire extended from his back. A dragon's silhouette cloaked his body as Kael became a living engine of fury.
"You want wrath?" he snarled. "Then burn with mine."
Their next clash shattered all sound.
Flame and sin collided in apocalyptic rhythm. Each strike Kael delivered ripped pieces from the remnant's core. Every parry crackled with unstable divine force. The Remnant's form staggered, but refused to yield.
Until Kael's final blow—
He gathered everything: every fragment of divine might, sin-forged rage, and warrior instinct. With a guttural roar, he cleaved downward.
[Critical Hit: Flame King's Remnant — Core Damaged 68%][Final Sequence Triggered]
"...So… this is peace," the Remnant whispered, flickering.
He shattered like crystal. A cascade of fire spiraled into the sky and detonated in a pillar of light.
[Boss Defeated: Flame King's Remnant][EXP Gained: +100,000,000][Sin Points Gained: +1,000,000][Skill Acquired: Tyrant's Judgment Flame (Mastered)]
[EXP Gained: 100,000,000 from boss + 10,600,000 carried over = 110,600,000][Current System Level: 34][EXP: 110,600,000 / 122,880,000][Realm Tier Reached: Moonglade 6/9]
Kael dropped to one knee, breath labored, vision blurry.
Flame wisps circled him like moths to a dying star. His entire body throbbed with divine resonance. The notifications blurred in his system window as his core foundation upgraded again, reforged to hold greater destiny.
He smiled faintly through the exhaustion.
He wasn't just stronger.
He was closer—to them, to his purpose, to the heavens above.
Outside the Vault
Selene stood just beyond the dimensional veil, her eyes glowing with tension. She hadn't moved for hours. The heat of Kael's battle still radiated outward, even here.
"I feel him," she said softly. "He's close. Too close to burning out."
Thalaria stepped beside her, lips pressed into a thin line. Lightning flickered between her fingers. "He's ascending. You know that look in his eyes. The one that doesn't belong to mortals anymore."
Valeria joined them, her windswept robe fluttering as she stepped from her meditation. "The vault bends around him. It's becoming his."
Nysera sat near a blood ward she had drawn in the ground. Her crimson gaze flickered. "And if it devours him?"
Selene didn't hesitate. "Then I'll dive into the flame and pull him back myself."
Valeria chuckled softly. "You say it like you won't enjoy that."
Thalaria crossed her arms, masking her worry. "It's been weeks for him inside. For us? Barely hours."
"He's fighting alone," Nysera said, quietly. "And he doesn't even know how much we miss him."
Selene turned to the rift and whispered, "He'll know. When we're all together again."
STATUS WINDOW: KAEL VIREN
System Level: 34
EXP: 110,600,000 / 122,880,000
Realm: Moonglade Realm — Tier 6/9
HP: 45,000 / 45,000
Mana: 52,800 / 52,800
Stats (with buffs):
Strength: 765 × 2.1 × 2 = 3,213
Endurance: 728 × 2.1 = 1,528
Willpower: 740 × 2.1 = 1,554
Charm: 828 × 2.1 = 1,738
Intellect: 640 × 2.1 = 1,344
Dexterity: 712 × 2.1 × 2 = 2,989
Sin Points: 6,032,000
Bonded Wives:
Selene — Skyshatter 9/9, Moon/Shadow
Evelyne — Moonglade 8/9, Ice/Lunar Flame
Thalaria — Sunbound 3/9, Lightning
Nysera — Skyshatter 1/9, Blood/Curse
Valeria — Skyshatter 3/9, Nature/Wind
Pet Panel:
Emberfang — Flame Tiger Cub (Tier 3)
Vira — Sky Serpent Hatchling (Tier 2)
Cultivation Realms:
Initiate
Essence Drawn
Veinwoven
Soulroot
Starforged
Sunbound
Moonglade ← Current
Skyshatter
Worldpiercer
Heaven's Echo
Celestiaflame
Worldbreaker
Eternal Crown
Primordial Ascendant15–18. Origin Flame (Locked)
Skills:
Divine Weapon Buff (Passive): +200% Strength & Dexterity while equipped.
Heaven's Sigil: +15% resistance to elemental/spiritual damage.
Harem Bond (Passive): +30% stat share per bonded wife in battle; +12% if away.
Sacred Union: Triggers major EXP gain, dual realm sync.
Tyrant's Judgment Flame (Mastered): Summons a flame dragon dealing 900% weapon damage, ignores 60% enemy resistance, induces fear in lower realm foes.