The night sky trembled as blood mist hung over the horizon. Deep within the burning forests, two figures cut through the darkness like blades—Azren and Captain Lu.
They had scoured the land for days, slaughtering through wave after wave of enemies. Yet not even a trace of Aaya remained.
Azren's eyes were red, his aura flaring wildly, each breath filled with restless fury. "Where are you…" he muttered, voice cracking with desperation. He was reckless, unwilling to accept silence, unwilling to stop searching.
Captain Lu followed behind, his expression grim. Miss Aaya… if my guess is right, you are within the Life Emperor's territory, where the blood pool of war already spreads. And this boy— his eyes flickered toward Azren's figure, Azren's determination burns like no other. His consistency is terrifying. He has trained harder than anyone in this continent, and only for the sake of reaching this point. If another person endured such torment, their cultivation would already surpass mine.
Azren's aura surged again, flowing like a vast river spilling into an endless ocean, but at the same time it carried a dangerous instability.
From within his sea of chi, Kravon's voice thundered.
"Brat! You can't waste time anymore. Your body has reached its limit. You must form your soul image immediately. Only then can you suppress this raging flow of power. Go into retreat—as deep as possible!"
Azren clenched his fists, standing amidst corpses, his breath ragged. He lifted his head toward the blood-dyed sky, his voice low but resolute.
"Then I'll do it. I'll form the soul image… even if it costs everything."
Azren stepped into the depths of a silent cave, the air within thick with untouched essentia. Outside, Commander Lu and several guards positioned themselves in a tight perimeter, their faces stern as they prepared to defend him from any disturbance.
Inside, Azren sat cross-legged. Two radiant dragons—one of wind, one of water—emerged from his chest, coiling protectively around him. Their roars echoed within the cave walls, resonating with the flow of his soul sea.
Following Kravon's strict guidance, Azren calmed his breath and guided the torrent of chaotic power within him. Slowly, the turbulence gave way to clarity. The strands of his spirit wove together, shaping something greater.
Time flowed like water. One day passed. Then another.
On the second night, the cave shook violently. A colossal shadow rose from within Azren's body—a hundred-foot-tall soul image, majestic and overwhelming. Upon its broad shoulders stood two twenty-foot dragons, one howling with the fury of storms, the other dripping with the calm might of rivers.
It was a soul image unlike anything ever recorded—a vision unique to Azren alone.
The dragons roared as his aura surged, climbing higher and higher, before finally bursting into the peak of Soul Illumination. The earth itself seemed to bow under the weight of his presence.
Outside, Commander Lu and the guards fell silent, their eyes wide with awe. And then, almost in unison, they congratulated him.
"Congratulations, Azren!"
The sound of triumph filled the cave.
A deafening roar shattered the sky. The ground trembled as the vast shadow of a green dragon tore through the clouds. Behind it, countless figures of the Tred clan appeared—Earth Dragon clan warriors, their auras spreading like a suffocating tide.
The green dragon's eyes locked onto Azren. A cruel smile spread across its snout.
"In such a short time, your strength has risen this high. But today… I will end this threat completely."
Azren raised his head, laughter echoing in defiance.
"Wow… what a good day. Heaven must be blessing me. Another meal has come for me."
The dragon seal upon his chest blazed to life. His clothes ripped apart as an overwhelming force erupted outward. His aura rose higher, sharper—far beyond what it had ever been. Yet it was still not enough to face the dragon's might head-on.
But Azren did not falter. His gaze turned sharp.
"Lu! Borrow me some time!"
Commander Lu stepped forward, his icy aura flooding the battlefield. The frost stretched into the heavens, wrapping around the green dragon. The beast roared furiously as its body froze in place, slowed by the freezing might.
At the same time, Max, Erdi, Regia, and the other elites pushed back the Earth Dragon clan's warriors, holding the tide.
The dragon seal upon Azren's chest pulsed again—then evolved. The frozen green dragon's aura began to collapse, dissolving into streams of light that flowed into Azren's body.
His power exploded. His cultivation soared: Celestial Harmony early stage… mid… advanced… peak. Essence Refinement—early… mid… late… until finally, his aura stabilized at the mid stage of Essence Refinement.
Within his sea of chi, Kravon's aura also surged, climbing straight to the peak of Celestial Harmony. The twin dragons on Azren's shoulders roared, their presence elevated to the Essence Refinement realm.
Azren's eyes gleamed with bloodlust. He raised his hand, and in an instant, he slaughtered every member of the Earth Dragon clan present. Their bodies collapsed one after another, leaving silence in their wake.
Everyone nearby stood frozen in shock at the overwhelming aura surrounding him. Even the chief of the dragon clan trembled, his voice breaking in fear.
"The Life Empire… has already become the place where no one can be saved…"
Azren turned, his gaze sharp as blades, and stared directly at Commander Lu.
Lu's aura flared unconsciously; it had already reached the peak of Primordial Ascendence—only a step away from Emperor state.
Azren's voice was cold.
"What happened? Didn't the Life Emperor send you to find Aaya?"
Lu's expression tightened. For the first time, pity flickered in his eyes. He sighed deeply and spoke the truth—how Azren had been saved, the secrets behind Aaya's disappearance.
Azren's heart shook. His voice rose in rage.
"How… how can she leave me like this?!"
He clenched his fists, trembling.
"Life Emperor… she was the one who gave me life, who taught me right and wrong. But now… I'll do what I want to do!"
Coldly, Lu extended his hand. His icy aura erupted, freezing Azren in place, sealing him within a prison of frost. His voice thundered:
"You reckless brat! You would waste the sacrifices of so many people!"
But then—
A voice echoed, soft yet majestic, from nowhere and everywhere at once:
"Azren… now you have chosen the correct path. You have the ability to take my inheritance. My child… come and save me as soon as possible."
A golden light flared across the sky. The aura of the heavens descended, wrapping Azren's frozen body. The power of the Heavenly Dragons surged into him, overwhelming, divine.
The ice shattered into fragments of light. Azren stepped forward, his eyes blazing with golden fire.
"Sorry, Lu," he said calmly. "Training alone doesn't make a man strong. It's life-and-death battles… decisions… pain… that shape true strength."
The power radiating from Azren now was unlike anything in Arka—it felt as if it belonged to another world entirely.
The golden radiance flooding from Azren's body lit up the battlefield, tearing through the stormy skies. Everyone present—Commander Lu, Regia, Max, Erdi, even the surviving soldiers—stood stunned. None could move, none could speak. The oppressive aura felt as though the heavens themselves had descended into the mortal world.
Azren slowly lowered his gaze, the icy fragments of Lu's seal scattering like stars around him. The golden glow pulsed within his eyes, deep and steady, as if an ancient will was now watching the world through him.
Inside, his heart was calm, yet heavy.
Mom… the thought echoed silently in his mind. You helped me twice. First when I was drowning in chaos, and now, when the world tried to chain me again. I swear… no matter where you've been taken, no matter which corner of this universe holds you captive… I will come. I will rescue you.
The dragon seal across his chest blazed brighter, resonating with his oath. The roars of the twin dragons shook the very forest, and even the heavens quivered at the sound.
Commander Lu's stern eyes softened slightly. For a brief instant, he glimpsed not just a reckless boy but the shadow of a man who could carry an empire's fate. Still, he tried to reach out. "Azren—"
But his voice was drowned beneath the surge of divine power.
The golden aura spread outward, curling like wings around Azren's body. His figure shimmered, becoming translucent, as if he were no longer bound to the ground at all.
A low hum reverberated across the battlefield, like the voice of heaven itself. The earth stilled, the winds silenced, the blood mist dissipated—as though the world itself had paused to watch what would happen next.
Azren raised his head one final time, his expression steady and resolute.
"I'll come for you, Mother," he whispered, voice carrying across the battlefield though barely audible. "After I settle all of this… I will find you. No matter what it takes. No matter who stands in my way."
The golden aura flared like a second sun. His body dissolved into a streak of light, faster than sight, swifter than thought.
And in the blink of an eye—
Azren vanished.
Only the afterglow of his power lingered, radiant waves sweeping across the battlefield. The pressure was so immense that even the strongest warriors felt their knees weaken, their breaths stolen away. It was not the power of man, nor beast, nor emperor. It was something beyond—an inheritance from the heavens themselves.
The ground where Azren had stood was empty, silent, and scorched by divine energy.
Commander Lu stared at the fading golden ripples, his jaw tightening. "This boy…" he murmured, unable to finish the thought.
The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances, awe and fear etched into their faces. Regia pressed her trembling hand to her chest, her eyes filled with confusion and a strange warmth. Max turned away, his fists clenched, unable to disguise the storm inside his heart.
None of them knew where Azren had gone. None of them could follow.
But every soul present understood one thing clearly:
The heavens had chosen their successor.