The Dawn of the New World



"MASTER!"

They all exclaimed in unison and got down on one knee upon seeing Dai Zhi appear at the top of the steps. Only the three in the front did not need to bow and simply lowered their heads as a show of respect to their 'great' leader.

Dai Zhi casually waved his hand allowing them to resume their positions. He took a moment to survey the crowd and smiled upon seeing their excited faces.

"The wait has been long my friends! Of the ones that fell with me from the heavens, only a handful remain. Either they have chosen to return to the greater world or defect and fight against us...and we all know how that turned out."

A roaring laughter spread among them like wildfire.

"But now you stand here with me, having lasted through the many ordeals that we have had to face and all the sufferings that we had to endure on this dying world...and you have become STRONG!"

The crowd erupted in another score of unified chantings, "FOR THE LIGHT!"

"FOR THE LIGHT!"

He waited for them to finish before continuing, "When you joined me I promised you riches beyond your wildest imaginations and powers that even the gods themselves would envy once we left this rock, and that time is now my friends! We are on the cusp of greatness, one step away from achieving all of our dreams."

"And once it is done we will ascend TOGETHER as ONE! PREPARE FOR WAR! We strike at the heart of our enemies one last time!"

"LONG LIVE THE LORD!"

"LONG LIVE THE BLOOD PRINCE!"

His fervent speech galvanized the passionate desires of the warriors, bringing them to new heights as they prepared themselves for yet another bloodshed in his name.

He gestured for Micha, Ensis, and the grey-robed figure to follow him into the throne room, leaving the others to finish the preparations.

The doors closed behind them with a snap of his fingers and a barrier erected around the room. He sat down on the throne, resting his head on the side.

"Hao Xuan was here."

"!!!"

All three figures standing in front of him had some sort of a reaction upon hearing the name, but none more so than Micha who stepped forward in a hurry.

"He was here in the city?! What happened? Did we capture him?! Why was he here??"

Dai Zhi sniggered, "That poor fool, he came to break out my sister- well, whatever is left of her after everything that she's been put through. He escaped, obviously. It wouldn't be fun if it was that easy."

Micha tightened his grip around the longbow upon hearing about Ceni but he did not let it show. Instead, "Then we should follow him quickly before he gets too far!" he urged.

"Relax, it's all going according to plan. I knew he would come for her that's why I kept her alive in the first place after absorbing her vital essence. My blood parasites are alive and well, thriving in her frail body. I can track their position with great accuracy every 6 hours using the parasites so we will find them no matter where they go."

"I want them to reach the location where the rest of the traitors are hiding so we can wipe them all out at once. Two birds, one stone as they say. Just remember to bring back Hao Xuan in one piece, I still need him alive."

At this point Ensis suddenly raised his hand.

"Go ahead," Dai Zhi nodded.

"I agree with Brother Micha, we should still send a small party to follow after them. He will be expecting you to come for him and if no one shows up it might rouse suspicion, forcing him to change his mind or go to a different location."

"Y-Yes, I think that would be the best option!" Micha chimed in excitedly before offering himself as tribute, "I'll go-"

"Allow me," Ensis cut him off, "We can't send too many people. It needs to be done swiftly and expertly. He needs to feel the pressure but not enough to think it's a bad idea to return to their hideout. Not to mention the demon activity in the area has been off the charts so it needs to be someone that can retreat at a moment's notice and not get caught up."

Dai Zhi shook his head inwardly. They both obviously wanted to go and for different reasons but he couldn't be seen playing favorites so...he slowly looked over to the hooded figure.

"How about we send our new friend here? It will be a good test of his skills."

Micha threw the hooded figure a quick scowl before continuing his protest, "This is a very important matter. It needs to be handled by someone-" he looked over at Ensis hoping he would join him but the exact opposite happened.

"I agree with Brother Dai Zhi. It would be best to send him, he is more knowledgeable about the area."