The Divine Martial Stars

Chapter 977 Requiem of the Emperors

“I’m not sure if this is all just a misunderstanding. This Godbreaker that you’re referring to, those in the world I come from would prefer to just call it the Four-Blade God-Killing Broadsword. It was only from Lei Cang’s words did I realize that it has another name: Godbreaker. But I’m still uncertain if this is really what everyone is discussing.”

LI Mu summoned the Four-Blade God-Killing Broadsword. A golden saber of four individual blades shimmered into appearance in his grasp. “Have a look, sir. Is this really the Godbreaker you seek?”

The Grand Master glanced at the peculiar weapon. He did not even reach for it. “This is right,” he said, nodding his head. “Yes. It might have assumed a different form, but I recognize its aura. I saw Godbreaker with my own eyes a long, long time ago. This is Godbreaker, I’m sure of it.”

“I only stumbled upon it by chance. Surely that doesn’t make me its true owner.”

The sage-like Grand Master peered at him. Behind the rustling frost-white beard and eyebrows, his gaze carried a noble and wise bearing his age and power brought him. He cracked a smile. “That it now answers to your beck and call and has now assumed a second form shows that you have gained its approval. As you should know, magical relics of godly powers often develop sentience of their own. Like all things, Godbreaker falling into your hand might seem like a random chance, but perhaps, this could all be preordained destiny.”

Li Mu thought about it. There was no need for coyness, especially if what the Grand Master said was true. He recalled Godbreaker. “Since you have seen it before, sir,” he said, “Can you tell me about it—its history and its capabilities maybe.”

The Grand Master gestured at a chair, motioning for them to sit down. An acolyte—a boy—came into the shack to pour them tea. The tale began. “It’s a long story,” the Grand Master began by saying. “Back in the darkest ages of this world’s history, the lands have never stopped being rife with endless wars and carnage. Heroes rose like waves in the high seas before they petered out at the end of their tall and mighty crest, crashing back into the sea just as quickly as their climb. Those who refused to face death and face turned into demons and wraiths that lurked in the wilderness. But some lived on—in a way—but forever remained in limbo, stuck between the living and the dead. Until one day, when someone discovered a strange type of metal that one could store a fragment of his or her soul inside. A Cosmic Emperor by the title ‘Deathless’ used his magic and skills in forging the Roll of Gods. The souls of the dead could be stored in it to make the soul anchored to the world of the living, allowing the person the chance to resurrect even if he was killed anywhere.”

“Cosmic Emperor Deathless?”

Li Mu had never heard of that name before.

But he was familiar with the relic called the Roll of Gods; Lei Cang had mentioned the name before.

“Cosmic Emperor Deathless,” The Grand Master uttered the name. “A name fragrant with mysticism and marvel. Out of kindness and benevolence, he fashioned the Roll of Gods: to provide a refuge for the souls of the dead and to give a new lease of life to heroes and champions who had proven themselves but were killed in battle. A new race was born out of the resurrected: the Protoss, and Cosmic Emperor Deathless was hailed as the progenitor of the Protoss. Speak his name and foes would quake. But the Roll of Gods became the most coveted relic on the face of this world when the Divine Emperor was killed. Every being that desired power wanted it. For good reason; the possessor of the Roll of Gods would hold in his hand the power to manipulate the souls in the Roll and control the race of Protoss. That even other Cosmic Emperors joined in the hunt for the Roll of Gods illustrated just how potent it was. It became a brief but brutal moment in the history of the Battlefield—so insidious that more Cosmic Emperors fell. Eventually, the period became known as the Requiem of Emperors.”

The Grand Master’s accounts of the conflict weren’t embellished with enough descriptions to convey what a gritting and sinister period it was, but hearing the name itself, Li Mu could appreciate just how devastating and dreadful the period was. “Requiem of Emperors”—Li Mu could have sworn that he felt a shudder at the mention.

If ever Cosmic Emperors could fall, one could barely comprehend how fierce a war that must be.

That reminded Li Mu about the story The Legend of the Condor Heroes where swordsmen and pugilists in the Underworld of medieval China Competed against each other to vie for the manuscript of an immensely powerful martial arts discipline. The strife and turbulence that followed ultimately ended up with a death toll so high that no one could possibly know and it took a duel between the five most powerful warriors to determine who would gain possession of it.

“The Roll of Gods was shattered into pieces in the war where they were divided amongst the Great Races of the Battlefield. Every one of these races enjoyed their spoils and the once-glorious Protoss race today, despite their superiority, became nothing more than just slaves. With the shards of the Roll of Gods, the Great Races consolidated the power as much as they could. Battles and conflicts still break out every now and then, albeit small enough that most of the hoi polloi wouldn’t notice but the fact remains that an instrument created to do good has become the root of all evil, all because of our sins.”

The Grand Master paused and he sighed gravely.

“But what happened with Deathless? How could a Cosmic Emperor and the Protoss with the strength and power you described be defeated? Given enough time, they should have been able to rule the whole Battlefield supreme,” asked an incredulous Li Mu.

“A mystery, that’s what it is,” answered the Grand Master, “And one whose answer has eluded everyone for centuries. Until today, no one knew how did Deathless die. Some say that his demise was a punishment from Heaven. The Roll of Gods’ ability to store one’s soul and safeguard the living was argued to be a heresy; that was what many claimed to be his undoing.”

“Punishment from Heaven, eh?”

Li Mu was not born yesterday.

He would rather believe that some quarters had plotted something because they could not stand watching the Protoss growing stronger by the day. If Deathless and the Roll of Gods were allowed to continue back then, it was only a matter of time before Deathless made every powerful entity in the Battlefield of Chaos his loyal subject—even other Cosmic Emperors too. That was why Li Mu believed that certain people must have wanted Deathless dead and they got what they wished for in the end.

After all, Earth has had a few thousand years’ worth of betrayals and treachery to attest to that.

At any rate, Li Mu was sure of one thing: a being that could kill a Cosmic Emperor must be at least a Cosmic Emperor.

The rest of the other surviving Cosmic Emperors would not want to see Deathless growing more powerful day by day. The Protoss gained a new member whenever someone with his or her soul in the Roll of Gods was killed. Conflicts exist even with the inception of the Sacred Deathmatch to prevent widespread killings and wars and that would mean that the strength of the Protoss has never once stopped growing.

If humans and Xenoses faced severe hostility and scorn when they first arrived, one could expect far worse treatment for a new race that is created from nothing, with the purpose to fight, and with the potential to keep growing bigger and stronger.

There was no telling what kind of person Deathless was, but Li Mu could confess to feeling threatened and apprehensive at the existence of such a being.

The more he thought about it, the more Li Mu was certain that the mystery of Deathless’s demise was nothing more than a plot in which the Great Races and the rest of the other Cosmic Emperors were complicit. Together, they had murdered Deathless before an unforeseen squabble between them broke out, causing the Roll of Gods to be smashed into pieces.

Then again, this was all conjecture without any shred of evidence.

“What you say makes sense, young one,” said the Grand Master with a thin smile.

“But I still don’t see how the tale of the Roll of Gods relates to Godbreaker, sir.”

“Because right after forging the Roll of Gods, Deathlesser discovered another new type of magical metal ore which he used to hammer out into Godbreaker. Godbreaker has an innate power over spectral entities and the members of the Protoss alike. A Protoss could be as powerful as ever, but one blow with Godbreaker could easily break through his defenses. A second blow could destroy his physical body and a third would disintegrate his soul. Even an Emperor-class entity would not survive five blows from Godbreaker.”

“I see. So Godbreaker was created to make sure that the Protoss toe the line. But spirits or Protoss that have reached the class of Emperors, has that ever happened before?”

“I’m not sure of that. I wasn’t skilled or mature enough to join the war during the Requiem of Emperor,” the Grand Master said, shaking his head.

“And does that mean that Deathless is also a master smith? Look at the relics he created.”

“Indeed he is. Deathless is the only Cosmic Emperor who achieved his heights through his sheer dedication, skill, and talents in forging,” the Grand Master uttered with a hint of remorse. He’s the only one of his like and a figure whose good name has always remained sterling and untainted. Even with the Roll of Gods and Godbreaker, he did not unleash despair and carnage across the lands. Under his watch, the Protoss saw its most glorious years and the Battlefield of Chaos enjoyed a peace never-before-seen and, I don’t doubt, we might never see ever again…”

A figure materialized in Li Mu’s mind.

His servant boy Qing Feng.

In the world of the Heavenly Land, little Qing Feng too was a prodigy in forging and smithing, putting him on a similar path as Deathless when he ascended.

“Am I right in guessing that the Sons of Lightning are in possession of a piece of the Roll of Gods?” Li Mu asked.

“That’s right. The Master of Lightning too was involved in the Requiem of Emperors. He managed to get his hands on one of the Roll of Gods pieces and it now sits on top of Thundercrest.”

“That explains why they wish to eliminate me. So it’s all because of Godbreaker. Since the Great Races and factions all are in possession of the Roll of Gods pieces, they have been trying to create their own armies of Protoss. That would automatically make me, the wielder of Godbreaker, a major threat to their superiority.”

Li Mu almost cursed out loud.

“That’s not fair!” He almost yelled.

He could hardly come to terms with the fact that he was Public Enemy No.1 despite being just a new guest to the Battlefield of Chaos.

“That’s among the main reasons, yes,” allowed the Grand Master.

“So you admit you were trying to get me another layer of security by introducing me to the Sword Savant?”

The Grand Master merely grinned.

“I thank you so much for the lengths you’ve gone for me, sir. I am grateful. Very.”

“It’s obvious that the name of the Sanctuary of the Way might not be sufficient to keep those in the shadows at bay. But the notoriety of the swordsmen of the Brotherhood of Swords is different. Even the Sons of Lightning balk in the face of the Brotherhood’s irrational recklessness. Despite being labeled as lunatics, they are precisely the ones to rely on to keep those who still wish ill on you thinking twice.”

“Is that your way of saying that the Brotherhood is not in possession of any Roll of Gods pieces?”

“I have no knowledge of the Brotherhood trying to build an army of Protoss.”

Li Mu nodded his head, satisfied that his final doubt was dispelled.

“Just one more question, sir, if I may,” Li Mu bowed and saluted politely. “I am but only just a stranger. But why are you going out of your way to help me?”

...