Chapter 1354 Gambling with Lives Again
Becoming an Emperor bears the responsibility of many.
It could change a person fundamentally, bringing order to the one and insanity to the fool.
Only certain people could become Emperor and those who were guided there by fate despite their inadequacy were the fools—who would have a short reign, before their minds yielded to madness and caused them to either be killed or overthrown.
As for the chosen ones, their essence was also altered—changed.
Reaching the Emperor's position required them to gamble with fate and take extreme risks.
In essence, these chosen ones were gambling men who wanted to achieve more.
But once they reached the Emperor's throne, the throne altered them to become less insane.
A natural progression as there was nothing above the Emperor's throne, nothing.
Nothing above means there is nothing to climb and thus, boredom settles.
Imperial manners, the likes of being composed and stoic were not trained.
It was engraved naturally because Emperors are the peak of existence.
Rex felt that exact feeling, he maintained his sanity for as long as he could remember and became less—and less of a risk-taker. He was the strongest and thus, the natural change was getting to him.
However, his mind experienced a shock when he read the parchment earlier.
He shouldn't be feeling that way because he was not the strongest anymore.
It was the second breath and there were a lot of beings out there that could destroy him.
Once again, the ceiling was pushed higher, there was a place to climb.
Even if the ceiling stayed shallow, there was still a place higher for him to achieve.
Not to mention, Edward was still in the Chaos Realm, waiting for his help.
He can't stay here longer, he needed to act, and it has to be now.
...
<Sudden Quest!>
Objective: Defeat three Knight-class Order Beasts and upgrade the user's affinities!
Description: Achieving the tenth-rank realm would take years—without a breakthrough, but the world has given a chance for the user to gain that breakthrough. Order Beasts emerged—ready to be used and devoured!
Rewards: 20 million gold, 50 Skill Upgrades, Legacy of the Sky Keeper—and Great Lightning Ego.
...
It was the night of the Demon Full Moon.
Rex has been warned by the System that this particular full moon influences his sanity and berserk stat the most, he would need to be extremely sane to avoid going berserk. He was going to heed the System's warning but changed his mind.
Considering my situation, why bother going against the current?
In a rapid manner, the Demon Moon's energy began infiltrating his body like wrathful flames.
He felt a fast-burning ember lodged in his veins, flaring with every pulse.
A sensation he remembered by heart, the seconds before going on a rampage.
Since the Demon Moon influences his berserk—and sanity stats the most, going against it would be a great disadvantage for him. As opposed to doing that, Rex had another plan in mind.
He decided to use his rampage as a tool of battle.
Just earlier he told Iris to lure all of the Knight-class Order Beasts and bring them all to him.
Rex gambled it all in a feral battle between his rampage self and wild animals.
But he wouldn't be alone, Kyran would also be helping him.
As opposed to fighting to keep his sanity, he would let the Demon Moon envelop him and unleash his wrath over the Order Beasts. In a moment—the sky darkened and the Demon Moon appeared at full display.
Its radiance showered the world with its deadly might.
<Night time has arrived!>
<Failed to recover sanity to sustain the Demon Moon's power!>
<You are overwhelmed with bloodlust!>
Crack!
Upon the appearance of the notifications, Rex's bones made grotesque bony sounds.
His eyes began to blur rapidly as his body morphed into his Werewolf form.
But unlike his usual Werewolf form, this time, he was even bigger and his furs became stiff, showcasing his imposing feral demeanor that was settling in him. Not to mention his horns, both began to elongate backward.
Rex became more demonic in a way, and most certainly became scarier than normal.
Similarly, Kyran was also sprawling on the ground, his breaths becoming rapid and hot.
"I don't feel so good..." He mused, facing the bedazzling Demon Moon above.
Feeling the same burn, his chest heaved up and down hard.
Experience more tales on empire
And once Rex fully surrendered to the Demon Moon, the burn became worse instantly.
<Notice: All of the user's pack members are influenced by the Demon Moon>
<If the Alpha falls, the pack also falls>
Kyran growled as his mouth elongated painfully and turned into a muzzle.
He prostrated on the ground—suffering in pain as he transformed into his Werewolf form.
And seconds later, he glanced over his shoulder, his four azure eyes glowing dangerously.
Aooouu!!
Rex spread his arms and howled at the moon, blasting a vicious soundwave.
Hearing this, Kyran also stood up and howled, empowered by Rex's howl.
Several miles away from their location, Iris tilted her head up as the howl echoed, reaching even to her and her battalion. A chill ran down her spine as her face pale. Hearing the howl too, a Dark Elven Captain beside her was stunned for a second but recovered quickly.
"Iris, I'm going to help the other captains!" He said, intending to his mount around.
But Iris raised her hand, stopping him, "N- No, don't... it's too late"
"Are you serious?!" the Dark Elf captain's veins in his neck, bulged. "I can still save some! Just look at them! Our mounts aren't slow but that mutated hare is too fast, it has lightning affinity—it's not too late!"
Glancing over to his behind, the Dark Elf Captain gritted his teeth.
He watched as the mutated hare tore the Ashen Assassins riders one by one with speed.
Despite the Dark Elves' spells and abilities, camouflaging in the forest, becoming invisible, or even asking nature to protect them—the mutated hare was relentless—it tore through every single defense they could cough out.
One and the one only who could intercept the mutated hare was this Dark Elf Captain.
It was the reason why Iris kept him beside her.
If she was attacked and lost the mutated hare's precious food, it would stop following them and the riders' sacrifice would be for nothing. Even then, watching as the riders got picked, and thinned down by the hare wasn't particularly easy to stomach.
However, as the Dark Elf was about to turn around nonetheless, a whisper breezed.
He turned back to Iris with a raised brow.
"What did you say?"
"I said dodge!!"
SWOOSH!
Having no time to react properly—Iris leaped to the side, abandoning her mount, as well as pushing the Dark Elf Captain with a blast of dark-nature energy. She did that right before a phantom brushed past them.
Both of them were pushed hard by the force residue of the phantom.
On top of that, the mutated black panthers that were their mounts were struck hard.
Both poor animals were in the way and their bodies exploded into a mist of blood.
If Iris reacted a second too late, they both would've ended up like their mounts, killed.
As time slowed down, Iris and the Dark Elf Captain gritted their teeth and turned to the side.
Rex was the phantom that went past them.
He was bigger, stronger, and his feral face with his tongue out showed he had lost his mind.
Earlier, the Dark Elf Captain heard what Iris muttered under her breath.
'Your Majesty, I hope this is really enough or we're all doomed...'
Since he was close to her, he heard what she said and thought Iris was fearful that Rex was not able to handle these three Knight-class Order Beasts. But now—he realized that he was dead wrong, very wrong.
Iris wasn't saying that they would be doomed if Rex failed to take these beasts down.
Unlike what he expected, the doom, she was referring to was if the Order Beasts failed—to survive long enough until Rex calmed down or the full moon passed. Feeling the fierce aura from Rex, the captain gulped harshly, 'This could end very badly'
Blitz!
Moving with extreme precision, the mutated hare went straight at a poor rider.
She looked back and her eyes widened when the hare was already right in front of her face.
But as it opened its claws to cleave the rider, into pieces it lifted its gaze—and saw a figure coated with extreme power intercept it. Rex elongated his claws, grabbed the hare mid-air, and slammed it to the ground.
Bam!
All of the nearby riders were caught in absolute surprise.
Even though the mutated hare wasn't as big as some of the mutated animals around, it was still around three times the size of regular grizzly bears, a slab of meat that towered over all of them.
However, that mutated hare had its neck grabbed and slammed down.
Rex's hands, empowered by the Demon Moon, were big enough to choke its neck.
His size swelled, and the stiff furs made him look menacing.
Descending from above, salivating from the mouth, Rex cleaved downward with his claws, putting immense strength into the strike, but the mutated hare was able to dodge easily. It rolled to the side and kicked Rex with its extremely muscular forelegs.
Amplified by lightning, Rex was sent crashing away.
But he quickly recovered, his swole body was strong enough to lessen the momentum.
Like a hungry predator, he circled the mutated hare, which was fixed at the center.
Capitalizing on this moment, the Dark Elf raiders were already gone.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
It angered the mutated hare as its favorite food was still at Iris and it wasn't willing to let go.
Sensing an opportunity, Rex leaped from behind, and bear-hugged the hare, squeezing hard with power, intending to crush it. Not sitting still and letting Rex do that the hare retaliated— its eyes bulged and turned red in anger.
Blitz!
Both of its flappy ears turned into lightning blades and stabbed Rex.
However, as the lightning ears stabbed Rex, the effect was not as the mutated hare thought.
As opposed to feeling pain, Rex smirked deviously as the lightning power spread throughout his skin surface, and was nullified. Having lightning affinity and also elemental resistance, he was resilient in taking elemental attacks, especially lightning attacks.
Despite that, the mutated hare's lightning intensified, electrocuting Rex hard.
So hard that it pierced through his lightning resistance.
Before Rex could recover, his vision became a passing blur.
He was thrown hard, the wind's whistle tremble his eardrums hard.
In a moment, Rex crashed back to the glade and rolled multiple times.
Exposed once more to the direct moonlight from the Demon Moon, he growled.
Hungry... I'm hungry.
As the Demon Moon's power settled inside him, something unexpected assaulted his senses.
Rex already asked the System what would happen to him but he didn't ask for the full thing, he only knew that he would aim for the strongest in the area, he did not know that he would feel this hungry.
It felt like his intestines were eating itself up.
So hungry that he was salivating like a dog, wanting to gobble something immediately.
Lifting his gaze, he saw the mutated hare small jumping and emerging.
Now that it had lost its food, Rex would replace it by being its food for tonight.
Crash!
Just then, however, Kyran also blasted from the other side of the glade.
His feet scraped against the ground and he stopped behind Rex, back against each other.
Feeling the touch, both of their eyes widened.
Being close gave them enough clarity for them to be more conscious of this state.
As planned, the other order beasts also emerged from the other sides of the glade.
Each one of them has a murderous look, the Dark Elves lured them here by taking something important belonging to them or even angering them. A mutated hare, hedgehog—and snake, all of them were Knight-class Order Beasts.
Naturally, their powers were nearing the pseudo-tenth-rank realm or even in it.
Despite the situation, Rex and Kyran exchanged a look before they roared at these animals.
Fueled by nothing but the anger inside of him, they were ready for a fight to the death.
Eat or be eaten!
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