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[World Announcement!]
[Congratulations to the Divine Emperor Kazehaya Haru for establishing the empire-level force 'Aetherium Empire'!]
[The Divine Emperor has set a precedent and started the Era of Empires for Castle Lords!]
[Special reward: Exclusive Growth Type Artifact for Divine Emperor!]
[…]
As expected, the World Chat Channel kept buzzing with messages surrounding the World Announcement.
[As always, Lord Haru is leading the pack!]
[Yeah, even if he became a God King, I wouldn't be that surprised.]
[Come on, he should at most be an Intermediate God, after all, his subordinates have killed more than a hundred Beast Gods.]
[That's still crazy. I'm a top-level Castle Lord, and I'm still a late stage Demigod.]
[Those Lord Type and Growth Type Artifacts must be terrifying.]
[But when would he attack the native empires?]
[It should happen soon. At that time, I'll definitely follow him.]
[I just hope I don't encounter him on that planet tomorrow…]
Unlike Haru's breakthrough when he established a 'True Dynasty', the World Chat Channel was eerily calm now, a quiet awe settling like inevitable dusk.
[Sure enough, after sweeping through the Endless Prairies and Andes Highlands, Haru forged an empire rivaling the natives empires. Hundreds of thousands of unclaimed castles, dozens of dynasties, his coffers surely are overflowing.]
[He's always three steps ahead of everyone. Now that barely one or two other Castle Lords have established a True Dynasty, he has established a True Empire. This almost seems normal.]
[It's so strange, I feel no fear this time. Just… sheer envy and pure calm.]
[It's quite simple, actually. He has probably never considered us his enemy. His true foes are probably the native empires.]
They had no inkling that Haru teetered at the peak of the High God Tier, just one level away from the Supreme God Tier. Had they known about it, most would have definitely submitted to him as vassals.
[I don't care about becoming a God King now. My sole aim is to attain Godhood and become immortal.]
[Of course, all this crap about the God King's Throne are delusions. Haru is like the destined protagonist of a novel, while we are like background characters.]
[Going by that logic, the Lord of Black Dragon Castle or Lucan Nightfall should've been the villains who crumbled in front of the protagonist, but we have adapted and will survive.]
[I'm still waiting for Lord Haru's summons on the World Chat Channel.]
[Me too, we can take shelter under his Royal Army… no, it should be the Imperial Army now, to attack a native empire and reap massive rewards.]
[That would happen later, but let's focus on tomorrow's Demon Slayer Tournament. Ping Lord Haru and ask him to spare us if we accidentally meet on that planet.]
[We're already beneath his notice. One Dimensional Demon would probably yield ten times more exp than any of us. So why would he fight with us?]
Everyone set their priorities: compete for the lower rankings on the leaderboard, slaughter mortal demons for exp, hunt buried Godheads or artifacts and the moment you spot Haru's Imperial Army, scatter like smoke.
[Let's secure the teleportation arrays first. They are the only way for our armies to return.]
The Castle Lords and Rangers finalized five laws on the World Chat Channel:
-No infighting among the Castle Lords
-No betrayals from Rangers
-Finders Keepers for treasures
-Everyone stands united against the Demons
-The Teleportation Arrays will be shared freely
"It looks like the Castle Lords are finally adapting to this life." Haru grinned, scanning the chaotic World Chat Channel. They have also realized that this world wasn't a game and the natives or the Dimensional Demons weren't mobs to be farmed for exp.
Aria messaged him: [Your Majesty, many top-level Castle Lords are contacting me, begging to form a truce with you for the Demon Slayer Tournament through me.]
Haru replied: [Tell them that I'm not free enough to hunt them. If they keep out of my way, there will be no problems, but any fools who try to sneak up on me will die.]
She instantly relayed Haru's message to the major alliances, and they breathed a sigh of relief.
…
Dawn cracked the next day and Haru stirred beside Sylvana, the Elven Mother Tree's Dryad Spirit.
"Your Majesty~" Her fingers traced his armor as she dressed him, her voice a melody, "Should me and my children also join in the Demon Slayer Tournament?"
"All top-level troops and members of the Imperial Army are to join." He nodded.
Silence stretched, her glow dimming, "But Your Majesty, since my main body can't travel with us, if any Elf falls, I wouldn't be able to save them…"
"That's not a problem." Haru smiled, "Lysandra has embedded three-to-five Guardian Angels among every legion. They can resurrect the fallen troops. As for the Gods, Ariel will personally take care of them."
Sylvana's cheeks flushed rose, "What about the capital?"
"It's completely protected. Not only would Celestia create a God Tier Barrier, there will be another special barrier. We also have Elunara and Svetlana's Divine Marks in our capital. Worst case, we can teleport back to Angel City, and we have allies—the Nature Pantheon and the Beast God Pantheon."
With this, the two left the room hand-in-hand.
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