Lord Shadow

Just like some cause and effect, the more he wanted to escape, the more he is suck into it.

It is hard to extricate himself, and every action he made only causes more strings to bind him.

After learning some things from Wargod, this determination is even stronger. He needs time to learn all the knowledge and investigate some things.

He could not do it while playing ruler in Pandemonium.

However, he could not just leave Pandemonium like that.

He must make sure that Pandemonium would thrive even without him on the helm.

And he wanted all of his enemies to come so that he could solve them

All of this solution is predicated on his swift return.

But now, he returns almost a month after the war between Sasha and Wang Jian started.

“However, I learned a lot of satisfying news” the fact that the war had been going on for a month but none of the world powers had interfere made him relieved. At least, they still abide by the agreement”

Hirate did not surprise him.

That guy might be cunning, but he is clearly someone who could see the big picture. It was the others that shocked him.

The Rpeublci would not attack him because of his relationship with Katarina and in effect his relationship with the Republic itself. It is the others like the League of Freedom and the other factions in the world

Their reaction was shocking to him

They almost pretend like they were dead. Even the Crime Alliance is silent. These people…. are wary of him returning.

That is also good, Azief thought to himself.

If his name alone has such prestige, he did not need to worry too much even if he is not there.

After all, if his name alone could deter them, then whether he is there or not is inconsequential.

Azief was happy hearing that even though the civil war happens none of the powers in the world tries to interfere.

Of course, if the winner is decided, these powers might decide to intervene

But that hand in the Time Space continuum nearly derailed his entire plan. As long as the battlefield is still in Pandemonium, there is a chance to turn around.

“My Palace Keeper could still be relied upon” Azief thought to himself.

Azief felt a tugging in his heart when he heard the name of William. There must be something about that person

Only a few months had passed. Not years as he had feared’

“I need to change some of plans. But this is good” he thought to himself. And then he got up from his seat. And just like how he came into this tavern he left the tavern unnoticed.

But he already knows where he should go next.

“To the Palace”

Smiling, he mutters

“It is time to meet an old friend”

..

At the same time this was happening in Arturia, a woman inside a temple awakens from her sleep

“HAA!”

She clutches her chest and then feeling something stuck, she coughed.

Blood ran out from her nose and then she coughed up blood. The blood spluttered all over the bed and the blanket

Not golden blood. But red blood. Like she was mortal.

There was no one beside her right now. Outside of this large room, there is no guard that she could call. But if she wanted to call for help she could

But she did not. Her eyes are cloudy and for a moment she just sat there on her bed and did not do anything

After a few seconds, her eyes are no longer cloudy

She takes a dep breath; blood is still dripping from the corner of her mouth.

She then looked around, and she saw the tree.

She got up from her bed, went to that tree, and grabbed a bone knife that is stuck into one of the tree roots.

Then she cut the tree.

Only a slight cut. And something drips down from the area of the cut

She took a goblet and let the sap from the tree to drip into her goblets. She then added a few sugars and a few other herbs and swirled it around.

She then, without hesitation, drank down the concoction.

And it only took her only a few seconds to calm herself down and then she looked at the tree

A tall tree that pierced through the ceiling of her room.

She wiped the blood from her face and sighed

“He is back”

“Since he is back, then I need to tell her. After all, she has waited for quite some time” this woman then slowly tidied herself up before going out of her room in the middle of the night

..

Azief walks around the island continent. Only this time, he no longer walks with ease. Each step he takes, he walks thousands of miles.

But he walks along only the city

Azief could feel the residue of his formation is still present in this sea.

He once fought a battle near here. And he once created a grand formation here, using islands to become barriers.

Most of it has been modified and most of the islands have changed. But certain things had not changed.

Azief no longer has desire to slow down. His energy has reached the low realm of Essence Creation but for some reason each time his energy wanted to reach the middle realm it faltered, and fatigue fills his body.

This must be something from the hand. Maybe a curse. Or some kind of magic that made him unable to reach his full potential.

“How many weeks and how many months? Worse, what if it takes years?”

Azief has confidence in solving the problem of Pandemonium precisely because of his realm. The realm of nearly reaching the peak of Essence Creation

Azief could not rely on the system panel like most people to ascertain whether he reached the peak.

Because he takes a different path.

An ancient path.

Hence, why when he travels the world, he sometimes does not understand the path of the people of the world.

Some of them unlock many things from the system panel. Some use their careers to thrive in this world like Brewers, which is also a class

Or herbalist that could use many Alchemist methods. Engineers who also could sometimes cosplay as formation masters.

There is also apprenticeship system that is more game-like than what Azief experienced. From what Azief understand, those with the system could easily teach what they had learned

But the bond between teacher and disciple is also a bond of shackle. Both for the teacher and disciple

From what Azief understood, there are even teachers that could strip all the knowledge their disciple learnt from them if they try to do something untoward the teacher.

It did not only restrict the disciple.

It also restricts the teacher.

The teacher could not steal the disciple things, and they could not attack their disciple unless there is a compelling reason.

Azief himself did not understand how it is gamified. Only those who have teachers and disciples would understand it.

Azief also has a disciple.

Though, he rarely teaches the disciple.

One of them is in a different world

Xi Feng.

And the other is the wife of his general, Somi.

But unlike the teachings of the other teachers that could easily benefit the teacher and the disciple, the teaching of Azief is more like true discipleship.

Like ancient disciple and Azief need to manually teach his disciple.

Not so game like.

The reason is because his system panel has utterly broken from the moment, he chooses to keep continuing walking the perfect path

The more he walks such path, the more broken the system becomes.

But Azief could tell whether he reached the peak or not.

Most of the people think he had reached the peak of the Essence Creation.

After all, he created already two Essence Avatar that has two essence of the most fundamental laws in the Omniverse.

Creation and Destruction

Harmony and Order. Life and Death

And he knows he did not yet reach the peak.

He confirms it when he meets Wargod.

Wargod said perfection is hard.

And because he walks the path of perfection, there is something else that is missing.

As for what is missing, Azief had to find that out by himself.

But even without peak realm, Azief was confident he could solve all the problem of Pandemonium satisfactorily relying on his high realm of Essence Creation

But without his Essence Creation realm reaching that level, he is not quite sure how to solve the matter of Pandemonium satisfactorily.

That is another problem he had now.

Returning to his previous strength

Azief walks toward the newly built palace of Arturia.

The Dome is still there in the distance, but it has been modified.

There was an explosion and then there was the expansion of the world and the changing of continents.

That Dome in just a short few days after its creation is bombarded by all kinds of changes.

An assassination attempt that is surely the work of spies and other rats hiding under their powers.

It was a scandal.

..