Ten Lucky Draws: I Became OP

Chapter 529: The Empire of Gods

As the status screen showed to the select ten, they all agreed without hesitation and the moment they did each of them simply disappeared from their places.

Ash sat on the old throne of Velora, his reddish-purple eyes calm as he observed the ten young people who had just materialized before him.

The five young women and five young men stood in stunned silence, their bodies still carrying the faint glow of the teleportation.

—-

They had been pulled from their everyday lives — one girl mid-cultivation in a quiet courtyard, another helping her mother in a market stall, a young man sparring with friends, another studying ancient texts in a library.

And their sudden disappearance had left a bit of chaos in their wake.

In a bustling training ground, a group of friends stared at the empty space where their comrade had been practicing sword forms.

“Where did he go?! I can’t believe he ran from training!”

In a modest home, a mother paused mid step with a basket of vegetables, eyes narrowing a bit.

“Katie? Hmm, did she go off to explore?”

A few other Masters and elders across Velora experienced the same thing.

However, as mentioned before, these beings had long since become acclimated to Pantheos. Most of them had been born here by now, so they weren’t too panicked by it all.

It only left them a bit confused as to why the departure had happened so suddenly.

Meanwhile, in the throne room, the ten youths stood before Ash, their eyes wide with disbelief.

—-

The grand hall was exactly as they had heard in the old tales — tall white pillars veined with crimson, banners of red and white hanging from the ceiling, the air thick with the scent of phoenix flames.

And there, seated on the ancient throne, was a man whose presence alone made the room feel smaller.

His long black and red hair flowed down his back, and his reddish-purple eyes held a calm, overwhelming authority.

He looked both regal and dangerously approachable, like a king who had stepped out of legend and into reality.

One of the young men, a tall cultivator with a sword at his hip, worked up the courage to speak first, his voice shaky but respectful.

“Who… who are you? And why are you sitting on the throne like… like you’re the King?”

Another, a scholarly young woman with glasses and a scroll tucked under her arm, nodded quickly in agreement.

“It’s been over a full cycle since the King, and the Royal Family were last seen in Velora. The stories say they ascended to a higher realm… but no one has sat on that throne since.”

Hearing this, Ash’s reddish-purple eyes gleamed with quiet interest. He leaned forward slightly, resting his chin on his hand.

“Tell me,” he said, his voice smooth and curious, “what tales has the kingdom built around me and the others? I’d like to hear them.”

Ash for one knew that his time as a king was well…. Not what one may expect from a normal king. At times he had the ideal to bring this Kingdom to a height even the Elarian Empire couldn’t grasp.

Yet, when his power out grew such goals… things eventually changed.

The group exchanged nervous glances before one of the young women — a bright-eyed cultivator with short green hair — spoke up.

“In every library in Velora, the histories speak of the rise of the Kingdom back when it was still in a realm of mere mortals. They say the King randomly appeared after years of rule under a weak Royal Family.”

She went on to describe the history the people of Velora had woven around Ash and his companions.

In short, most of it was made up of things seen from afar.

From the day Ash revealed himself to the Veloran army, his presence drew the attention of countless passersby.

It’s said that day marked the moment he and his queens became the next rulers of Velora.

From then on, the kingdom experienced an ascent like never before, climbing the ranks with a grandeur that matched Ash’s every whim.

One detail, however, that made Ash raise an eyebrow was the rumor that he had been the first God, back in the days when only cultivators roamed the world.

She paused, swallowing nervously before continuing.

“The stories say that Velora once stood at the precipice of becoming the next Empire… but one day, the King and his women simply disappeared.

The rankings of Velora stalled — neither dropping nor rising. That remained so until one day they appeared in this verse… one beyond anything Elaris could ever offer.”

Ash listened with a small, nostalgic smile, his reddish-purple eyes softening for a moment.

He leaned back in the throne, letting the silence stretch before finally breaking it.

“Well, believe it or not, I am Ash Originat — that so-called ridiculous King of Velora you mentioned,” he said, genuinely surprised by how close the stories had come to the truth.

He was well aware he’d rarely spared much thought for the everyday lives of his citizens, their gains coming only as indirect benefits of his rule.

A faint smile curled on his lips. “But after my disappearance… I became something far greater. And lately, ruling the Ineffable Pantheon has been my newest pastime.”

The ten youths froze where they stood, in this moment they couldn’t say they truly believed him to be the King from the Legends.

The name hit them like a crashing wave—the Ineffable Pantheon, a title spoken in hushed tones of both fear and awe across countless realms, forever tied to the heirs they’d only heard of in legend.

Their doubts dissolved into profound respect as they knelt in unison, heads bowed low.

Ash chuckled softly, the sound warm and genuine.

“No need for such formality. You ten… will be the Boundless Stars who shape Velora into the Empire it was always meant to be.”

He paused, reddish-purple eyes glinting with quiet ambition.

“An Empire of Gods.”