The Dawn of the New World

"Watch your tongue, boy!" they shouted in unison.

Their expressions turned ugly and a horrifying amount of Qi erupted from their bodies. It was pitch black in color and it looked like it was bending the very space itself.

Hao Xuan had never seen anything like this before. He didn't know which realm they were in but it was much further ahead than just the Profound realm.

*Craack*

The space around them finally couldn't take it and started breaking apart. Minute hairline fractures turned into unending gulleys.

"What the hell is that?!" Hao Xuan took a step back in shock. Even though it was a memory he still couldn't help but circulate his own Qi instinctively because of what he saw.

Between those cracks of space were a myriad of squirming appendages that were trying to widen the gap between the cracks. Hands, legs, claws, talons, wings, blades, tails, they were all trying to break out of the cracks.

Orion's expression changed for the very first time.

"You weak, filthy creatures. Not only have you handed over your own souls to that old thing, but have also attempted to open the gates of the Abyss to this world?!"

"Hahaha, so what? It is all Lord Ra's grand plan!" one of the men spoke.

The Qi started surrounding them both and they became disfigured because of it. Their skin bubbled and exploded. Their flesh melted away and all that was left were bones.

Where their eyes should have been were bright white flames.

"Look! Look at the power Lord Ra has given us!" one of them shouted manically.

They had completely thrown away their humanity and became servants of one of the old gods, the God of Pestilence and all things unholy, the Undead Dragon 'Ra'!

The one on the left would later come to be known as 'Lues', while the one on the right would be 'Aegror', meaning the 'curse' and the 'sickness' respectively.

Orion let out a deep sigh. He looked down at the ring the old king had given him. It was a silver ring with a red crystal in the middle.

"Father was right, I would have to use it sooner or later," he mumbled.

Lues heard him and scoffed in total disdain, "Use whatever you have boy, it will make no difference today. The gates of Abyss will open here and Lord Ra will rule this plane as well!"

They had complete trust in Ra's power and wholeheartedly believed that no one and no thing could stand in his way.

Orion ignored his rambling and looked back at the small cottage behind him. It was in tatters and would probably soon be forever gone, just like his family. If he accepted his fate.

"All good things must come to an end," he said to himself.

"Haha, everything but Lord Ra, for he is forever!" Aegror chimed in upon hearing his words.

Orion looked to the front at the two people that he once called uncles, that fought shoulder to shoulder with his father on more battlefields than he could even remember.

"Do you know why father never let me fight?" he asked while rolling the silver ring in his palm.

Lues gave him a scornful look, "To shelter and protect you of course. You have been spoiled from the day you got a hold of your senses. He never let you hold a weapon, what a shortsighted man."

Orion shook his head while looking at the cracks behind them. They were starting to expand much faster than before. The lush green fields had already turned into rotting masses of land.

"Not to protect me, but our enemies. He always said if I fought, the war would be over before it actually began. That's why he sealed away my powers when I came of age, that's why he didn't let me fight."

He met their gaze, "I am Orion. The last King of Zodenheim. As my father has tasked me with his last breath, I will take the throne of the King of Kings, the ruler of the Thousand Worlds of Light!"

He closed his hand and the silver ring was instantly crushed to dust.

*Shiiiii~*

A 10-meter wide pillar of red light fell down from the dome of heaven and onto Orion.

Lues and Aegror looked at each other as an uneasy feeling came over them. yet they could not take action. The gates of Abyss were opening and they were its gatekeepers. If they moved, the process would be halted.

Orion's body floated up and off the ground. He looked up at the source of the pillar of light.

"Citizens of Zodenheim!"

His voice echoed loudly and pierced the very veil of space and time, reaching more than a 10,000 planets all at once.

Hundreds of trillions of beings that lived on these plants all raised their heads at once and looked up at the sky.

"The armies of the undead are at our doorstep. They have killed your king and his family, and now want to do the same to yours. Will you still not fight? Will you still sit on the sidelines and watch as your own worlds are destroyed? If you want to take a stand and fight with me, raise your hands now and you will all be brought here, now is the time!"

As Orion finished speaking he turned around and looked behind him, as did Lues and Aegror.

Time passed and seconds turned into minutes, yet no one came.

"Hahahaha!" Aegror laughed loudly. "See? Nobody will come. Nobody ever comes. These selfish creatures only care for them-"

*Shiii~*

Before he could finish a much smaller pillar of light fell down and brought with it a silhouette. Everyone turned to look at the new arrival.

It was a girl, a teenager no older than 15 at most. She was dressed in an old worn-out armor that was too big for her and held a sword that was almost the same length as her entire body.

A contemptuous smile adorned Lues's bony face as he opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by yet another beam of light.

*Shii~*

This time it was an old man of at least 70 years of age. He had scars all over his face and anyone could tell he was a soldier at one point or another. He instantly got down on one knee.

"I answer the call of the King of Kings!"

*Shiii~*

*Shiii~*

*Shiii~*

*Shiii~*

Ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, ten million! The numbers kept increasing and more and more people kept arriving.

Not all of them were soldiers, of course, many were just simple folks that picked up whatever they had nearby.

Orion had tears in his eyes, "Ask and ye shall receive."

"So what?! They still cannot fight against Lord Ra's armies! They are nothing but-" Lues spoke up but was interrupted by Orion.

Orion raised his right hand up in the air.

"Open the Armory of Zodenheim! Equip my soldiers with the very best we have to offer!"

The entire sky shook as an uncountable number of weapons and armors shot down like meteors from nowhere. A red armor that was shinning like a miniature sun fell and covered Orion from top to bottom.

He looked at Lues and Aegror while clenching his fists.

"Come!"