Chapter 45: The Rise of the Shura

After the clan’s reunion came to an end, a heavy silence descended upon the Sovereign Hall.

The figures seated upon the thrones had regained their composure, yet Azrael’s return alone had been enough to alter the very nature of the entire continent. And still, it seemed there were matters far more important than his return.

Baran, the King of Kings, slowly raised his head. His deep voice echoed throughout the hall.

“Then, Sovereign… which Cosmic Domain are we currently in?”

The atmosphere in the hall immediately became serious.

The smiles disappeared.

The whispers ceased.

Even the kings who had been exchanging remarks moments ago became completely solemn. They were all waiting for Azrael’s answer, for their current location would determine the direction of the clan’s expansion and its future plans.

Azrael remained seated upon his throne, perfectly calm.

Then he answered:

“I don’t know.”

Silence.

Even Gaia blinked several times.

Azrael continued in an indifferent tone:

“But I am certain of one thing… we are not in Millennium.”

The expressions of the kings changed.

Kronos shifted slightly upon his throne, while Basar’s eyes narrowed.

Baran muttered:

“We’re not in Millennium…”

He repeated the words as though trying to comprehend their implications.

Then he let out a long sigh.

“That changes a great deal.”

But Azrael was not finished.

“There is something else.”

The kings raised their heads.

“The world I am currently in…”

He paused.

“…contains one of the Primordial Chaos Treasures.”

The hall froze.

For a moment, it seemed as though even time itself had stopped.

Even Kronos, Lord of Time and Space, remained motionless.

Baran slowly raised his head.

“What did you say?”

Azrael smiled mysteriously.

“You heard me.”

Then he said:

“One of the Primordial Chaos Treasures exists within Banjaya.”

The hall fell utterly silent.

Baran could no longer remain seated.

He rose abruptly.

“Which one?”

His aura unintentionally erupted, causing the space around him to tremble.

Azrael smiled faintly.

The kings waited.

Then he spoke.

“The Well of the First Sparks.”

Silence.

The kings’ eyes widened.

It took only a few moments before their auras erupted with tremendous force.

Even Gaia felt an overwhelming pressure.

She did not understand why their reactions had changed so drastically, but she immediately realized that the treasure Azrael had named was no ordinary treasure.

Azrael continued:

“The Well of the First Sparks…”

His voice remained calm.

“…the treasure capable of resurrecting the dead.”

The hall fell silent once more.

Then Barathos and Dikako spoke almost simultaneously.

“Sovereign, I request permission to descend into that world.”

Dikako’s eyes blazed.

“We will search for the Well, no matter the cost.”

Barathos added:

“Even if we have to tear the entire world apart to find it.”

Gaia froze.

She stared at them in disbelief.

Destroy an entire world… for the sake of a treasure?

She still did not understand what kind of clan she had entered.

But she was beginning to understand why the mere name of the Shura Clan was enough to inspire fear.

Azrael did not become angry.

Instead, he smiled.

“No.”

The kings stopped.

“That world is the place where I was born.”

His tone changed slightly.

“And how could I allow it to be destroyed?”

He paused.

Then continued:

“We will spread the might of the Shura Clan across every inch of it.”

A faint smile appeared on his face.

“We will cleanse it of its pests.”

Then he looked toward the kings.

“And we will turn it into a foothold for our clan within this strange Cosmic Domain.”

The kings’ eyes lit up.

“And afterward…”

Azrael paused.

As though the following words were an unavoidable fate.

“We will devour the entire domain.”

A deep laugh came from Baran’s throne.

“Just as we remember you.”

The auras surrounding the thrones rose once more—not in anger this time, but in excitement.

Gaia remained silent.

She felt as though she were listening to a plan far beyond her understanding.

A Cosmic Domain… Primordial Chaos Treasures… a Cosmic Clan… kings who had lived for billions of years…

Yet she did not ask any questions.

She knew Azrael would explain everything to her when the time came.

But Basar, the King of the End, did not share the others’ excitement.

He remained still.

Then he spoke.

“Sovereign.”

Everyone looked toward him.

“There is something we have overlooked.”

The atmosphere changed again.

Basar continued:

“When do you believe the Four Gods will arrive in this domain?”

He paused.

“And will the Great One also descend into this new Cosmic Domain?”

At the mention of the Great One, the auras in the hall weakened.

Even the kings became more solemn.

Gaia felt a chill run through her.

The Great One?

The title alone carried an indescribable weight.

Azrael answered:

“According to our agreement, once the clan awakens from its slumber, the Four Gods will gather within the Shura Domain.”

His gaze drifted into the distance, as though he could see something none of the others could.

“But the plans have changed.”

The hall became silent.

“They may already be on their way to this domain.”

He paused.

“They will arrive within a few years.”

Then he added:

“As for the Great One…”

His words stopped for a moment.

“I assigned him a task at the end of the Eternal War.”

Baran’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Azrael continued:

“He will not be able to descend here with his true body.”

A faint smile appeared upon his face.

“But his incarnation will come.”

Gaia’s eyes trembled.

An incarnation?

The more she listened, the more mysterious everything became.

She could no longer suppress her curiosity.

“Who are these Four Gods?” she asked. “And how powerful are they?”

Silence.

Everyone turned toward her.

For a moment, Gaia felt as though she had asked a question she should not have asked.

But Baran did not become angry.

Instead, he smiled faintly.

“Looks like our new Empress has begun asking the right questions.”

Gaia’s cheeks reddened slightly.

Baran continued:

“Perhaps you do not know, little Empress, that the Supreme Shura Clan is no ordinary clan.”

He raised his hand.

Mysterious symbols began appearing in the air.

“We possess a strict hierarchy.”

A symbol representing a king appeared.

“At the bottom of the Sovereign Hall are the Kings.”

A larger symbol appeared above it.

“Above them stands me—the King of Kings.”

Then four enormous symbols appeared.

“Above the King of Kings…”

He paused.

“…stand the Four Gods.”

He continued:

“The God of War.”

A sword-shaped symbol appeared.

“The God of Wisdom.”

An eye-shaped symbol appeared.

“The God of Freedom.”

A symbol resembling wings appeared.

“The God of Justice.”

A scale appeared.

“They are collectively known as the Four Gods…”

Baran’s voice deepened.

“…or the Revered Ones.”

Then a symbol even greater than the four appeared.

“Above the Four Gods stands the Supreme Guardian.”

Finally, Baran pointed toward Azrael.

“And above them all…”

The entire hall became silent.

The kings looked toward Azrael.

“The Sovereign.”

Gaia said nothing.

She struggled to comprehend what she had just heard.

The Kings…

Those beings who had lived for billions of years and whose auras seemed capable of crushing worlds… are at the bottom of the hierarchy?

Her gaze shifted toward Baran.

And this man… the King of Kings… whose mere aura had made the entire hall feel as though it had entered an age of destruction…

Then she thought of the Four Gods.

If they stand above him… just how powerful are they?

Her thoughts then shifted toward the Supreme Guardian.

And the Great One… whose authority is surpassed only by Azrael himself?

Baran spoke again.

“As for the strength of the Four Gods…”

He paused.

“They have reached the Transcendent Realm.”

Gaia blinked.

“The Transcendent Realm?”

She hesitated before asking:

“How powerful is it compared to a God King?”

Silence.

The kings exchanged glances.

Some of them even seemed amused.

Baran let out a short laugh.

“A God King?”

He looked at her.

“You are comparing a mountain to a grain of sand.”

Gaia’s expression changed.

Baran continued:

“There is no comparison.”

His voice became cold.

“A God King cannot even approach a Transcendent within a thousand kilometers.”

He paused.

“Before he could even understand what happened…”

His eyes narrowed.

“…he would turn to dust.”

Gaia’s face paled.

“He… cannot even approach within a thousand kilometers?”

Baran nodded.

“Even the word comparison is inappropriate.”

Gaia swallowed nervously.

Then she looked toward Azrael.

He remained seated upon his throne, utterly calm, as though the conversation concerned nothing of importance.

She asked more cautiously:

“And what about the Supreme Guardian… the Great One?”

This time, Azrael himself answered.

“The Great One?”

He raised his eyes.

“He stands at the pinnacle of his power.”

Gaia’s breathing stopped for a moment.

Azrael continued:

“With his current strength, he can split the Cosmic Wall…”

He paused.

“…and enter the Chaos.”

Gaia’s mind went blank.

Split the Cosmic Wall.

Enter the Chaos.

Those words echoed inside her mind.

She had once believed that the most powerful beings in existence were the Higher Gods and God Kings.

Now she was discovering that those realms might be nothing more than the beginning of the path.

She looked at Azrael.

For the first time, she did not see only the man she loved.

She saw behind him an immense world filled with secrets.

A clan whose roots stretched back to ages beyond her imagination.

Kings who had lived for billions of years.

Gods beyond comprehension.

A Supreme Guardian capable of piercing the Cosmic Wall.

And a Sovereign…

whom every one of them regarded as the center of everything.

Yet one question remained buried within her heart:

If this was the level of Azrael’s subordinates… then what did it truly mean for Azrael himself to be their Sovereign?

Deep within the Sovereign Hall, behind one of the ancient pillars, an engraving that had remained motionless for billions of years suddenly shifted.

No one noticed.

But within it…

something opened its eye.

Then closed it again.

As though the return of the Sovereign…

was merely the beginning of the countdown.