Rise of Myriad Magic Emperor

[Almon Duke Castle]

Diana was looking at the golden pearl that she was holding in her hand and at her surroundings.

It was the room where she had been living since childhood. There was no doubt about it, but she couldn't believe it.

What had happened with her and how had she travelled thousands of kilometers in a second? The only proof of what she had witnessed was the golden pearl in her hand. 

She put it aside in her spatial ring. "Until I find a magic user with time and space attributes, I can only keep it with me," she thought as she looked at the rising sun outside her window, feeling nostalgic.

"It's been nearly three months since I left this place, but it feels like it's been years." She recalled her journey towards Devil Peak. there, she had witnessed many dead bodies and hazardous climates while non-stop walking. "If I didn't have my absolute zero body, I would have died just like the others," she muttered while looking at the sun.

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[Chronos Magic Academy]

"So you too wake up early in the morning just to take a walk. It is really a surprise that a junior Magic user like you is willing to walk so early," said Regas.

"Exactly, I am a Battle Mage, not a Magic user," replied Kai.

"Ah..."

Hearing him, everyone had their doubts, especially because they never heard of anyone from the basic course classes breaking through to a Battle Mage this year.

Then, they remember that they heard from their instructor that a new student that joined the academy was already a Battle Mage. The most amazing and shocking thing was that he was directly assigned to the final year because his cultivation was already at peak Magic Warrior.

The final year of the Battle Mage branch only had them as students since nobody else had broken through to the 9th level of Magic Warrior. To think that a newbie was assigned to the final year.

Just the previous day they were thinking of challenging the newbie to a duel and see his ability, but he never appeared before them. Later, the instructor told them that the Headmaster wanted to talk to him about something and he wouldn't be present that day.

Back then, hearing the instructor, they had even greater expectations and their desire to fight him grew. They really wanted to test what kind of guy was the newbie who got the Headmaster's attention.

Everyone had a blank expression on their face except Lizel, who was trying to see through Kai, and Tylon, who was looking at him as if he was looking at a miracle. His whole body shivered as he asked Kai.

"Are... You... really... Kai... Kai? Who... vanished... 11 years ago?"

Hearing someone unknown asking such questions, Kai looked at Tylon.

"He looks familiar, but I don't remember anyone who looks like him," thought Kai.

"It's me Kai, don't you remember? On the day of the potential test, I was one of the children in the special list besides Alina. I am from the same village as you."

"Oh!" Kai seized Tylon and found that he and the others were already at the peak Magic Warrior stage, while Lizel was half-step to Magic Knight.

"How did you become a peak Magic Warrior expert so fast?"

"It's because I received help from Senior Lizel and joined her dukedom."

"That's right, Kai. He and his family are now citizens of the Oman Empire and he is my subordinate," said Lizel with a smile.

Kai looked at Lizel with a smile, "So, which dukedom are you from?"

"Grawn Dukedom. My father is Duke Seldon Grawn and rules over the Northeast and the Peru planes of the Oman Empire."

Kai nodded. He had heard from his grandfather that their kingdom shared its western borders with the Grawn Dukedom of the Oman Empire. The dukedom was the second largest, the most influential and the weakest dukedom of the Empire military power-wise.

He was also a business partner of Duke William and the founder of the second largest merchant group in the continent.

Yami also reminded Kai that Duke Grawn sent a messenger to the Royal City 15 days ago for trading rights to buy and sell magic crops with the Buraford Kingdom. Kai was present at that time and Yami left Kaya to take care of it.

Before he had left for the examination, Kaya had returned and told him that Seldon was a smart and bold negotiator with many personal connections, but his personal strength was very weak compared to the Duke's.

After many rounds of discussion and negotiation, Kaya finally signed the contract to sell magic crops of D grade and lower at the same price as the Fastasia group. They would exchange it for refined iron and coal at base prices that would be delivered every 15 days. The account will be determined by the amount exchanged.

Kai looked at Lizel. "So you are here to headhunt for talents and increase the strength of your dukedom."

Lizel shook her head. "You can say that, but it's not the real reason. You see, experts like Tylon mostly die if they don't find any powerful force to back them before they graduate."

Everyone had a serious expression when hearing Lizel speak in a serious tone.

"It's the struggle between the forces in the continent. After Tylon graduates, he would become a Magic Knight that greatly impacts the power balance of the continent. 

Kai, you see, the number of expert Magic Knights throughout the continent does not surpass a thousand, but each one is a pillar that supports a power. How many Magic Knight level experts they have greatly determines the strength of an organization or state, even more so because he is a graduate of Chronos Magic Academy. Tylon will be branded as one of the few top geniuses in the continent and these powers will try to make him serve them. If he refused them, he would be eliminated so that he didn't join others.

The academy offers everyone who graduates and doesn't want to join any forces to join an alliance. They would increase the academy's forces and become the core members of the fighting force. All master course students, and most people of common background, are part of the academy and receive protection."

The forces that can protect experts like Tylon are the Three Empires, Chronos Magic Academy, the Shaman King Mountain Sect and secret organizations like Blood Trinity. They each have resources to help experts grow and provide them with protection, especially experts like Tylon and any other Chronos Magic Academy graduate, who have unlimited growth potential.

Even if they don't become Magic Champions, they can still be peak Magic Knights."

Kai casually said, "Are you not forgetting the Three Kingdoms?"

Regas and the others looked at Kai as if they were looking at a fool. It seemed like, even though Kai had reached peak Magic Warrior, he had no idea about the forces in the continent and how the Three Kingdoms are nothing before them.

As Regas and the others shook their heads, Chris said, "Kai, the power of the Three Kingdoms is nothing before those forces. Each one has peak Magic Champion stage experts taking command while the Three Kingdoms don't have a single Magic Champion. Adding on that, the Romand Kingdom is basically a vessel of the Chaos Empire that acts as a guard against magic beasts. 

The Alfrien Kingdom is wealthy, but they don't have any Magic Knight experts besides Prince Julis and the Buraford Kingdom, from what I heard, was attacked by a large undead force and had their army fully destroyed. All the commanders have disappeared and left the borders unguarded. The Romand Kingdom would have already invaded Buraford if not for the magic beast attacks. The entire kingdom is going through economic and political crises.

Kai, I am a citizen of the Alfrine Kingdom and we have to depend on the Oman Empire to defend us from the magic beasts of the forbidden forest and they can provide me with protection. That's why I, Regas, and the others have decided to join the Oman Empire under Duke Grawn. They may not be the strongest, but they have the most resources and we get the protection of the War Sovereign, San Di, the second strongest in the continent."

Listening to Chris's and the other's opinions, Kai sighed bitterly and looked at Lizel and Tylon. 

It seemed that the real reason why the Three Kingdoms have so few experts is due to the situation and not having the ability to protect and help experts grow. Alice hadn't joined any forces, but maybe if he didn't appear, she would have become part of the power struggle.

Suddenly, Kai felt disgusted by the people who could be the backbone of the kingdoms leaving their lands and nation due to being threatened to death.

Is it any different from the situation in the forbidden forest? Where did the strong devour the weak before Kai appeared and crushed the tyranny of the six lords of the forbidden forest with absolute strength?