Prologue - Breaking the seal

A lone mountain stood tall in a desolate region of the Ijoro Empire…

A mountain devoid of life, as silence and darkness ruled this area as always…

However, today, the eerie atmosphere broke under a single ray of silver light that pierced the dark clouds and the voice of a powerful being.

This being's voice echoed across the mountain and the surrounding regions...

"We did it! The time has come!

My comrades, we are finally ready to break free from this prison!"

At this mountain's peak, a man stood up from his jet-black throne.

The man wore a luxurious black robe, with purple embroidery forming dragons running down the side.

A layer of dust fell from his clothes as he stood up and scanned the surrounding people with his pitch-black eyes.

The people around him smiled hearing his words… They have been waiting for this moment for so long that they almost forgot the time when there was anything else but this spell's structure within their minds.

The man's unnaturally white skin seemed to shine as he walked under the silver light, giving off a royal aura.

An excited smile appeared on his young-looking handsome face as he looked toward the sky.

The silver ray of light became more and more intense after each breath.

All the people around him wore a jet-black robe and sparks of purple energy flowed around their bodies.

The twenty-or-so people around him tensed up a little feeling the pressure that the light was radiating.

One of those people spoke with a tired smile as multiple thoughts flashed through his eyes.

"I wonder how many people will survive this ordeal."

The young man that was sitting on the throne replied while raising an eyebrow

"Old man, I'm more surprised you think that at least one of us will survive…"

The old man replied as a small laugh escaped his lips.

"Of course one of us will survive, if going against one of the laws that support this world were to be enough to kill the "all-powerful Founder of the empire" we wouldn't even be here."

The Founder smiled slightly as he remembered everything he went through in the past years before talking again with a serious expression.

"It's too late for regrets now… We've already done and sacrificed far too much to give up at the last moment."

The twenty-or-so people looked at each other with resolute expressions as they surrounded the Founder before raising the back of their hands.

Rivers of dark energy flowed from their hands and rushed toward the Founder before reaching him and starting to rotate around him.

The dark energy seemed to create purple planetary rings that orbited around the Founder.

A few moments later, the Founder injected all the surrounding dark energy into the soil.

Nothing seemed to happen but the people around the Founder became more and more anxious by the second.

Suddenly, white symbols lit up all around the mountain as a warm aura raised from the ground and clashed with the silver ray's aura descending from the sky.

The Founder raised his right hand toward the sky… And waited.

Meanwhile, he kept his left hand pointing toward the ground, constantly injecting a flow of dark energy into the ground.

A few seconds passed by but he didn't do anything.

A woman's voice resounded from behind him, one of the people around him talked with a relieved expression. "Stage one completed... We can proceed with the next phase".

The Founder immediately concentrated completely on casting a spell…

One of the spells rarely seen in this world materialized in a grand appearance as the energy floating aimlessly around the surrounding regions gathered toward the ray of silver light.

A six-layered magic circle materialized around the ray of silver light.

The ray of silver light started to shake and the space around it contorted and cracked.

As the magic circle greedily absorbed more and more energy from the surrounding regions, the dark energy gathered, creating what looked like an enormous dark vortex.

The vortex rotated around the peak of the mountain, more precisely, it rotated around the Founder and his followers.

The vortex's rotation speed kept increasing just like the quantity of dark energy attracted to it increased.

Even the powerhouses living in the populated areas near this deserted region noticed the anomaly.

At first, they were startled, when they realized the amount of energy affected by the anomaly, they became confused…

Soon, when they pinpointed the place of origin of this phenomenon, they became excited as they realized the meaning of this anomaly.

The Founder and the protectors of the empire woke up!

Meanwhile, within the vortex, the aura released from the ray of silver light became fiercer and stronger by the second.

However, as its aura became stronger, it also became shakier.

Soon, the protectors that were controlling the formation started to sweat and shake … Keeping their exhausted bodies awake became harder.

This situation continued until what looked like a silver gate opened in front of the Founder.

An aggressive aura exited from the gate accompanied by an ancient voice "You know what are you trying to do?"

The Founder was startled by this gate's apparition but calmed down upon seeing that the being on the other side didn't cross it. "I know… Are you here to stop me?"

An eerie laugh escaped the mysterious being's lips as he answered.

"Hahaha… No… I'm not here to stop you at all.

I just thought it was amusing to see the most revered protector of this empire doing something that will probably be the cause of its annihilation."

One of the protectors couldn't hold it anymore and fell… Turning into ashes soon after.

"Then… What are you and what do you want?" The Founder asked, becoming a bit restless after seeing his first follower's death…

"You don't need to know… For now, you may simply address me as Gatekeeper. As for what I want… I just have to make sure that you are ready..."

Two protectors turned into ashes and a third one kneeled on the ground… The light in her eyes was fading away.

"...Ready for what?" The Founder asked annoyed by the Gatekeeper's interference.

"Ready to face the consequences of your actions… You will face a trial to prove your worth..." As the Gatekeeper stopped talking, the silver gate closed and what looked like ethereal silver chains appeared outside the atmosphere of the planet.

Any powerhouse around the world could see it… The chains that sealed the world for so long finally revealed themselves and were… trembling.

Everyone could feel it… An event that will forever change the fate of this world was happening under their eyes.

Several days passed as the Founder tried his best to destroy those chains…

Even though his followers fell one after another and he was the sole survivor… He still kept fighting with everything on the line.

Eventually… He succeeded.

The chains broke into pieces and disappeared… However, the dark vortex around the Founder collapsed as well over his exhausted body.

The Founder didn't give up… yet… He couldn't resist anymore and closed his eyes as the collapsing vortex devoured his body.

-----

Within a large room enveloped in darkness… a head-sized ball of light appeared.

"I… did it? Did I reach the other side? Yes...yes! AFTER CENTURIES OF STRUGGLES AND BATTLES… I AM FREE!"

Soon, the hysterical laugh of the Founder's soul echoed around the seemingly empty room.

However, it didn't last long before another voice resounded from everywhere around the Founder. "It's good to see you in such a good mood…"

"I completed your trial and it looks like our ways will part here… Gatekeeper.

Now, where is the exit from this place? I want to see how the outside world looks like"

"Oh? It looks like you misunderstood my previous statement… Your trial has yet to begin… Come, let me present you your new home, you may call it… Underworld."

Immediately after, dark tentacles captured the Founder's soul and dragged him away as his crazed shouts reverberated across the room. "No! Not now! You can't do th- ".

Those... were the last things the Founder could say before he fell into an abyss of darkness and despair.