Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 154: The Stable Before The Storm

Chapter 154: The Stable Before The Storm

An hour passed. Kazi had been going around instructing everyone where to go and how to prepare. Convincing them was simple: all he had to say at the end was, "Your representatives will give further instructions."

However, most people didn’t need that assurance. Most players and soldiers were fine listening to him, proxy of his benevolent smile. Everything was going smoothly.

Kazi was at the stables, feeding the fifty-plus horses when a muscled brunette in a pony-tail arrived. Long eyelashes staring up at the horse, who seemed eager for his touch, he did not immediately address her. His hazel eyes were a source of comfort, as was his natural aura and scent. The horses loved him. A blend of masculine and feminine features that transcended into home for all he laid eyes upon.

"You sure like to steal the show," Ksenia commented. She put an arm on the fence, inadvertently showing she was as tall as Kazi himself. "Did you work in the military or something?"

"When I was younger, yes. I was there as a consulting advisor," he replied without looking, though still smiling.

"For what?"

"Everything."

Though much of his time had been allocated into figuring out RSA decryption, he did do some field-work.

"By the way," Kazi said, feeding the horse some roughage, "did you consider protection for the High King?"

"Huh? Not really, no. He’s coming with us." Ksenia blinked. Blink, blink, blink. "That’s what I assumed, anyway."

"He won’t. He’ll probably end up too weak to join us." The High King was half-acting, although Ksenia didn’t need to know that. "Not to mention the players on the other side will be actively hunting for him."

Ksenia scrunched up her face. "Why would they...? Oh. Oh, I see. We have a list of NPCs to kill and they have a list too."

"Exactly. From what we were told, raids are based on performances. If we prevent the king from dying, then the rewards might be high." Pause. Kazi flashed her a smile. "Why don’t you protect him, Ksenia?"

"Me?"

"You’re strong at close-combat. If the High King remains here in the castle walls, you’ll have the advantage in most respects. The walls are strong. No one will be able to snipe you off with magic. The regional kings aren’t interested in protecting the High King anymore so whatever soldiers will be left here will be the worst of the worst."

"What? I don’t believe you. Marchad, that’s his father. No one would do that to their own father."

"Have you ever seen dramas regarding royalty?" His question took her aback. He was right on the dot and she got what he was saying. "They don’t really care about each other. A lot of the time parents don’t even raise their children, it’s up to servants to do it. All of those kings inside want power. They have their reasons, good and bad, but all of them want it and the High King is in the way of that power."

Ksenia stared at him, brown eyes sinking into an ugly emotion. Kazi wore a soft, understanding smile.

"You know, Kazi, I’m going to say it right now: I don’t like you. Like at all." Ksenia put her wrist on her forehead, sighing through tight lips. "But everyone else does. Nikolai won’t shut up about you at the gym. Paul liked you. You have that Polish chick as your student or whatever, and there’s that sword lady and the tall blond guy. Every decision you make is always the correct one too apparently. I mean, what don’t you have?"

"I try my best. That’s all we can do, right?"

Ksenia was about to say something, but stopped. "Whatever. I’m leaving."

"Will you do what I ask?" Kazi asked, watching her walk away. "Oh, but don’t do it by yourself! Take at least twenty players with you! And a hundred soldiers!"

Ksenia neither looked back or responded. She kicked a pebble and headed back to the castle.

*****

"The closer to the modern day a gate is, the weaker it is. That is a common saying within the White Abyss.

I disagree and agree. I believe some of these newer warriors are not one bit inferior to those that came before. I know, I know, controversial.

Tell me, O Emperor of Old. How could Leonardo Da Vinci ever hope to match Arjuna? How could the army-reliant Genghis Khan hope to overpower Bhima? Do you truly believe Anne Bonny and Mary Reed are on the same level as Aswatthama and Karna?

To all these, I say of course not! But even within in their era, those named warriors were anomalies in their era. So why weight other era as pathetic when their own eras could not keep up? Although...Genghis Khan and his powers are not properly known to us so perchance Bhima is...

Just kidding!

Haha, but I do have a point with this. Let us look at another. High King Brian Boru has appears semi-commonly throughout the Heavenly Games. Whenever he has, he appears old and decrepit. I know because I met him and we had a good drink over it! But I could sense the teetering magic in his fingers. I have heard the rumours. In his prime. was a monster. A king rightfully blessed by the gods. Unquestionably, he had the —— in him.

There are others like the High King of Ireland. The demonic blacksmith Muramasa or the demonic Blackbeard. Ha, lots of demons. I guess they wandered the Earth even after the great purge. It wasn’t until the Age of Enlightenment that I would agree humanity’s power dipped.

I write all this during the war, when quantity matters more than quality. Ahhh, so many men at my disposal. Indeed, while some may say humanity has gone stronger or weaker, at the end of the day, it matters not. My children will be my children. My power will remain my own. Oh, but I got off track!

Are today’s human’s weaker than what came before them? Yes and no. I believe the chosen few have the potential to rival those that came before. The question is...will they rise to the occasion? Or will they become drunken fools like so many before them?"

- Excerpt from the private journal of the Eternal Emperor, 157 HE

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