Butler Jeffrey, though visibly puzzled, responded with as much clarity as he could, "Around 100 I think. All of them are Commanders under the Empire’s banner. And Young Master Izroth, he was also a Mythical Rank powerhouse. Why do you ask, Young Master? Could it be that you have secured an ally of that level?"
Igaris stood up from his seat slowly, his expression unreadable but eyes gleaming with purpose.
"No, I haven’t," he replied. "But it doesn’t matter. The time has come, Butler Jeffrey. It’s time to take a territory for ourselves. And we will begin with Stargaze City."
Jeffrey’s mouth opened slightly in disbelief. "What do you mean?"
Before he could receive an answer, Igaris had already moved. With a single step, he reached the window and leapt out. A gust of wind surged behind him as a pair of translucent wings formed at his back, crafted entirely from compressed wind essence. They flared open with power and grace, catching him in the air effortlessly.
High above the city, Igaris hovered in silence. He looked down at Stargaze City, its rooftops stretching into the horizon. The streets bustled, unaware of the change about to descend upon them.
A pulse. A low hum in the air.
A pressure, unseen but overwhelming, poured down from the sky like a crashing tide. It wasn’t an attack, not yet. It was a message. A declaration.
All across the city, people reacted.
"Huh? What’s happening? Why does the air feel so thick?"
"My heart... it’s racing all of a sudden."
"I can’t stand straight. What is this pressure? Why do I feel like kneeling?"
"Damn it. Look up. Over there. Someone is floating."
"Wait... that aura... it’s massive. That’s not just any cultivator. That’s a Legendary Rank. At least!"
"But who is he? And why is he doing this in public? Doesn’t he care about the laws? The Empire?"
The entire city buzzed with unease. Fear. Curiosity. Reverence.
In one of the alleyways, tucked behind the busy streets of Stargaze City, seven cloaked figures stood shrouded in shadow. Their attention was fixed on the figure hovering high above the skyline.
"Igaris Vance... what is he planning?" muttered a large man with a heavy voice. His tone carried unease, his eyes glued to the winged figure in the sky. "Why did he come out of hiding all of a sudden?"
"Sir, he’s either incredibly arrogant or just a damn fool," another agent snorted, a crooked smile tugging at his lips.
"No," a calm, female voice corrected. "If he has revealed himself , something big is coming. This is no act of recklessness." She glanced sideways at the others. "Igaris Vance... he’s the one they say survived the Jaws of Death itself. He didn’t get that far by being foolish."
"You’re right, Sabrina," the leader nodded grimly. "We can’t handle him alone. Send a call to the City Enforcement. Tell them we need backup immediately. Master Ranks won’t be enough."
"Yes, Sir," she said, reaching into her robe and pulling out a small communicator crystal. She tapped it quickly, sending out a coded signal.
But in that very moment, a cold shiver ran through all of them.
They turned their heads slowly, instincts warning them.
And there, in the sky above, Igaris Vance was no longer looking down at the city.
He was looking straight at them.
A slow, wicked grin stretched across his face, his eyes glowing faintly with a cruel glint.
"Buzz... buzz... buzz..."
A vibrating hum filled the air. The alley’s walls trembled as the energy converged at a single point. From behind Igaris, jagged rocky spears shot into formation, each one glowing with crimson runes and sharpened to needle-like tips.
"Shit. He’s a manipulator-type. He saw us!" the leader barked. "Scatter! Now!"
"Puchi! Puchi! Puchi!"
The rocky spears rained down like divine punishment, piercing through the stone walls and air alike.
Screams echoed. Three of the cloaked figures dropped to the ground, blood spraying as they collapsed in twisted positions.
Sabrina rolled aside just in time, but a shard grazed at her arm.
"We need to retreat, Sabrina. He is a lot stronger than us," the leader said through gritted teeth, eyes scanning the ruined alleyway where three of their comrades lay still.
Sabrina, clutching her injured arm, nodded. "Agreed. We underestimated him. This isn’t just a rebellious heir on the run anymore... this is war."
But just as they prepared to vanish into the shadows, the very air seemed to shift. The sky darkened slightly, not from clouds but from pressure. The spiritual atmosphere condensed like a thick fog over the entire city.
And then came the voice.
Clear. Deep. Reverberating through the wind, into the bones of every living being in Stargaze City.
"People of Stargaze City. I am Igaris Vance."
The voice echoed across rooftops, streets, temples, and towers.
"Once, I was stripped of everything. My name, my family, my future. Today, I take it all back."
People froze in their tracks. Market stalls stood still. The hum of daily life silenced as every head turned skyward.
"You served tyrants and forgot justice. You bowed to power and forgot honor. But I remember. And today, I claim this city not for vengeance..."
A pause, just long enough to grip their attention with icy fingers.
"...but for rebirth."
The clouds above split, and light burst through, illuminating his figure like a deity descending upon mortals.
"Any who stand with me shall rise with me. And any who oppose... shall fall like rotten stone."
"Today, I declare the birth of a new rule — the Overlord’s Dominion. From this moment on, freedom and prosperity shall no longer remain forgotten dreams. With me as your ruler, this earth shall rise once more. Let this day mark the reawakening of your hopes, your pride, and your long-lost aspirations."
Gasps erupted in the crowd. World Divers reached for weapons, while others dropped them entirely in fear.
Sabrina and the leader looked at each other, palely.