Vlad stood upon the corpse of a Champion demon in the form of a massive beetle, his figure valiant and full of power. Streams of golden energy flowed into his body, and blood covered his sword.
The demon had tried to run away upon seeing the fall of the high demonic horde, but Vlad had taken the Champion down, gaining another massive wave of Origin Force. Now that he had broken the physical barrier that kept his body from rising forward on its own, Vlad had returned to channeling his Origin Force into his body and soul force.
There was a smile on Vlad’s face as he heard silence echoing across the battlefield, marking the end of the fight. He focused on his body, and a complicated expression appeared on his face. Despite all the Origin Force from Arasbus, three more Champions, and hundreds of demonic beasts, he was still not close to raising his fleshy body to Level 7.
"The Level System is like an upside-down pyramid; the higher you rise, the more energy you need to evolve to the next level." Vlad shrugged his shoulders as he turned around, and his eyes widened as he saw how all the soldiers were watching him.
The soldiers’ eyes were full of awe and admiration. One could not really blame them, as his plan to face the demonic horde was nothing short of amazing, and his personal power defied reasoning.
A sharp light appeared in Vlad’s eyes as he saw the soldiers’ expression. This was a perfect chance to take the next step in his plans.
However, just as the young man was about to open his mouth, the deafening sound of thunder echoed across the sky. Vlad could not help but look up and saw a golden storm covering the heavens, and the core of it was right above his figure.
A strange feeling assaulted Vlad’s heart as he saw the golden storm, and before he could do or say anything, a pillar of lightning fell from the sky right into his body!
Jormungandr, General Anglius, and the inner circle members could not help but shout and watch in shock and dread as they saw, along with the rest of the soldiers, how that gargantuan pillar of golden lightning fell onto Vlad’s body.
However, just as they feared the worst, they saw Vlad standing unscathed inside the pillar of golden lightning, which left everybody flabbergasted, as they did not understand what was happening.
Vlad was also shocked by the sudden turn of events. This golden lightning pillar that kept falling from the sky filled every cell of his body with a strange force and burned all the impurities.
Just as the young man wondered where this force came from, a powerful will permeated the sky.
The willpower that covered the golden storm fell clear for all those in the Silent Wind Military Base. It was extremely powerful and made them feel like ants, yet at the same time, they felt close to it. A sense of warmth filled their hearts, as if they were gazing upon a loved one, someone who had watched them from a very young age.
"MY CHILD. YOU WHOSE LOVE FOR YOUR HOME AND HATRED TOWARD ALIENS IS AS CLEAR AS MY SKY. YOU HAVE KILLED THE HYPOCRITES FROM HEAVEN AND EVEN THE MEMBERS OF THE RULING KIND OF ABYSS!"
The voice was filled with immense power and will, and it became clear to Vlad that it belonged to none other than the Plane Will of Terra! The same entity that awakened his Gift and gave him access to the Level System while urging him to kill the alien races.
Vlad was honestly shocked to see that his feats had raised the attention of the Plane Will. There was nothing about this in Asmael’s memories, but it made sense. After all, the man was just a Level 5 angel, a warrior in the Mortal Tier, nothing more than a footsoldier in Heaven.
He did not really have time to try and understand what was happening, as the power of the lightning flooded with even more power into his body, fusing into his cells and even his Soul Dimension.
"I NOW AWARD YOU THE TITLE OF WORLD’S KING CANDIDATE!"
Along with those words, Vlad felt the power of the golden lightning begin to concentrate on his forehead and the sky of his Soul Dimension. A painful expression appeared on his face, and a rune in the form of a crown formed on his forehead, while a golden seed appeared inside his Soul Dimension.
After fulfilling its goal, the golden pillar of lightning faded along with the storm and the Plane Will, leaving only the young man and the hundreds of soldiers who gazed at him with awe and even devotion, as if he were a living god.
Before, they saw Vlad as a leader, but now he had risen to a messianic figure in their hearts. He could become the World King. How could they not follow such an entity?
Vlad stared at the soldiers, and even he was taken aback by the fanatical devotion and zeal that some of them were showing, but his black eyes burned with determination as he raised his bloody sword.
"I will not become your shield but give you a sword! I will not have to protect you because I will teach you how to protect yourselves!" Vlad’s voice was full of will and power, making the soldiers’ hearts burst with thrill and desire. A leader who could protect them was good, but one who could give them power was infinitely better!
Killing intent, brutality, and pure wrath began to emerge from Vlad’s soul as he showed a ferocious smile. "If you follow me, we will not defend ourselves from the aliens and heretics! We will hunt them down and use their corpses as the foundation for our new world!"
"Hail King Vlad!" General Anglius was the first to shout. His voice was full of determination as he raised his machete, triggering a cascade response from all the soldiers.
Vlad showed a wide smile, and his eyes burned with thrill and excitement as he took a massive step forward toward his ultimate goal. Just as he believed things could not get better, a robotic voice echoed inside his mind, one he was very familiar with.
End of Book 1 - A battlefield of humans, demons, and angels.