In a matter of moments, Mydei soared over the farmland, crossed a river at least several hundred meters wide, and finally laid eyes on a majestic and magnificent city.
The city walls alone stood nearly thirty meters high. Without exaggeration, they were the tallest he had ever seen in this world.
Furthermore, both on and outside the walls, fully armed soldiers patrolled in squads. They quickly spotted Mydei—or more accurately, the crimson meteor he resembled.
"Anomaly detected!"
With a shout, one soldier broke away from the group and sprinted toward the city, likely to report the situation. The remaining soldiers immediately began converging on the city gate.
Mydei didn't force his way in. Instead, he halted about ten meters from the gate, hovering in mid-air with his arms crossed. He surveyed the towering walls with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Who are you? What is your purpose in the Imperial Capital?!" a soldier demanded, his brow furrowed.
"..." Mydei opened his mouth, his expression faltering for a moment before he changed his words. "I am Okhema's God of Strife. Where is the source of the encroaching darkness?"
He had originally intended to ask for the location of the Imperial Capital, but it seemed this city was the Dragon Ember Empire's capital after all. Tribios might have sent him slightly off course, but not by much.
Good thing I didn't ask, he thought. That would have been embarrassing.
Hearing Mydei's words, the soldiers on the wall exchanged glances. After a brief moment, one of them spoke up. "Okhema's God of Strife... I remember hearing about him. Isn't he the ruthless one who single-handedly crushed the Vanguard Legion?"
"I heard rumors about that. So it's true?"
"Of course it is! Why would anyone make that up?"
After a quick discussion, another soldier sprinted back into the city, likely to deliver a message. Meanwhile, a guard on the wall addressed Mydei. "If you don't mind, would you like to come up and rest for a moment? I've already sent someone to inform His Majesty."
Mydei, of course, did not refuse. He slowly descended onto the city wall, and the soldiers immediately parted to clear a space for him. Their gazes were filled with curiosity, admiration, and awe—just as he had predicted. Even though he had crushed one of their armies, the Empire's people showed no resentment or hostility toward him.
As Mydei pondered this, he faintly overheard someone whispering:
"Has anyone noticed... he's really handsome."
"Especially those red markings on his chest. They're so... sexy."
Mydei: "?"
Handsome, I can understand, he thought. But sexy? Is that even appropriate?
As the corner of Mydei's mouth twitched, a dark shadow streaked across the sky. It was Emperor Gerald, riding a wyvern. He swiftly approached the wall and boomed with a hearty laugh, "So it's an honored guest from Okhema! Forgive me for not welcoming you sooner!"
"Cut the pleasantries," Mydei said flatly. "I'm not here for a social visit. What do you know about the shadow that now covers half your Empire?"
Normally, when high-ranking officials from two nations spoke, every word was chosen with extreme care. Even innocuous phrases could be overanalyzed. But neither Mydei nor Gerald cared for such formalities. In fact, Gerald quite enjoyed this direct style of conversation.
"Three days ago," Gerald began without preamble, "a black shadow suddenly appeared in the southernmost part of the Empire, engulfing an entire city. Since then, it has continued to expand, and now it covers nearly half our territory."
"Thankfully, the badges Okhema provided earlier have kept casualties to a minimum."
"After the incident, I sent numerous teams to investigate. While the badges ensured their survival, navigating in complete darkness is incredibly difficult. It's still too early; we haven't gathered any useful intelligence yet."
Mydei considered this. So asking was pointless, he thought. The Empire is just as clueless as I am. He changed the subject. "Where did the darkness first appear? I'll go take a look."
Gerald paused in thought, then pointed in a direction. "The general location is that way," he said, "but it's incredibly easy to get lost in the darkness. I think you'll need a guide who knows the Empire inside and out."
"How about I go with you? We can investigate together."
The soldiers on the city wall were stunned by Gerald's words.
"Your Majesty, you absolutely cannot!"
"How can the soldiers remain behind while Your Majesty charges to the front lines alone?"
"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
But Gerald simply waved his hand dismissively. "What's the problem? Do you doubt my strength, or the strength of the God of Strife here? The matter is settled!"
He turned to Mydei. "Wait here for a moment while I arrange the Empire's affairs. Then we'll depart."
Mydei nodded slightly. "Very well."
When Gerald said "a moment," he truly meant it. Less than twenty minutes later, he returned, riding his dragon. It seemed less like he'd been arranging state affairs and more like he'd just gone home to pack a bag.
Seeing Gerald's carefree demeanor, Mydei guessed the Imperial ministers were probably overwhelmed with work.
"Follow me," Gerald said.
However, Mydei noticed that the wyvern beneath Gerald had been swapped. It was now Thor, the talking wyvern that had accompanied him to the Arcane Federation conference.
As if sensing Mydei's gaze, Thor nodded slightly toward him. "Greetings, powerful god."
The two men and the wyvern soared across the Empire's skies at high speed. Thor seemed to be using some form of magic; visible white air currents streamed from his wings, further accelerating their flight. Yet no matter how fast he flew, Mydei effortlessly kept pace.
In just half a day, they had crossed half the Empire. In the distance, Mydei could see a massive, black, bowl-like object inverted over the land—a signature technique of the Child of Flesh.
But that creature should be sealed beyond the World Barrier, Mydei thought. How is it affecting the Material World?