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Chapter 8- The Howling Seals

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  [SYSTEM ALERT: Time: 86 Years After the Covenant of Black Bliss]

  [Location: Melngradnia Empire – The Center of Existence]

  [Status: The Seals Are Crumbling]

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  Eighty-six years have passed since the "Covenant of Black Bliss."

  Eighty-six years, and the Empire of "Melngradnia" is not just thriving. It is redefining the very concept of human existence under the grip of Emperor Arthur de Flancde.

  Melngradnia is no longer just an empire on the seven continents. It has become the "Center" around which the planets revolve. A superpower that has eroded the sovereignty of ancient kingdoms.

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  In the heart of the continent of "Andria"—the continent that has become entirely Imperial land and the seat of the Great Capital—the scene was beyond imagination.

  The air there was not just oxygen. It was charged with particles of "Faith Points" that turned human bodies into superhuman biological machines.

  In Melngradnia, a twelve-year-old child no longer needs protection. Thanks to modified genes and the Imperial Covenant, a child at this age possesses the power of a "Rank 3 Swordsman." That rank used to require decades of bitter training. And now? This child can face a thousand soldiers from ordinary foreign kingdoms and turn them into rubble in minutes.

  As for the nobles and the regular Imperial army, they reached a stage of "transcending humanity." Field commanders have lifespans extending to nine centuries. Skin impenetrable by ordinary blades. The ability to manipulate elements and data thanks to the blessing of Elias and Flora.

  Melngradnia lived in a "bubble of immortality." While the outside world watched with bitterness and envy behind the "Law of the Void."

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  But while bliss enveloped "Andria," the universe groaned.

  The seals placed by the ancient gods before eternity—for which the Eternal Dragons were vital locks—began to crumble.

  Gladius, in his ancient stupidity, had pulled out the nails.

  And now... the door was opening.

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  [SYSTEM ALERT: Location: Sky of the Crumbling Kingdom of Celestia]

  [Event: Reality Tearing Apart]

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  On a cold night outside the Imperial continent's borders, specifically over the sky of the crumbling Kingdom of "Celestia," reality tore apart.

  It wasn't lightning or thunder. It was a sound like tearing paper, yet it echoed deep within the souls of everyone who heard it.

  Deep purple rifts began to appear in the void, emitting a thick black mist smelling of the "Forgotten World."

  Suddenly, and without warning, the "Portals" emerged.

  Giant stone portals inscribed in a language that did not belong to this time. From the heart of those portals, hordes of "Forgotten Monsters" began to pour out.

  The first thing that characterized these creatures was their eyes. Dark purple eyes leaning towards black, devoid of any glimmer of life or mercy.

  These monsters did not resemble the predators humans knew. They were the embodiment of nightmares. Hard scaly skins, multiple limbs ending in bony blades, and halos of energy surrounding their bodies.

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  In a small border village belonging to the Kingdom of Celestia, monsters with a blue halo appeared. They were wolf-like creatures but the size of horses, moving almost at the speed of light.

  To Melngradnia, these monsters were "weak." But to Celestia, they were a catastrophe.

  A single blue halo monster was able to annihilate the entire village garrison in seconds. The screams of women and children found no echo, as these monsters devoured the bodies and spiritual data of the victims, leaving behind cold ash.

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  [SYSTEM ALERT: Cosmic Broadcast Initiated]

  [Speakers: Elias and Flora]

  [Content: Classification of the Threat]

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  As the world drowned in terror, the images of Elias and Flora suddenly appeared in the sky of every kingdom. As if broadcasting a live cosmic stream.

  They didn't offer help. They offered "knowledge" that increased despair.

  In Flora's psychopathic voice punctuated by faint laughter, she announced the death classifications to the world:

  · Blue Halo: Inferior monsters, threatening small villages.

  · Red Halo: Ordinary monsters, capable of wiping out fortified villages and entire battalions.

  · Black Halo: Strong monsters, capable of bringing down small cities and turning them into rubble.

  · Silver Halo: "Commanders"... Superhuman monsters at which history trembles, threatening capitals and small kingdoms by their mere presence.

  But Flora didn't stop there. She increased the bitterness of the situation as she looked into the cosmic camera with an eye gleaming with madness.

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  Flora:

  "And there, my little ones... the extraordinary monsters. Their eyes are silvery-white, and their halos might be as thick as the sky! Sky Silver will wipe out medium-sized kingdoms, and Dark Gold? Oh... these can turn a great kingdom like Celestia into rubble in one night!"

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  What Elias and Flora didn't tell the world, keeping it only for Arthur, the 18 Forgotten, and the Eight Girls, was the existence of 32 Royal monsters.

  These are the "Generals of the Void." Semi-human creatures with horns and tails, possessing intelligence far beyond humans. Their halos are a mixture between Light Gold and Sky Silver.

  These are the elite who pave the way for their king... the Forgotten Entity.

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  [SYSTEM ALERT: Location: Kingdom of Astoria – Fifth Continent]

  [Event: First Silver Halo Commander Appears]

  [Status: Total Annihilation]

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  In the Kingdom of "Astoria," a medium-sized commercial kingdom located on the fifth continent, the first "commander" of silver halo monsters appeared.

  The being resembled a giant human four meters tall, wearing natural armor that grew from his flesh, carrying a pillar of black energy in his hand.

  As soon as he emerged from the portal, Astoria's capital walls exploded from the pressure of his halo alone. He didn't need to fight. He walked the streets, and everyone who approached him decomposed physically before he even touched them.

  The old king of Astoria fell to his knees as he saw his "elite" army being annihilated like ants under the feet of this being.

  King of Astoria (In despair):

  "Where are the gods? Where is Melngradnia?"

  The Silver Monster (In broken human language and a metallic voice):

  "Your gods... died... and we... the Hunger... Ancient."

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  That night, Astoria was wiped off the map. Not a stone was left on top of another. The entire kingdom turned into an "ash zone." Its portal became a source for thousands of red and black halo monsters that began spreading like a terminal illness across the continent.

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  While the six other continents were ablaze, the continent of "Andria"—the Empire's capital—was eerily quiet.

  Behind the great walls, the Imperial army was on high alert.

  In the throne room, Arthur sat. His features becoming colder after 86 years. He hadn't aged a single day, looking as if he were carved from black diamond.

  Beside him, the Eight Girls stood like lethal shadows. Their purple and black energy creating a pressure halo that made the air in the room heavy.

  Elias (Coldly looking at the world map glowing with purple dots):

  "The curtain is beginning to rise, Arthur. The seals have faded by 70%. The Royal monsters haven't appeared yet, but their wind is starting to arrive."

  Flora (Jumping with joy):

  "Arthur, shall we let the other kingdoms die for a bit? I want to see Celestia begging us! I want to see the 'Royals' shredding those kingdoms that once thought they could stand against us."

  Arthur (His voice like distant thunder):

  "Let whoever dies, die. Melngradnia will not open its doors until 'He' appears. Ordinary monsters are nothing but fuel for my people's Faith Points. Send the 18 Forgotten to the outer borders... I want them to reap the silver and gold heads that dare approach 'Andria.' As for the rest... let them taste the bitterness of a world that didn't prepare."

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  Celestia Massacre and the Emergence of "Dark Gold"

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  On the third day of the attack, the disaster reached its peak in the Kingdom of Celestia.

  Suddenly, the ground split in the middle of the capital. An extraordinary monster with a dark gold halo emerged.

  It was a distorted dragon with two heads, and silvery-white eyes that didn't look at matter, but looked directly at souls.

  As soon as it appeared, the capital's lake evaporated completely.

  The king, who thought his army fortified with ancient magic could stand, watched in horror as the monster opened its mouth and fired a beam of "Forgotten Matter" that wiped out a quarter of the city in one pulse.

  The people in Celestia began shouting the names "Arthur," "Elias," and "Flora."

  The kingdoms that used to refuse harsh trade terms and were stubborn about entering the Covenant now began sending frantic distress messages. Offering everything: sovereignty, gold, souls... just for one Imperial intervention.

  But the Imperial response was shocking and harsh.

  A unified message appeared in the world's sky:

  "He who did not sign the Covenant of Bliss in peace has no place in the Fortress of Immortality in war. Melngradnia is for believers only. "

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  Anatomical Description of the Forgotten World

  The monsters didn't just kill. They were reshaping the land.

  In the areas that fell, leafless black trees began to grow, absorbing life from the soil and turning it into "Forgotten Energy" feeding the portals.

  The atmosphere in those areas became heavy, its color leaning towards dark purple. No ordinary human could breathe for more than an hour without their lungs decomposing.

  The "Royal" class monsters (the 32), despite their full appearance in the field not yet occurring, their influence began to show.

  On some fronts, human-looking beings wearing cloaks woven of pure darkness were seen standing atop mountains watching the massacres coldly.

  These are the "Engineers." They collect data and souls to open the Great Portal from which the Forgotten Entity will emerge.

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  Closing Scene of the Chapter: Omen of Catastrophe

  At the end of the first week, the seven continents (except Andria) had turned into a raging hell. Millions were killed. Entire kingdoms became memories in the age of ash.

  Elias stood on the balcony of the destroyed Azure Palace (which had been turned into a cosmic observatory) and looked towards the horizon where Celestia's sky was glowing with the dark gold color of the extraordinary monster.

  Elias:

  "They have begun, Flora. The Royal monsters have started moving from the 'Deep.' Do you feel it?"

  Flora (Suddenly serious, looking down where Arthur stood in the middle of his army):

  "I feel it... the Forgotten Entity is breathing. Arthur... are you ready to see what the gods feared?"

  Arthur didn't respond in words.

  Instead, he raised his sword "Void." A black wave shot out of it, splitting the purple clouds in the sky. As if announcing to the Forgotten World and its monsters:

  "I am the jailer you feared... and I am the end you didn't account for. "

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  Thus began the eighth chapter... the beginning of the "Age of Destruction." Where the world collapses, and Melngradnia stands as the lone mountain in the middle of a sea of forgotten monsters.

  Destruction was only the beginning. In the next chapter, we will see the first direct clash between the 18 Forgotten and a Royal class monster. We will see how the world's kings will beg Arthur while he refuses to even look at them.

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  The Three Kingdoms That Chose Wisely

  Eighty-six years have passed since that historic day in the third year of Emperor Arthur's reign, the day that witnessed the signing of the "Covenant of Black Bliss." And the Empire of Melngradnia was not the only one to reap the fruits.

  While the seven continents were now drowning in waves of Forgotten Monsters, three kingdoms stood as fortified islands amidst the raging ocean.

  Their survival was no coincidence. It was a reward for three leaders who realized early on that the old world had ended and that Arthur was the "Shadow of God on Earth."

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  In the frigid north, the kingdom of "Iron-Fang" was under the leadership of King Bruno the Steely. Who on the day of the Covenant was merely a young general leading a military delegation to pledge loyalty to Arthur, signing the contract realizing that power is the only law.

  Today, Bruno appears as a giant with red hair and a thick beard, wearing "Neometal" armor developed by Melngradnia. His eyes carrying the glow of stern faith, turning his kingdom's mountains into the world's arsenal producing war machines powered by Faith Points.

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  On the shores of the fifth continent stands the kingdom of "Azure-Coast" led by Duke Valerian the Sublime. Who was a teenage crown prince on the day of the Covenant seeking protection, for which Arthur granted him the "Essence of Immortality."

  Today, Valerian is an elegant man with sharp features, wearing Imperial purple silk and commanding a fleet moved by the pulses of the 18 Forgotten.

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  As for the golden plains, the kingdom of "Solar-Valley" was under the rule of Queen Celine the Radiant. Who was the first to realize that Elias and Flora represented the will of the One and Only, signing the Covenant and becoming the world's food granary whose crops never wither thanks to Melngradnia's technology.

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  In the Great Hall of the Azure Palace, the three stood before the throne. There was no kneeling of worship, but a bow of deep military and political respect.

  Arthur spoke in a cold, calm voice. Stating that the past 86 years were merely practice. That the seals Gladius broke were beginning to explode completely. Asserting that the Forgotten Monsters would not stop at the borders of Celestia.

  Bruno struck his chest hard and told the Emperor that the north was trembling under the feet of Black Halo monsters. That if not for the three "Forgotten" Arthur sent, the fortress would have fallen.

  Valerian added that the coasts were under siege by an extraordinary monster with a Sky Silver halo under which the sea boiled. Emphasizing that their people believe in the One and Only and that their Faith Points are at their peak.

  Suddenly, Flora appeared behind Celine and whispered in her ear with a mocking laugh about whether she felt afraid. Explaining that the monsters fear the Forgotten more.

  Elias looked out the window at the purple horizon explaining that the 18 Forgotten are part of the Covenant. That each kingdom possesses three of them not just for protection but as actual leaders. Especially since the 32 Royal Monsters have begun to move, so Arthur decided to support them with the second generation of war machines.

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  In the kingdom of "Azure-Coast," the sea split and the "Giant of the Depths" emerged. An extraordinary monster with a Sky Silver halo and silvery-white eyes possessing hundreds of arms firing beams of void.

  Here, the three of the "18 Forgotten" moved:

  · "Lethal Shadows" flew at supersonic speed and used the data-deconstruction ability to turn the monster's tentacles into fading black squares.

  · "The Human Machine" fired a barrage of energy projectiles charged with the people's Faith Points to erase the monster's halo.

  · "The Silent" stood and raised his hand to make the sky collapse upon the earth in the monster's area, causing it to explode from within and turning the sea dark purple.

  Valerian and his army of Rank 3 Swordsmen pounced on the smaller monsters in an organized slaughter.

  By Flora's order, raw energy crystals were sent to the three kingdoms to increase the strength and lifespan of humans.

  In "Solar-Valley," farmers now possessed superhuman physiques that made them slaughter Black Halo monsters with energy scythes, believing in the protection of the One and Only.

  In "Iron-Fang," Bruno led his army with the Forgotten using void cannons that erase entire mountains.

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  Arthur directed a cosmic message to the three kingdoms. Asserting that steadfastness is the condition of the Covenant. That the kingdoms that fell like Celestia fell for their worship of gold and the past, while they serve the future. Promising them what lies beyond immortality.

  At the end of the scene, while the Forgotten were clearing the borders, shadows of 32 Royal Monsters appeared on the horizon. One of them with light gold horns and a silver tail watching the borders of "Azure-Coast" in confusion. Realizing that these kingdoms are the limbs of the great Empire of Melngradnia.

  Elias and Flora laughed from the balcony of their palace as they saw the confusion of the Royal Monsters. Flora commenting that the game had become interesting because the monsters began to understand that entering the lands of the Covenant means absolute death.

  Arthur replied that the 18 Forgotten are thirsty for the blood of the forgotten kings. And that the next chapter will not be a defense but a harvest.

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