I am the Emperor of Humanity across the Multiverse

The elderly mage, with hair entirely white, slowly made his way to the end of the grand hall.

His full name was Saruy, a mage with no surname or family lineage, yet one of the most powerful in all of Terila.

No one knew his actual age or past, and no one knew how he had obtained such immense magical power.

The only certainty was that it was with Saruy's assistance that Arandy Ortondir had been able to eliminate dissent both inside and outside the capital, solidifying his power and ultimately becoming the Prime Minister.

As he entered the throne room, Saruy bowed respectfully before the throne and glanced unemotionally at the baron's bisected corpse.

"Useless fools!" Arandy angrily threw a crystal ball, the size of a tennis ball, onto the carpet, suppressing his rage as he muttered, "Three thousand city guards... Three thousand! An army built with vast sums of gold, and they couldn't defeat two children and a group of peasants?!"

As Arandy vented his frustration, the crystal ball on the carpet began to emit a glow, quickly projecting a magical screen resembling a hologram. It displayed an aerial view of the eastern part of the capital.

The screen replayed the battle, starting from the moment Aoe shot his armor-piercing arrows, all the way to the point where Dorne split the baron in two, and the city guards surrendered en masse.

When the magical screen faded, Arandy loudly demanded, "Saruy, what are those two children?!"

"The Emperor's sons," Saruy replied without hesitation.

"..." The golden-armored palace guards stood motionless, but it was impossible to know what they were thinking.

Their duty was to protect the royal family.

By all rights, they should have responded to the call of Dorne and Volgan, drawing their swords to execute the usurper Arandy, who sat on the throne and wore the crown.

However, they were Arandy's loyal henchmen, handpicked and promoted by him, so outwardly they remained indifferent.

"The Emperor... again with the Emperor... Aaagh! Why?! I'm the chosen one, destined to unify the realm! Why does he get to show up and instantly gain the support of the rabble? Why?!" 

Arandy, as if triggered by an old wound, could no longer contain his rage. He roared like a madman.

Seeing this, Saruy waved his hand, causing the baron's corpse to disintegrate into dust. He then approached Arandy, his eyes glowing faintly with a dark purple hue, and said in a low voice:

"The prophecy came from the elves, and they have no right to interfere in our human affairs.

As for you, my friend, you are the rightful ruler. Don't let the outside rumors and whispers affect you."

As he spoke, Arandy's eyes also flickered with a dark purple light. His expression became vacant as he calmed down, nodding slowly as he asked:

"Yes, I am the rightful ruler. So what should I do to stop the rabble from rioting? And... how do I kill those two bastards?"

"It's simple," Saruy leaned closer, lowering his voice:

"You need only set up a magic array and sacrifice the six hundred thousand peasants living in the eastern district. You will gain the favor of a deity, and with His help, securing the throne and killing those two brats will be trivial."

"Sacrifice six hundred thousand peasants?"

Arandy blinked in surprise. His eyes cleared from the earlier trance, and he grew wary, questioning:

"Saruy, what do you mean by this? Why are you suggesting such a thing? And who exactly is this deity of yours?"

"My friend, what do you think I mean?" Saruy stepped back, spreading his hands to show he had no ill intentions.

"It's a simple exchange. Think about it. If you willingly sacrifice six hundred thousand peasants, you will receive divine blessings.

As for the deity... He is omnipotent and all-knowing. See this magic I wield? It's a gift from Him.

With the power He bestows, no force will be able to stand against you. The elves and dwarves will once again bow before the capital... and call you king!

So, my friend, what do you think I mean?"

"King... I'll be king..." 

The brief moment of rationality Arandy had regained quickly dissolved into his overwhelming desire.

He stood, pacing in front of the throne several times, before making up his mind. He looked to the commander of his personal guard standing at his right and gave the order:

"Lock down the entire eastern district of the capital immediately. Cooperate with Archmage Saruy to prepare the magic array and resolve this peasant problem once and for all!"

The commander hesitated for two seconds. His expression, hidden under his helmet, was filled with inner turmoil. But in the end, he bowed and responded respectfully:

"Yes."

He then led a few of his men out of the hall.

"Heh." Arandy sat back down on the throne, oblivious to his commander's hesitation and inner conflict. He muttered to himself:

"Gods... huh... I haven't heard that term in a long time."

"My friend, open your heart and listen closely. You'll find that the gods have already taken notice of you," Saruy continued to manipulate Arandy with his words. At the same time, he turned toward the closed wooden doors, as if observing something. Satisfied that everything was proceeding as he expected, a faint smile crept across his face.

…

In the corridor far from the throne room:

"Commander," a low-ranking officer spoke quietly, "I think the Prime Minister has been completely driven mad by that sorcerer. To suggest sacrificing six hundred thousand peasants to some god? It's unthinkable."

"A god? I don't believe in gods. I only believe in the code of chivalry."

"I don't like peasants, but I'm not about to kill them indiscriminately."

Several other guards chimed in agreement.

"We can't forget that the dark forces of Moidoh are still expanding to the south. We can't allow this madness to continue. We should kill that sorcerer."

"Yes, the dark forces are our true enemy."

"Commander, give the order to arrest the sorcerer!"

Witnessing the Prime Minister fall under Saruy's influence had united the opinions of the palace guards.

"Arrest him? With what? That old man could tear us apart with a single gesture. As far as I'm concerned, only Queen Tinas Loslian of the elves could defeat that sorcerer."

"Are we just going to give up then?"

"How will we know if we don't try?"

"There are still two Grand Mages in the palace. Maybe we can form an alliance with them."

The guards wanted to fight back, unwilling to let the sorcerer have his way.

"Gentlemen, I never said we were giving up." The commander explained, "Mages can't be trusted. Who knows if the other two are also in league with Saruy?

So, for now, we'll cooperate with Saruy and gather our forces to surround the eastern district. Meanwhile, we'll secretly inform the Emperor's sons and ask for their help in taking down Saruy."

The Emperor's sons?

This time, no one raised objections.

The replayed images from the magical screen had shown that the two sons had exceptional physical prowess and combat skills. It was clear they might be the key to defeating Saruy, whose power came solely from magic.

…

A few hours later.

The area around the capital had already fallen into the dim light of dusk.

The streets were sealed off by tens of thousands of golden-armored guards, preventing any residents from leaving their homes. The eastern district was especially tightly guarded.

In addition to the military blockade, the eastern district was now encased in a faint magical barrier.

From an aerial view, one could clearly see that the residents, rallied by Dorne and Volgan, had used all available resources to build defensive structures and block off key pathways, standing in opposition to the Prime Minister's forces.

At the northernmost point of the eastern district was a large central square, now divided by the magical barrier.

Inside the barrier were Leroja and the Honorable Warriors leading the rebel forces.

Outside the barrier stood the elite soldiers under the command of the palace guard commander, along with Saruy, who was dressed in white robes and busy preparing the sacrificial array with complex hand gestures.

Meanwhile, in the underground tunnels outside the eastern district…

"Dorne," Aoe stood in front of him, speaking quickly to dissuade him:

"We cannot be certain if the words of the palace guard commander are true. If he's lying, you and your brother Volgan could be walking into a trap, jeopardizing the entire prophecy."

In front of Aoe stood Dorne with his giant sword, Volgan wielding his massive hammer, and their companions Thorion and Pietro Bomir.

The five had come to this spot because they had been warned by the palace guard commander about the Prime Minister's plan to sacrifice six hundred thousand residents.

The commander had explicitly stated that Saruy would perform the sacrificial ritual in the central square and that he would support the brothers in stopping it.

So, before the magical barrier went up, the five had taken shelter in the sewers outside the eastern district, waiting.

However, the guard commander hadn't offered much explanation or proof to back his claims. After delivering the warning, he had left immediately.

Sensing an ominous atmosphere throughout the capital, Aoe had been trying to convince Dorne not to rush into the square.

"I understand," Dorne

 said, continuing forward without hesitation as he passed Aoe.

"But I can't accept standing by and letting a tragedy happen when I have the chance to stop it, only to watch disaster unfold out of fear, doubt, or hesitation.

Besides, my brother and I will never sacrifice the lives of six hundred thousand innocent humans, elves, dwarves, or any other residents, just to fulfill some prophecy."

"Yes." Volgan's deep voice echoed his brother's sentiment.

"I would never stand by and watch either," Thorion added.

"..." Pietro silently nodded in agreement, showing his stance.

Seeing this, Aoe had no choice but to give up his argument and hurriedly followed Dorne, continuing:

"It's not just about the prophecy, Dorne. The central square could very well be a trap.

No one knows where the white-robed mage Saruy came from, or how he acquired such overwhelming magical power."

"Trap or not, my brother and I will personally deal with that trickster," Dorne replied.

They had reached the edge of the square. Dorne turned to Aoe, Thorion, and Pietro and said directly:

"I know my words may seem harsh, but what lies ahead is beyond what the three of you can handle. I don't want to see you die here.

For your safety, I ask that you stay here and wait... And my words are not a request or advice. They are an order."

With that, Dorne and Volgan ascended the steps and quickly disappeared from sight.

"Those two brats!" Thorion muttered in frustration, but he couldn't deny that Dorne was right.

Even if their combat abilities were strong, they were still "ordinary" compared to the Primarchs, who could take on hundreds or even thousands of enemies without fear.

"..." Aoe's expression was complicated. Perhaps he was worried that events were straying too far from the prophecy, or maybe he had other concerns.

…

At the edge of the central square.

The empty street was silent as Dorne and Volgan walked slowly forward.

The elite soldiers stationed at the square, tasked with guarding the sacrificial ritual, had already noticed the brothers' approach.

But as promised by the palace guard commander, the elite soldiers did not attack or attempt to stop them.

Thus, the two easily, and quite openly, "infiltrated" the central square, walking past the elite soldiers, who silently watched them, and headed straight for Saruy, who was fully absorbed in casting his spell.

The guard commander, his helmet adorned with red plumes, directed his men with hand gestures, signaling them to be ready.

At that moment.

Dorne, now just ten meters from Saruy, gripped his giant sword tightly. His expression turned grim, and in an explosion of speed and strength, he charged directly at Saruy's back.

Volgan, also giving his all, launched a full-force charge, attacking from behind his brother.

Screech! 

The storm giant sword easily sliced Saruy in half.

Boom! Splat!

Volgan's frost hammer then smashed the two halves of Saruy's body, turning them into a bloody mess.

"Kill the sorcerer!"

Seeing this, the guard commander immediately drew his sword and led his men to surround the two brothers, ready to help eliminate the threat completely.

However...

"Heh, you two youngsters didn't think my real target was those peasants, did you?"

Saruy's eerie laugh echoed throughout the square.

Boom! Boom!

Before anyone could react, the guard commander and all the elite soldiers were suddenly engulfed in a dark purple magical glow, igniting from within.

"Ah...!"

"No...!"

Their screams of agony were brief, as the purple flames consumed the commander and all his elite soldiers in seconds.

Dorne and Volgan then realized that the space around the square had begun to warp and distort. The familiar buildings of the capital were slowly replaced by a desolate wasteland, painted in shades of dark purple.

At the same time, they began to hear faint whispers, designed to seduce and manipulate:

"You are nothing but political pawns of the Emperor..."

"If he truly loved you, why would he let you walk into danger?"

"Child... your brother envies your leadership skills. Kill him... kill him..."

"The Emperor has never cared about you. He hates you! Foolish children, join us, embrace Moidoh, and become part of a warm, worry-free family. Together, we will crush the Emperor."

The whispers continued, relentlessly attacking Dorne and Volgan's minds. But amid all the voices, two sentences began to stand out:

"I am Dorne, the son of the Emperor, and Volgan's brother... his elder brother!"

"I am Volgan, the son of the Emperor, and Dorne's most loyal brother and friend!"

It seemed... these were the two brothers' own murmured affirmations?

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