"M-massacred?"
Hearing this shocking statement from the Empire Spirit, all thoughts flew out of Daneel's mind.
In one night?!
Daneel really couldn't believe it. Everything looked so perfect, that he felt that it was impossible to destroy it.
During his inquiries, he had also found out that the military strength of the Empire was also the highest in the continent, due to the fact that all those who went to the military were only doing so after being judged to have both the talent and interest for it.
Seeing the disbelieving look on Daneel's face, the Empire Spirit said, "Don't believe me? See for yourself."
POOF
As a sound akin to that of candles being blown out was heard, the sight in front of Daneel changed.
"Run!"
"The King has gone crazy!"
"Call the military!"
"It's useless, they were the first to be killed!"
"No, not the children!"
The hawking from before was replaced by shouts like these from terrified citizens who were gathered in crowds, running from something.
Daneel was still sitting in the same portico, so hearing a strange sound from one direction, he turned to that side.
This sound was also heard by the people who were running in front of him, so they turned around too.
Behind them was a massive giant of a man, standing at least 20 feet tall.
His upper body was naked, and it seemed to be enlarged disproportionately when compared to his lower.
Veins throbbed on the bulging muscles, and because it had also changed to night time, the light from the streetlight-trinkets bounced off of the blood on them to give him a ghastly look.
Even though all of this was terrifying in itself, it was this man's face which brought the most fear in those running away.
Where his features were supposed to be present, there was only mangled flesh.
Instead of a nose, there were only two holes. One eye socket was empty, while the other actually had an eye, but it was dangling off to one side of the face. The jaw was hanging loose, but because there was nothing to base judgment on, no one could tell whether it was because the man was laughing or screaming.
The image of this man's face was so shocking that Daneel actually had to take a moment before realizing what this man was up to and why so many people were running away from him.
There were no weapons in his hands, but he was punching and chopping in different directions.
And every time he did so, at least 50 people died, with the closest turning into bloody mist.
The ones who were farther back at least had their bodies intact, but blood leaked from all the orifices on their face, as if the only thing left inside their head was mush.
Since the moment when Daneel had turned his head to take notice of this monstrosity, it was as if time had stopped, which could be attributed to the adrenaline pumping through Daneel's body.
Now that he had taken in the image, time went back to normal.
In barely two seconds, the giant mowed through all the people on the street before going further into the city, causing more screams to be heard.
In front of Daneel, the street was now filled with various body parts and lifeless bodies, along with rivers of blood.
Unable to handle the sight, Daneel looked up, and he saw flames burning on the horizon.
When that man had passed by, Daneel had noticed one feature of his that he had missed before.
He had a perfectly cut short beard, and it had been familiar.
After racking his mind for a bit, Daneel got the answer.
It had been the Emperor, whose picture he had seen on posters around the city.
As if the Empire Spirit had been waiting for him to make this connection, it flicked its fingers right after he did so.
POOF
That same sound was heard, and everything was back to normal.
The utopia was once again reflected in his eyes, but Daneel was still stuck in the horror he had seen before.
As if his job was done, the golden-eyed man put his hands behind his head and started whistling a tune.
Daneel took a few seconds to get that ghastly image out of his mind.
After he finally did so, he asked the most important question.
"Why?"
The answer from the Empire Spirit made his jaw drop further, while also infuriating him to no end.
"That's your job to find out, kiddo. I was instructed to show this after the first milestone was reached, and also to give access to a certain number of manuscripts. Read them at your leisure. You can contact me if you have any pressing queries, but if you're smart enough, you won't need to. Well then, it was nice seeing you. Come back when you reach the next milestone. When you do, the golden light will be back. Ok, goodbye then."
After the last word came out of the Empire Spirit's mouth, Daneel went blank.
Once again, he was assaulted by a splitting headache, causing him to get up and massage his head.
Only, this time, he was back in his own body.
He had fallen down at the entrance of the secret room in the library, so he got up and entered before closing the door behind him.
The golden light was gone, and the pedestal was back to normal
Going to it, he once again summoned the oathstone and inserted it before being greeted by a list of books in his mind.
There weren't that many, but the first one itself blew his mind.
"Ruler's Spell Technique"
He had to read the name 3 times before confirming that it was real.
A spell technique! An actual, bonafide spell technique!
Since that moment years ago when he had seen his master manipulating elementary particles to do incredible things, he had dreamed of having his own.
Now, finally, his dream had come true.
No matter what the meaning behind that vision was, or what information the other books held, all the pains he had gone to to increase the satisfaction level were already worth it.
A smile almost came on his face at this moment, but the horror of the sight before stopped it from appearing.
He needed to find out the reason behind that message.
But it wouldn't hurt to find out more about the enticing spell technique first.
Flipping through the pages, Daneel got more and more amazed with each word.
The idea itself was so revolutionary, that he wondered whether this was all a fable.
However, things started to increase in complexity quickly, making that headache come back.
Finally, the formulae and formations of elementary particles became so complex that Daneel had to give up.
If it were anyone else, they would have lost hope at having such an incredible thing but not being able to use it.
Thankfully, he had the World Domination System.
As if it felt itself being called when he thought about it, the system spoke in his mind.
Daneel had thought that he was done with shocks for the day, but the notification showed him that he was wrong.
[Information source assimilated.
Host has received: "Ruler's Inheritance"
Achievement Unlocked: First Inheritance
First Inheritance: Congratulations! By working steadfastly to make the people under your rule happy, you have done something which has not been achieved by many, many Kings before you. You met the conditions required to unlock the first level of the legendary Empire Spirit! By doing so, you have received your first inheritance. It will help you greatly on the path to becoming a World Dominator!
Would host like to activate the inheritance?]
Daneel could not even respond for a while.
Inheritance this, inheritance that.
He had heard this over and over again from those from the Big 4, and he had thought that it was something which would never be related to him, unless he tried to fake his accomplishments using the inheritance as an excuse.
Hence, when he saw that he had actually ended up obtaining one, he couldn't believe it.
Although he was very curious about what it was, he decided that he would first agree and 'activate' it first.
So, he answered, "Yes".
BOOM
Suddenly, a torrent of foreign thoughts and emotions flooded his mind, and it seemed as if an explosion had been set off inside his mind.
Sadly, it was too much, and the King of Lanthanor fainted once again.