Thunder roared like war drums, tearing the sky apart.
Black clouds filled with rage churned beneath the heavens, releasing a burning and suffocating aura.
This restless tide poured into people's lungs, drowning and crushing all ease and calm.
Strange colored lights flashed again and again between the black clouds. Bright colors lifted the center of the clouds, and the force of destruction stabbed into the earth like blades.
The Padalenbu Sea was not far from the Empire. The strange movement above the ocean spread with rumbling sounds all the way to the Calencia Empire.
Even the center of the Empire, the royal capital, was affected.
The sky was gloomy, like the eyelids of a god tightly shut, completely blocking out the daylight.
The heavy thunder turned into Hypnos's snoring, dull and long.
A violent wind suddenly swept through the streets. Wooden signs slapped loudly against both sides of the road, and even the stone pavement seemed to let out dull crashing sounds.
Raindrops the size of beans fell like countless pieces of nature crashing down from the sky, violently spinning as they swept across the entire city.
Horses neighed, carriages overturned.
The terrifying storm seemed able to drag everything into the dark sky.
The towering dome of the royal palace was cut by the storm. Sharp howling sounds kept rising, spreading a ghostly sense of evil.
Under this gloom, even the massive palace sank into deep heaviness.
Authority seemed to have gripped everyone's throat.
Dim candlelight flickered around, making the inside of the palace extremely dark.
Fear spread like a plague, swallowed by every trembling minister.
It felt as if a piece of gravel was stuck in their throats, making them choke.
Under the fierce wind, the palace gates kept making loud banging noises.
A strong sense of fear kept hammering at the ministers' hearts.
The situation was already urgent.
Emperor Aubrey, supported by Aurelian, sat upright on the throne and looked sternly at the ministers to one side.
His eyes shone with the authority of a lion. In the dim throne hall, they looked especially bright.
Like sharp daggers hanging above the ministers' heads.
When the ministers saw the emperor arrive, even though their hearts raced and sweat slid down their faces, they could only brace themselves and report quickly, "Your Majesty! News has come from all over the Empire!"
"Besitit has been flooded by heavy rain. The floodwaters have already rushed into the city!"
"Your Majesty! Ribinia is suffering from terrible heat and drought. Many crops have withered in just one day because of the high temperature!"
"Metremi has been struck by thunderstorms…"
The ministers reported one after another, their faces full of anxiety and shock.
The riot of the elements had almost affected the entire Empire.
Nearly every city within the Empire had been impacted.
Aubrey narrowed his eyes. Leaning back on the throne, the hand gripping the armrest slowly tightened as he asked, "Then where did this disaster of elemental riot come from?"
A minister tremblingly held up a magic stone, stepped forward respectfully, and handed it to Aubrey, "Your Majesty! This is footage recorded by President Raschel about the Padalenbu Sea."
The transparent magic stone gradually lit up. A faint blue magic image appeared...
The surging Padalenbu Sea was also covered in dark clouds, but the chaos there was many times more terrifying than in the royal capital.
Viktor stood in the raging sea, surrounded by horrifying disasters. Four colors twisted together, completely losing all harmony.
Terrifying lightning flashed in the clouds. Two faint giant dragons were tightly entwined, thunder raging and storms surging.
Storm winds carrying lightning repeatedly crashed down between the ocean and the scorched land.
On the sea's surface, purple lightning moved wildly, blasting the dark giant rocks standing in the fierce waves into pieces.
Falling bolts shattered the vast burnt earth, sending up towering dust, fueling blazing flames, as if they could burn even the remains of gods into ashes.
Aurelian, standing to the side, widened her eyes when she saw this.
'Teacher… why is he there!?'
The other ministers, unaware of the truth, also could not close their mouths, completely shocked.
'Damn, isn't that Viktor?'
He was standing alone among four overwhelming giant beasts. In such an extreme environment, he was actually still alive. It was unbelievable.
At this moment, the minister continued speaking with a trembling voice.
"Count Viktor… has already been fighting here for two full days."
Everyone else fell silent.
The minister continued reporting to Aubrey below, "Your Majesty, the Mage Council wants to broadcast the battlefield live to other countries, so they wish to ask for your opinion."
Since Viktor was, after all, from the Calencia Empire, the mages decided to ask the emperor first.
Aubrey sat firmly on the throne, watching the scene before him. His face was calm, without the slightest emotional change.
Suddenly, he raised his hand and pointed at the white dragon faintly passing through the thick clouds in the image, and asked, "The one that ran from the far north to the south last time, was it that thing?"
The ministers were stunned for a moment and fell into brief silence.
One minister quickly nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty, it was that giant dragon."
Aubrey relaxed and leaned back against the throne again.
"Tell the Council, I permit it."
"But they must also contribute their strength in that sea."
He added calmly, "The ocean must not be destroyed."
———
A green bird rushed out of the dark clouds and flew across the world.
At this moment, in the most prosperous area of the royal capital, a huge projection screen appeared in the sky.
It floated above. Even students hiding in their dorm rooms on campus could clearly see the image.
The students stared at the calm blue scene reflected before their eyes, gathering by the windows and holding their breath.
Their eyes seemed to lose focus, their minds going blank for a moment.
Professor Viktor was not at the academy. So he went to fight.
The natural sparrow quickly rode the wind across the world, reaching every council member.
———
[In The Ximinis Mountains, In Miti City]
Shouts rose one after another inside a tavern.
In the very center of the tavern stood a dwarf whose beard almost dragged on the ground.
He raised a mug high in his hand. On his chest was the councilor badge marked with three broken skulls.
The natural sparrow landed on his hand. The mug in the dwarf's hand shook, and he then lifted the sparrow high, "Hey, lads."
"Take a look at this."
The sparrow's eyes instantly shone with light. A bright blue image filled the sky, and Viktor's figure appeared before everyone.
The dwarves looked at the terrifying scene. Even though they were outside the disaster, they still felt their hearts trembling.
They asked the dwarf councilor in the center in shock, "What is this?"
The councilor took a big gulp of beer, crossed his arms, and said calmly, "The one who's going to make our Council famous."
———
The green bird flew through the clouds, climbing along a vine that stretched into the sky.
Thick clouds rolled endlessly in the darkness, and lightning flashed around from time to time.
A group of eagle people with wings lived among the towering vines.
They followed the green bird and flew even higher.
Until the bird was steadily caught by an eagle man with wide wings.
The badge with three broken skulls on his chest glinted faintly in the morning light.
"What has Raschel sent this time?"
The image spread across the sky, revealing the shocking scene of the Padalenbu Sea.
The eagle councilor raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh~! Wonderful."
He folded his wings over his chest, then suddenly spread them wide, stirring up a gust of wind.
His eyes stared passionately in the direction of the Padalenbu Sea, filled with wild excitement.
———
The green bird crossed barren and rugged mountains, passing through the heavy dusk and dust.
Under the watch of countless dragons living in those mountains, it flew to the peak of a towering summit.
At the summit stood several huge and fierce dragons.
They were different from each other, but all radiated pressure.
When the dragons saw the natural sparrow, their brows slightly furrowed, sparks bursting from their breath.
Yet something absurd stood among them.
A yellow Shiba Inu.
The dog wore a councilor badge on its chest. It stuck out its tongue, raised one paw, and let the green bird land on it.
It tossed the bird forward. The bird flew up and leaped into the sky.
The same image appeared above the mountain peak.
When the dragons clearly saw the giant beasts in the image, it felt as if a terrifying current surged through their bones.
They lowered their bodies, showing an extremely respectful posture.
———
The four calamities gathered. Disaster descended upon the world. No one could avoid it.
Even kingdoms felt threatened.
The Kingdom of Cant.
Inside a wide and luxurious mansion, many servants hurried back and forth.
An old man wearing shining jewels and gold ornaments sat steadily in a comfortable chair.
He leaned beside a floor to ceiling window, holding a cup of tea.
The Grand Duke lifted the tea and took a slow sip.
Then his gaze shifted to the magic stone brought by a servant.
Magic stones were minerals produced in abundance by the Calencia Empire, but extremely rare within the Kingdom.
And once a magic stone appeared in the Kingdom, it meant that something very important had happened, important enough to use a magic stone to pass information.
The Grand Duke picked it up and projected its power onto the door.
In an instant, the terrifying chaotic disaster made the entire room sink into a dark atmosphere.
The Grand Duke narrowed his eyes at the scene and slowly spoke, "Viktor Clavenna?"
"I know him."
He took another sip of tea, still calm.
"The four great natural elements… this is my first time seeing this."
"But I am more interested in him."
He set down the teacup, picked up the cane beside him, stood up, and began pacing the room.
He walked to the large floor to ceiling window, pulled aside the curtain, and looked outside.
The sky outside was completely covered by rolling dark clouds. The thick clouds seemed heavy enough to crash down.
Heavy rain raged, a blazing sun hung high.
Thunder struck the ground, storms howled.
This terrifying feeling of the end of the world kept striking the Grand Duke's sight.
Clearly, the battle was happening in the sea near the Empire, yet its shockwaves had already spread to the Kingdom.
"By the way, it will be Aurelian's birthday soon, right?"
The Grand Duke narrowed his eyes. There seemed to be a trace of nostalgia in them.
The servant behind him stood respectfully, not daring to speak.
"Send a letter to Aubrey. Tell him I miss Aurelian, and have her bring her teacher to visit me."
The servant nodded softly in agreement.
The Grand Duke turned his head and said to the servant, "And… inform that little king."
"The Council wants to promote Viktor in the Kingdom and elsewhere. There is no need for us to offend the Empire and the Council because of this."
"Tell him I agree to it."
The servant did not dare to speak, closed his eyes briefly, and nodded tremblingly.
The Grand Duke turned back and let out a light laugh.
He gently tapped his cane against the floor.
The sky that had been swallowed by dark clouds was instantly cleared of blackness.
It was as if all filth in the world had been washed away, revealing a bright and warm scene.
But farther away, dark clouds still rolled, and thunder still roared.
Looking at the scene before him, the Grand Duke felt pleased.
"Sunny days are still more comfortable to look at."