My Love Debts Are Everywhere!

"Then, I'll leave now," Leon said firmly.

With that, he tightened the saddle and urged his mount, which immediately galloped toward the capital's large gates.

...

Meanwhile, in the throne room, Velix stood before the throne, lifting the Seven-Crystal Aurora Magic Staff high.

The seven crystals atop his staff gleamed with a brilliant, multicolored light, sending radiant rays toward the black-cloaked man at the bottom of the stairs, who held a pitch-black orb in both hands.

Velix's eyes narrowed as he fixed his gaze on the orb, and their earlier conversation replayed in his mind.

***

"So, can you explain your plan to defeat the rebel army surrounding the capital? I want to hear it from you directly, so I can calm down," Velix asked indifferently, his tone cold.

The black-cloaked man grinned faintly, reached into his robe pocket, and pulled out a palm-sized pitch-black crystal orb.

"I'll use this to confront them," he declared proudly, raising the orb high.

Velix's expression darkened instantly, his eyes narrowing in anger.

"Are you serious? You're going to face them with that crystal orb?" Velix asked, his voice tinged with annoyance and disbelief.

Previously, he had expected the black-cloaked man's plan to be grand and impressive. He never imagined it would hinge entirely on that strange black crystal orb. It left him both furious and deeply disappointed.

Sensing the insult in his words, the black-cloaked man scowled, clearly offended.

"Don't underestimate this crystal orb, Velix Larrison. Though it may look ordinary, its power is terrifying. There's a reason it's ranked as the second most powerful weapon of the Temple of Twilight," he said arrogantly.

"Oh?" Velix raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised by the man's words, and examined the crystal orb closely. "Then, explain to me how this crystal orb works."

The black-cloaked man smiled again and explained, "This crystal orb is known as the 'Soul Devouring Crystal Orb.' As the name suggests, it has the power to devour and absorb the souls of living beings. Over thousands of years, it has consumed tens of millions—perhaps even hundreds—of souls."

He paused for a moment, gazing respectfully at the black crystal orb in his hand before continuing, "But that's only one of its many abilities. Its greatest power is to summon the souls it has consumed and transform them into soldiers who serve the will of its wielder."

Velix's expression shifted instantly, the anger and dismissiveness replaced by shock and disbelief.

"What did you say? Summoning souls to serve as soldiers under the wielder's command? That's terrifying!" Velix exclaimed in horror.

He hadn't anticipated that such an unassuming crystal orb would possess such a dangerous power. With potentially hundreds of millions of souls trapped inside, the cloaked man could command an army of unimaginable size!

Just the thought of it gave Velix goosebumps, and his wariness toward the man—and the Temple of Twilight behind him—grew even stronger.

"I'll likely need to come up with a more thorough plan to deal with them in the future," he muttered coldly.

The black-cloaked man couldn't help but smile at Velix's surprise. However, his smile slowly faded as he let out a soft sigh.

"Though it sounds impressive, there is a limit to how many souls can be summoned as soldiers. Furthermore, maintaining their form is extremely difficult and requires a significant amount of mana," he said, his expression turning grim.

If the crystal orb could truly summon hundreds of millions of souls as soldiers, the Temple of Twilight wouldn't be hiding in the shadows—they would have conquered the world long ago.

Velix breathed a sigh of relief at his words. Thankfully, the crystal orb had a critical flaw, so he didn't need to worry too much about it.

Taking a deep breath, Velix met the black-cloaked man's gaze with calm determination and asked, "I assume you told me the flaw of the crystal orb because you need my help, right? If that's the case, just say so. I'll assist you as much as I can."

The black-cloaked man chuckled softly and nodded. "You're quite sharp, Velix Larrison. I do need your help—more specifically, your mana—to activate this crystal orb."

It wasn't that he couldn't activate it with his own mana, but he preferred not to. The amount of mana required to turn the souls within the orb into soldiers was enormous.

If he exhausted his mana, Velix might see it as an opportunity to strike and kill him. Given the fragile nature of their cooperation, such a scenario wasn't entirely out of the question.

"Alright, I'll help you," Velix responded without hesitation.

Even knowing the black-cloaked man's hidden motives, Velix didn't care. The capital was surrounded by rebel forces, and he had to do everything necessary to defeat them and secure his position as Emperor.

The black-cloaked man smiled faintly, raising the crystal orb high. "Then, let's begin!" he exclaimed.

***

Snapping out of his reverie, Velix took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

"I pray the rebel soldiers outside the palace walls are crushed, and my position as Holy Emperor is secured once more," he muttered coldly.

...

As they made their way toward the gates of the capital, monsters erupted from the ground and attacked the soldiers.

A fierce battle was inevitable. Some soldiers formed teams and managed to defeat the dozen or so monsters that charged at them, while others fought alone, hacking away at the creatures surrounding them.

Despite their terrifying appearance, the monsters were surprisingly weak. However, their numbers were overwhelming and seemed endless, much like the previous incident in the Desert of Chaos.

"Kill them! Show no mercy to these monsters!" one soldier yelled as he cleaved through two monsters that appeared on either side.

"Understood!" Thirty soldiers nearby shouted in unison, swiftly taking down every monster in sight, whether emerging from the ground or already on the attack.

Amidst the chaos of battle, a horse charged through the sea of monsters with incredible speed. On its back were two striking figures—none other than Leon and Athena.

"Athena, don't you think your grip on me is a bit too tight?" Leon inquired in a slightly helpless tone.

Athena hugged him tightly, like an octopus clinging to his back. Her two huge breasts pressed against him, the softness and elasticity impossible to ignore.

Upon hearing Leon's words, Athena smiled and inhaled the refreshing scent of his body.

"Do you feel uncomfortable with me embracing you like this?" Athena teased, tightening her grip.

Her breasts pressed more firmly against his back, causing Leon's blood to stir. It had been two days since their last encounter, and the sensation of her softness was enough to trigger a natural response from his body.
Find adventures at empire

"This woman is really asking for trouble," Leon muttered through clenched teeth.

He hadn't expected Athena to tease him under these circumstances. If not for the countless monsters around them, he would have already given her the punishment she deserved.

*Argh!*

At that moment, four monsters charged toward them from the front, their claws raised high.

Leon narrowed his eyes and was about to raise his sword when, suddenly, four red fireballs shot from behind him, obliterating all four monsters in an instant.

For a moment he sat stunned on his horse, but then a smile slowly spread across his face as he glanced back.

"Thank you, Athena," he murmured softly, his hand gently covering hers, which was wrapped around his stomach.

Athena grinned mischievously. "You're welcome, Leon. Just focus on riding, and I'll handle the monsters along the way."

"Then I'll count on you," Leon replied with a smile.

With that, he urged his horse forward, heading toward the approaching gates of the Capital. However, as before, countless monsters surged from all directions, attempting to intercept and attack them.

*Snap!*

Athena snapped her fingers, and hundreds of fireballs appeared behind her, hurtling toward the monsters.

*Bang!*

In an instant, the fireballs turned them to ash. The scene repeated over and over as Leon finally made it safely through the city gates.

As he slowed his horse, Leon was stunned by the sheer number of monsters inside the city. They were as numerous as those outside the capital!

"Damn it! I didn't expect the monsters inside to be just as numerous as those outside! If we don't evacuate the civilians, I can't imagine how many lives will be lost. Velix is completely insane!" Leon cursed bitterly.

While he and the rebel army opposed Velix, the civilians were innocent and uninvolved. That was why Leon had ordered Albert to exercise caution and avoid harming ordinary people during the rebellions in other cities.

Velix, however, as Emperor, showed complete disregard for the safety of his people. His indifference revealed the extent of his determination to cling to power at any cost, further solidifying Leon's resolve to overthrow such a ruler.

"As an Emperor drunk on the sweetness of power, Velix won't let you overthrow him without a fight, Leon. Even if it means sacrificing his entire people, he won't hesitate," Athena remarked casually.

As a dragon who had lived through countless eras, she had seen firsthand how the world operated. Thus, Velix's indifference toward his people came as no surprise to her.

"Yes, you're right," Leon replied, his voice tinged with emotion.

"Well, don't dwell on it too much," Athena said soothingly, nuzzling her right cheek against his back. "What matters most now is reaching the palace and stopping this horde of monsters."

Leon nodded resolutely and was about to tug at the reins of his horse when a thunderous roar erupted above them.

*Roar!*

Startled, the two looked up to see a massive, dragon-like monster soaring through the sky, its piercing gaze locked coldly onto them.

Leon's eyes widened, and his heart pounded. "A dragon!?"

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A/N: Thanks for reading and don't forget your support! (ෆ˙ᵕ˙ෆ)♡