Strongest Kingdom: My Op Kingdom Got Transported Along With Me

Bregion empire , in the imperial citadel

Beneath the domed ceiling of the Flamehold Hall, light pours through golden skylights shaped like phoenix wings, casting warm firelight across the obsidian and silver-veined floor. The throne room of the Bregion Empire is vast—wide enough to house a war camp, tall enough to dwarf siege engines. Every corner is etched with runes of power and protection, and murals of past emperors burn softly on the stone walls, flickering as if alive.

And now, it fills with motion.

One by one, shadows appear at the far end of the hall.

Their footsteps echo like drums across the polished stone.

The Twenty Spears of the Empire have arrived.

They do not come together. They do not walk as equals. Each enters alone, and each arrival is a presence that shifts the room's weight. These are the Empire's most elite champions—not bound by blood, nor oath, but by deed and recognition.

Some wear full armor, blades sheathed at their hips or backs. Others come in robes, with staves or bare hands, mana humming around them. One moves like a breeze, her feet silent on the ground, eyes cold as glacier glass. Another is massive, dragging a hammer across the floor behind him that scrapes sparks with every step.

They are men or women.

All dangerous.

The last to enter is cloaked entirely in white, his face hidden beneath a polished silver mask. No footsteps mark his entrance. Only silence.

They stop before the high steps of the Solar Throne, forming a wide crescent beneath the Emperor's gaze.

High above them, Emperor Varnen was seated, his long crimson cloak trailing behind him like a spill of blood across the dais. A pair of phoenixes like beast, flaming, and silent—perch at either side of his throne, watching with ember-lit eyes.

The flames from the phoenixes flicker softly, their heat felt even from across the vast chamber. Emperor Varnen stands still, unblinking, a mountain of command wrapped in quiet fire. The runes in the walls pulse in rhythm with his mana, low and steady like the beating of a giant's heart.

Before him—the Twenty Spears.

Even among them, the five at the peak of Tier 6 radiate presence like suns behind clouds. Their auras—contained but undeniable—bend the air subtly around them. One could carve kingdoms from the power they wield.

And yet—

As one, they kneel.

Steel gauntlets scrape the stone. Robes whisper as knees touch the floor. Even the quietest among them, Whisper, lowers his head without sound or hesitation.

It is not fear.

It is reverence.

Emperor Varnen doesn't speak at first. He lets the silence carry. Letting it settle into the bones of the room.

Only the distant crackle of phoenix flame breaks the stillness.

Then—

"You honor me," he says.

His voice is calm. Neither warm nor cold. But it cuts through the stillness like a sword through mist.

The tall, emerald-eyed spear to the Emperor's left—Sevrin, First Spear, peak Tier 6, once called the Blade of Gyr—lifts his head first, but does not yet rise.

"Your will is our command, Your Majesty," he says, voice firm but respectful. "Summon us once, and we come. Summon us twice… and we bring the Empire's answer."

A low rumble of agreement comes from behind him.

Emperor Varnen lifts one hand, palm open.

"Sit."

It is not a suggestion. It is command made effortless by power.

The Twenty Spears obey without hesitation. Cushioned, rune-etched seats rise from the floor around them—some molded of enchanted stone, others formed from dense, heat-hardened wood, shaped to suit each warrior's body and build. Even the monstrous hammer-wielder, finds his place with a grunt, folding his arms like boulders stacked across his chest.

Once they are seated, the air shifts.

"You already know why I have assembled you."

A beat of silence.

Then a voice answers—deep, steady, and edged with steel.

"It's the monsters," says Jheven, First Spear. "The ones invading our continent."

Another voice cuts in—lighter, sharp as cracked glass.

A woman in dark silver robes leans forward, her short white hair shimmering with arcane current. Her name is Orara, the Ninth Spear, one of the empire's highest-ranked combat mage.

She narrows her eyes. "Are they truly such a threat? Monsters raid our continent every few decades. This feels no different."

Whisper, still masked and silent, doesn't speak—but his head turns slightly, listening.

Emperor Varnen doesn't respond at first.

Instead, his gaze sweeps across the room, slow and surgical. It lingers on one man.

A man who stiffens the instant he feels it.

"Perhaps," the Emperor says, voice even, "we should ask Marshal Corven."

The room goes still.

All eyes turn.

Corven—Seventeenth Spear—sits with his arms loosely folded, head slightly bowed. But the moment his name is spoken, he jolts, just barely.

A flicker of breath.

A ripple of tension.

He straightens a little too quickly, eyes sharp beneath his cloak. But even with his composed posture, something under his skin seems strained.

The others notice.

"Marshal Corven," Varnen repeats, quieter now. "You returned from Rithamar two weeks ago. You saw them. Firsthand."

A silence stretches.

Corven hesitates for the briefest second—too brief for mortals, but not in this hall. Not among peers who kill gods and call it duty.

"Yes… Your Majesty," he says finally. "I fought one of them."

Resna, Fifth Spear, her voice like dry wind, asks without looking at him, "What rank was the one you fought?"

Corven's jaw tightens. "Difficult to gauge. The creature's aura was… wild."

"Estimate," Orara presses, eyes narrowed.

"…Somewhere between high and peak Tier 6," he says after a beat.

There's a pause.

A long one.

Then Jheven, First Spear, leans forward slowly, elbows resting on his knees. His voice is calm. Too calm.

"Strange. The reports said you engaged for barely ten seconds."

Eyes shift.

Shessa of the Eighth snorts lightly. "Was that before or after you extorted their treasury?"

Corven's eyes flash. "I did what I had to. Their border defenses were collapsing. Their ruler was indecisive—"

"That ruler," Jheven cuts in, voice sharper now, "was still hosting an imperial envoy. You arrived without orders. You threatened them into giving up their artifacts. And then—when a single creature showed up—you ran."

Corven's fingers curl around the edge of his chair.

Orara's eyes glitter. "Used a treasured escape charm, didn't you? That glowing scarab that breaks spatial locks?"

Corven doesn't answer.

He doesn't have to.

The silence condemns him more than any accusation.

Vahlra, always blunt, leans back and says flatly, "So much for 'Marshal.' You lasted what, three attacks?"

A few chuckles ripple through the Spears—not mocking, but cold. Sharp-edged.

Even Whisper tilts his head ever so slightly. A gesture of judgment.

Emperor Varnen's voice cuts through it all. Still measured. Still calm.

"You stole from them. You fled without reporting your encounter until summoned."

Corven lowers his head. His voice is tight but steady.

"I accept your judgment, Your Majesty."

Emperor Varnen nods once, the flames behind him flickering higher.

"Then listen well. You will report to the frontlines at once. You will support the Lichento Clan in the southeastern ridgeline—where the monsters are breaking through."

The silence that follows is heavy. The Lichento Clan is not known for mercy. Their lands are bleak, their warriors tireless—and they do not suffer weakness.

Corven inclines his head stiffly.

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

No excuses. No protest. He knows any further words will only deepen the blade.

With that, Varnen shifts his gaze from Corven to the map hovering above the chamber—glowing softly, showing the fractured edge of the continent where twisted red marks indicate monster activity.

The meeting resumes.

The meeting continues for nearly an hour—assignments discussed, contingencies drawn, reinforcements pledged. Whisper writes nothing, but his head tilts with every new change of plan, memorizing it all.

Eventually, the Emperor raises his hand once more.

The chamber falls still.

"You have your orders," he says.

He turns back toward the Solar Throne.

"Dismissed."

The phoenixes let out a low, harmonic cry as the Twenty Spears rise. Chairs vanish into mist and stone. Boots echo across the obsidian floor again.

No one speaks to Corven as they pass.

He walks out last. Alone.

The doors of Flamehold Hall close behind them all with a thunderous, final boom.

----

The second morning arrives sharp and golden. Light spills over the immense arena like liquid fire, gleaming off polished stone and enchanted banners high above the stands. Tens of thousands of spectators fill the seats, their cheers rolling like thunderclouds.

The sky hums with magic. Runes across the coliseum walls pulse softly in sync with the beating of ceremonial war drums. In the center, the arena floor gleams clean—cleared of blood, beasts, and illusions from yesterday's trials.

The top ten teams are already assembled in the ring, spaced evenly in a broad circle.

Now, they are the focus.

Alix stands with the others—calm, steady, his gaze sweeping across the competitors. Around him, Gresren adjusts the grip on his shield, Solven spins a dagger idly between his fingers, and Velira rests her hand on the curve of her bow. Their gear is cleaned, but their bodies still carry the weight of yesterday.

A pulse of mana ripples through the air.

BOOM.

A booming voice explodes across the arena—clear and amplified by magic.

"Citizens of the Empire! Are you ready?!"

The crowd erupts, a wave of sound crashing down in answer. The cheers shake the very stone beneath the warriors' boots.

"Yesterday," the announcer continues, "we witnessed ten teams rise from the chaos! Ten teams strong enough—cunning enough—to claw their way through monsters, rivals, and impossible odds!"