Chapter 5: Gomain Akni Firegan

  When are we supposed to meet? About 8?

  Nitaan yawned and stretched before sitting back down on the bed. He started to brush Kiita’s fur. Kiita always rolled around when he slept, resulting in his fur being tangled and messy. Once finished, he got up to clean himself, grabbing his favorite wrinkled hooded jacket. Just as he was about to put it on, Nitaan frowned at the amount of black fur that stuck to his jacket.

  "It's not shedding season yet, is it? Why are you shedding so much, Kiita?"

  "Woof!"

  Even though Nitaan's Link had reached the Learner level, there were many times he didn't understand what that "Woof!" meant.

  Sometimes he understood what Kiita was trying to say. Many times he didn't understand at all. He thought Kiita was probably the same, understanding him sometimes.

  "Kinda cute. Whatever," Nitaan shrugged before putting on the jacket.

  He tied his hair into a loose low ponytail, blow-dried his bangs a little, and finished getting ready. Nitaan put on a small bag over Kiita's back, letting it slide down to the side as a crossbody bag. Kiita's favorite bag had no buttons, just a piece of fabric draped over it. Nitaan had it custom-made by a shop, designed so Kiita could easily reach inside and grab its contents.

  Then he prepared their patrol gear, including Kiita's snacks, and packed them into the bags on both his and Kiita's backs. Once everything was ready, he turned to check himself in the mirror.

  Reflecting in the mirror was a young man with sharp features. His mouth and nose were ordinary yet captivating. He wore a long-sleeved hooded coat that reached his waist and long trousers, and his thick black hair was tied in a short, low ponytail.His eyes were a deep blue, like the deepest part of the ocean where light can reach. A bag hung from his back, and he wore jungle boots. Beside him was a large, pitch-black dog with the crossbody bag, wearing dog socks and shoes for hiking.

  The weather is quite hot today, typical in the Firegan Kingdom.

  Heat and fire were the symbols of the Firegan Kingdom and the Firegan Dynasty. Hundreds of millions of people in the kingdom have lived under the rule of the Firegan Dynasty for a thousand years and will continue to do so as long as the kingdom is protected by Queen Gomain Ackni Firegan.

  The Queen is the sole ruler, protecting everyone under her flame. Devil Beasts from the Warped Ravine cannot stand, and those who conspire against her perish under the Firegan.

  The Queen is the embodiment of fire, the woman who controls the Firegan, the sole ruler of the Crimson Throne. Legends and stories praise her as the Lady of Fire.

  Her strength became a legend throughout the continent, the story of the Lady of Fire who once ruled under a royal family. At that time, she was just an ordinary princess among many heirs born from the concubines of the Sovereign. She witnessed the wickedness and greed of the royal family, her own family, in every part of her life.

  She could no longer tolerate the royal family's oppression of the people—the meaningless use of taxes, titles bought from wealth, poverty, rampant corruption, a biased justice system, and a self-serving ruler.

  The Queen at that time, merely a princess from one of the Sovereign's concubines, appeared unremarkable and harmless. However, she secretly amassed power, honed her skills, and hoped to overthrow the tyrannical king who treated his people like animals. Those who disagreed were executed publicly, and countless men and women were conscripted as slaves by the royal family. The Queen endured this sight, waiting for the day to overthrow and eradicate the whole system.

  The Queen's plan to rebel and wipe out the entire royal family garnered much support from the people. She was a true representative of the people. However, the biggest problem wasn't the Sovereign's powerful army but the Sovereign himself. Although the royal family was wicked, they were not without capability, especially the Sovereign himself, who was absurdly strong, like a god who walks among humans. Records state that the Sovereign was on a level higher than any Enlightened, surpassing even a Path Seeker, Fifth word Engraver who could perfectly wield all 5 Words of Power. The Sovereign was in a realm Nitaan had never heard of.

  The Queen employed every means, both direct and indirect, in secret and visible plans, amassing power and developing her own strength. When the breaking point arrived, in a decisive war, the Queen, supported by millions of people, clashed with the royal family and their troops.

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  The war was fierce, with the Queen winning numerous battles, wiping out more than half of the nobility. Many of the royal elite fell, and numerous generals and soldiers surrendered. The scales of victory steadily tilted in the Queen's favor.

  However, everything changed when the Sovereign himself went into battle. The fight lasted three days and three nights, ending in a devastating defeat for the Queen. No matter how many nobles she scorched or armies she burned, at long last, the Queen could not overcome the Sovereign.

  The Queen's execution took place in the central city square, amidst the corpses of the fallen commoners. Millions of surviving citizens watched as the executioner lit the flame and threw it onto the pile of corpses. Survived Royalty and The Sovereign rejoiced from the fall of the rebel.

  The flames erupted, reaching high into the sky. The flames consumed both the corpses and the Queen, who sat with her head down amidst her comrades' remains.

  "Let these raging fires be a reminder to all the citizens in this kingdom of me, the Sovereign, who reigns over you millions, and engraved in your hearts of your status as mere lowly slaves! A pitiful slave whose only worth is to serve the ruler!"

  The booming voice of the Sovereign forced the surviving people to lower their heads, gritting their teeth in despair at their unavoidable fate.

  Amidst the raging flames, a resounding laugh echoed, emanating from the figure of a woman whose entire body was engulfed in a scorching fire. The laughter was louder and louder, yet it wasn't the laughter of a madman or those who surrender. It was the laughter of someone witnessing the most absurd thing in the world.

  "A ruler, huh? Over millions of people, huh? A slave, huh? These flames will be a symbol. But not a symbol of your worthless and meaningless story, but a symbol of mine! A princess who rose up in rebellion. A princess who brought hope to millions!"

  The Queen's resounding voice struck everyone's ears, igniting a fiery blood in citizens' veins. The nobles tensed, their hands trembling at the thought of the strength she had shown before. Even the Sovereign's pupils narrowed, his breath catching in short, ragged gasps.

  He knew full well how devastating the previous battle had been. This woman, though not of equal status and level to his own, possessed abilities, determination, and talent far surpassing his own. Despite her inferior power, she had fought against him for three days and three nights. He had to admit that if this woman had been born 20 years earlier, today's outcome might have changed.

  “Even if I lose today, I will not be extinguished! The flames of change I ignited now have spread and are burning! Even if I die, the others will rise!!!”

  “From this day forward, I will no longer bear the same surname as you scum! I will be the fuel of the Firegan that will burn your bloodline for eternity!”

  “From now on, my name is Gomain Akni Firegan!”

  With those words, the queen's body completely burned into ashes. Seeing that the terrifying woman before him was finally dead, the Sovereign's anxiety eased. He then spoke in a loud, majestic voice, though this time, confidence waned.

  “This is the fate of those who dare to defy me. Resistance will only result in defeat and death! Those who defy me will be sent to Tiran! Bear Witness! This woman has been defeated by me!"

  The square fell silent. There was no response from the millions of people. Not even a cry of despair or sobs. Instead, a scorching heat, like flames, could be felt in the hearts of millions of enraged citizens. The eyes of the people were bloodshot.

  "Gomain Akni Firegan!"

  A voice from one citizen shattered the silence. This voice seemed to awaken a sleeping flame, igniting a wave of furious rage that spread like a plague. Other cheers followed, echoing throughout the square.

  "Gomain Akni Firegan!"

  "Gomain Akni Firegan!"

  Millions of people roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens and the earth. The Sovereign, his face expressionless, ascended into the sky above the square. His right hand glowed before he moved it down onto the square, intending to punish the ungrateful ones. A tremendous power swept over the entire kingdom, suffocating millions of people, yet their cries refused to subside, only growing louder.

  At that moment, the ashes from the central square rose into the sky, swirling like a whirlwind. Vast amounts of dark ash covered the heavens, igniting and creating a massive firestorm that swept across the sky. The heavens were stained crimson, burning the oppressive power of the sovereign.

  These were no ordinary flames. They were blazing with an intensity far greater than anything the Sovereign had ever encountered. The intense heat of this strange, crimson fire surpassed even the hottest celestial flames in the world. These crimson flames raged fiercely. The louder the voices of the people, the more the flames blazed, like a malevolent demon responding to the hearts of millions.

  Although the Sovereign had never seen this kind of fire before, he could clearly see the name inscribed within it—a symbol and the birth of a new kind of fire etched into the pages of history. Given his level, he immediately recognized the name of this fire.

  "Fire…gan..."

  Amidst the Firegan storm. A figure emerged from the void. All the flames around her moved wildly, like they were vying for her attention. The flames merged to form the body of a woman. Her face was fierce, her long crimson hair swayed like it was burning, and her eyes blazed like hellfire. Her flawless, honey-colored skin radiated intense heat.

  The Sovereign, at that moment, fell from the sky, trembling. As a high-level Fate Scripter, his declared victory must be absolute. But now it was destroyed by her coming back to life.

  His honor and dignity were secondary. The fate he had scripted earlier and announced to the world now becomes false! Just by being able to break his fate and revive, she rose to the same level as him, but from the fate that she rewrote before millions of lives, she now transcends fate itself, breaking through to a legendary level that only a few in history had achieved.

  "Epic…Holder…" the Sovereign said with a trembling voice.

  The story that followed was recorded only roughly, knowing only that the war erupted again and ended within seconds. The queen slew all the nobles before establishing herself as Queen, renaming the kingdom to Firegan, and bestowing the same name upon her bloodline, becoming the supreme ruler until the present day.

  Nitaan didn't believe most of the legend, only thinking it was a blend of tales and fiction created to enhance the awe-inspiring image of the royal family. And it had been very effective, as evidenced by the fact that over 70 percent of the kingdom's citizens possessed Word of Power related to 'Fire’. As if every citizen of this kingdom was born and forged by fire. Every citizen under The Queen is the heir of fire. Most of them are able to discover the word ‘Fire’ more easily than people elsewhere.

  Nitaan loved this kingdom. He always held the Queen in high regard and felt grateful. After all, she ruled the kingdom wonderfully and peacefully. As an orphan, the policy of free education for all had made his life much easier.

  But what he was certain of was that the Queen's strength must be far greater than he could have imagined. He didn't know what the Sovereign said at the end meant or what an Epic holder is.

  Those irrelevant matters weren't his concern. What he should be focusing on now was the group of people standing and talking at the town gate.