Chapter 12 - 12
Chapter 12: Chapter 12
Phoenix Kingdom.The battle between Noboru who was beaten and his ally, the red-haired demon that appeared, against Shin the founding king of the phoenix kingdom had concluded.
The people, including civilians, the Royal Chikara clan, the other six noble clans, and even the animals, were terrified by the power they had seen.
The capital city, No the entire kingdom, lay in shambles, and many had been injured. Tragically, many had also lost their lives at Noboru's hands rage.The battle's was so intense that it shook not only the earth but even the universe, multiverse, dimensions, infinite dimensional hierarchies, and more.
Shin lay unconscious, covered in his own blood from the punch delivered by the red-haired demon woman. He was out cold and still recovering from that devastating blow. The demon woman had taken Noboru with her meaning the kingdom could not deliver their sick sense of justice.
Takeshi, the leader of the Cronus Knights, the kingdom's most elite magic knight squad, had met his end at Noboru's hands in retaliation for Takeshi killing Noboru's grandfather. Hiroshi made his way back to the battle area with a few cronus knights.
His wife and kids were in the bunker after they ran."Shin-Sama, oh no! Quick, get the healers," Hiroshi urgently demanded of the nearest royal servant."As you wish, my king," the servant replied, rushing off.
"My great grandson, I need a few minutes. Afterward, we will need to call a summit with the other two kingdoms. The red-haired demon queen who came to save Noboru, I know her. She hails from beyond the Hyper Realms and even beyond Outer Realms that have transcended all known and unknown concepts, including space and time.
The sheer energy required to traverse them is so immense that only My brothers and i could do so before Noboru. And that's not even considering the physical and mental strength required to survive there," Shin explained.
"Who is that woman..." Hiroshi began to ask but was interrupted.
"I will reveal everything to you, along with my brothers who are the founders of the other kingdoms but right now focus on restoring the kingdom and hold off on sending the cronus after Noboru for now," Shin said as the healer arrived and she tended to his wounds.
"There you go Shin-Sama you should be better now," The young healer said as Shin smiled in gratitude to her."Thanks you" Shin said as Shin rose to his feet and made his way to the underground bunkers he had lost, not to Noboru but to the red-haired demon woman who now sided with him.
This presented a problem to the kingdom, as Noboru harbored deep resentment towards the kingdom due to being scapegoated by his father Hiroshi and his mother Amaya, Shin's great-grandson and great-granddaughter-in-law.
Shin surveyed the destruction of the once-beautiful capital city known as Phoenix's Peak. He saw the land pockmarked with craters full of lava.
It appeared that Noboru's red and black omni-energy aura allowed him to harm even nature itself, despite the concept of the Earth's will to remain undamaged and the people's will to survive which allowed the earth to repair itself and scale down stronger attack that could destroy it.
These protective forces proved ineffective against Noboru, who had transcended all known concepts including space and time. His five-year-old great-great-grandson displayed astonishing power for his age.
As Shin gazed upon the devastation, he heard the cries of orphaned children and saw the destroyed houses and evaporated lakes.
He observed the heart-wrenching scenes of destruction, including craters, and even the sound of the wind seemed to mourn the city's fate.
Looking up at the sky, Shin spoke softly, "Why did this happen to my people, to my country?
Yes, we scapegoated the boy, but it was for a noble cause—to protect his siblings, the ones who will conquer all of existence under the Phoenix Kingdom's banner.
My people, why did he do this..." Shin pondered."I must convene the summit and meet with my brothers. This is not only a crisis for the Phoenix Kingdom but also a threat to the entire multiverse—no, not just the multiverse, but all of existence.
Especially if Ayame Akatsuki is involved," Shin, the founder of the Phoenix Kingdom, expressed his fear of the red-haired demon queen, Ayame.
Forest of the Forbidden Regions
Noboru awoke, tears in his eyes. "Grandpa," he whispered, his voice trembling as he looked around.
Memories flooded back to him—of returning after using the Relic of Freedom to change, only to witness his Grandpa Haruki's murder by Takashi, with his uncle Belize Chikara as a silent witness.
"Grandpa, I am so sorry," Noboru cried, his grief overwhelming.
"It's all my fault you're gone. If you had allowed me to suffer at the hands of the kingdom, you would still be alive."
"I am so sorry," Noboru repeated, his voice barely audible.
"No, don't worry, my Noboru-Kun it was not your fault," a sweet and melodious voice reassured him."Who's there?" Noboru demanded, startled.
"I am the one who saved you. They call me Ayame Akatsuki. I am from the Demon Goddess Realm and it's queen," Ayame replied calmly, undaunted by his demand.
"What is the Demon Goddess Realm?" Noboru asked, confusion evident. His Grandpa had told him about the Hyper Realm, a place containing an infinite amount hierarchies of infinite dimensions, which is the highest level a magic knight can aim to transcend to. Ayame sighed softly.
"Let me tell you about the structure beyond the Hyper Realm. Your Clan Head Shin and his brothers, the founding rulers of the other kingdoms, have concealed it. Beyond the Hyper Realm lies the Outer Realm, a realm that transcends all concepts, including space, time, and dimensionality. This realm also transcends the Hyper Realm.
However, there's more beyond that, like the Absolute Outer Realms, which infinitely transcend hierarchies, consisting of layers of Outer Realms, with each one transcending the one below it, viewing it as mere fiction. And above all that is Hell, a place that regards all this as fiction and boasts of infinite layers.
And then there is the 7 gates of Hell. The First Gate is a realm that infinite layers above Hell each layer transcends the previous one.
Each Gate after that is to a realm that is infinite layers above the last and each layer transcends the previous one.
Finally, there's the Demon Goddess's Realm, which sees all that as fiction and transcends it," Ayame explained.
"And above that is Heaven," Noboru added.
"Yes, but let's not delve into that yet, as the realms beyond Hell can be exceedingly perplexing. Let's leave it at 'infinitely transcending'," Ayame replied. Noboru sat, absorbing the information. It was a lot to process; despite his intelligence, he was still just a five-year-old boy.
"So, what are we going to do now?" Noboru asked.
"You will remain hidden." Ayame replied. "You will learn to survive on your own, and when the time comes, I will train you further."
"Fine, I will trust you for now," Noboru said cautiously, bearing the scars of betrayal by those he had trusted like his family and kingdom who took away his birthright, scapegoated him but most importantly killed his grandpa. But he sensed Ayame's sincerity about the structure of existence.
"Good, and remember, the world is not what you think. This truth is known only to the three original Kings from the Blessed Age Shin and his brothers; it remains hidden from the rest, like you," Ayame said. "Anyway, I will leave you to survive, to get stronger, my Noboru-Kun." With that, the telepathic link between them was severed.
Noboru surveyed the small house Ayame had created for him. It was a far cry from his grandfather's castle or the royal palace where the rest of his family resided. Nevertheless, it was his new home. He was now a fugitive, on the run. Noboru knew he had to prepare for the inevitable pursuit by his uncle Belize, who would undoubtedly send the Cronus Knights after him, with his father Hiroshi's blessing.
"I need to get stronger. But I should be safe here. We are near the forest where Grandpa, Rose, and I trained before he was killed," Noboru said with a tinge of sadness. "I hate the Phoenix Kingdom for what they did to Grandpa. I will avenge him, no matter what," Noboru vowed as he walked out.
"The first step is to craft a sword—a wooden one should suffice. With omni-energy amplification, it will become stronger," Noboru mused.
Noboru thought about his Grandpa and his maid Rose. "I wonder if I can send messages through telepathy. I can try it with Rose, but the magic knights will surely have her and Stella under close watch and will detect it. I guess I truly am alone now," Noboru thought as he made his way to the trees.
Drawing on his omni-energy, Noboru unleashed a powerful punch, felling a tree. He then channeled omni-energy into his right index finger and meticulously carved a blade shape the size of his arm. After snapping the log in half and cutting it into usable wood, he attached the blade to a handle, leaving a portion of the wood protruding for the blade's attachment.
Once the blade was complete, Noboru tested it and found it to be remarkably light and strong. "Grandpa said that channeling omni-energy into something continuously can make it more durable, sharper, and capable of using elemental attacks and more," Noboru recalled from his training.
"I should get to work," Noboru decided. He channeled omni-energy into the sword, enhancing its sharpness, durability, and lightness. Realizing that it was now nighttime, he returned to the house with his newly created weapon.
"Tomorrow, I will focus on physical conditioning," Noboru said as he took a bath, ate some food left by Ayame, and settled in for the night.