91 The Staff of Death

(General POV)

To say Rudra/Michael was angry would be an understatement. However, the angered ruler kept his calm on the outside. He, along with his most important members of government, managed to just barely escape to heaven before that bird attacked. The members of the government all bicker amongst themselves, blaming each other for not stepping in to stop the attack. Some are even calling for surrender. As he listens to the bickering, something inside him snaps,

"SILEEEEEEEENCE!"

The temple grinds to a halt, with the sole noise being the wind. Rudra looks at this group of ingrates and begins speaking.

"Those of you who have a plan to get the capital back, get to the left side. Those who don't, stay in front of me. Those who wish to surrender, step to the right."

Following the rule of their emperor, they cordon off themselves into their own little groups. The largest group is the center, who have no earthly idea how they would get the capital back from a monster that made even the emperor himself flee. Velgrynd appears beside Rudra suddenly, and says something only he can hear,

"The capital has been turned into a crater. The only thing remaining is the palace. There are no survivors."

In a fit of anger, Rudra summons his sword and cuts at the group of cowards who wish to surrender. In a second, their legs are relieved of the weight their torsos were placing on them. The people are shocked by this display of anger from their usually calm emperor. He speaks in an authoritative tone, with an eerie calm coming back to him,

"Any who choose to surrender are nothing more than cowards to be slaughtered."

He then turns to Velgrynd and asks,

"Do you have any idea what that beast is?"

Velgrynd nods her head and speaks,

"One of the original demon lords is supposedly some creature referred to as an abyssal Phoenix. Rumors have been floating that she has a power that far surpasses that of even Milim. Though, I have no idea what we could have done to anger her."

Rudra speaks,

"If even you couldn't cause a scratch to appear on her, I believe we may be no match. We may need to rethink our plans. I doubt the angels, insectars, and phantoms would be even the slightest bit of a match for her… Based on what you've said, though it pains me to say, I'd place her combat abilities either at or higher than even Veldanava's… Wiping out my capital was easier than squashing a maggot for her. We'll need some sort of contingency…"

Velgrynd nods her head. Deep inside, she's happy that this attack took place. The man before her is not the man she swore her loyalty to. This imposter has been sus- I mean…

This imposter has been forcing her to comply through a skill. She would welcome his death at this point. She just wishes she could have her Rudra back.

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(Back to Sera)

After destroying their capital, I teleport back to my temple. Seeing this city condensed down to a little ball has given me an idea for something cool.

I create a small pedestal in the throne room. A black pillar shoots from the ground to a height of about ten meters. I grow to be able to reach the top and create a small golden bracket fit to hold this orb. I place the orb in and make a small plaque on the bottom of the pillar reading: "Capital of the Eastern Empire". Ah, so nice to do some interior decorating!

Now it's time to get started on my super cool idea. I create a beautiful staff. The black ebony wood of the staff is beautifully carved, ending in a pointed spike on one end, and a raven on the other. The raven itself is shaped as if it were cradling something round with its wings. Inside this round cavity, is where the cool thing will be.

I begin by creating a small galaxy. Like ten inches wide. I surround it with a physical barrier and populate it with several different species. I won't go into specifics, but the inside of this staff is going to be a constant war. The souls of the dead creatures will turn into power for the staff, making it grow in strength with every waking second. I could channel my own magic into it, yes, but where's the fun in that?

I create a statue of myself in front of the throne and place the staff in its hands. For now, I'll let that thing marinate some.

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AN: heads up, you can read chapters in advance on pat.reon! i think i got like 7 extra chapters or something? Cheng Fenfang is also currently being uploaded over there as well! the link is pat.reon.com/sorrestwriting (delete the .)

gimme dah stones or you get the staff of death up yo ass