The Royal Games

Chapter 1.0: Welcome To The Royal Games!

When he lifted his eyelids, an entirely different scenario had greeted him. Confusion flooded his thoughts when his gaze made contact with multiple others such as strange yet neatly dressed men and women whose clothes seemed more refined than what he, an emperor, was wearing. Others who were similarly equipped like him looked just as befuddled and there were even those who looked more advanced and refined than the people he had observed.

His sharp eyebrows scrunched as he pondered on the situation. He had originally been seated in the desolated throne room, enjoying the peace and isolation the atmosphere brought about. And in a mere blink his surroundings had instantly changed and he was no longer on the throne he despised yet adored. How could such a thing happen? Especially when he was considered as one of the strongest in the upper realm.

"Has everyone arrived?" An ethereal feminine voice called out, loud enough to reach the ends of the vast white space as it emitted an aura of divinity.

Everyone's attention was diverted to the voice, their sights shifting all around looking for the source.

"Waste no effort, I am simply communicating through your minds."

The statement caused those frantically looking around to halt and simply fix their gazes on a certain object as they avoided all eye contact. While there were those who doubted the words of the existence and resumed to looking around, suspecting a few figures of being in a disguise.

"Those who solely rely on technology and science, it is useless. The supernatural exist and telepathy is possible."

Being thrown to a daze, the people who lived their entire lives not believing in these types of 'fiction' froze.

"Now that all of you understand, let me get straight to the point. Welcome to the Royal Games!"

The tension did not dispel despite the cheerful tone of the voice. Game? Doubt clouded the minds of those dressed historically. They had witnessed many wars and fought in plenty of battlefields, they also had information regarding the hidden darkness of society. They had learned about the existence of 'Death Games', where nobles illegally smuggle in the animals of the wild to participate in a battle of strength. The sole purpose was to show off the wealth and status of the winner. Of course, not only were the animals involved, there were also the participation of human slaves. Were they gonna be forced to battle against each other?

While they pondered, an entirely different thought came across those who had read plenty of books in their lives. The thought of being placed into a strange room to participate in various puzzles or battles against strong creatures in order to survive had irked them as two words surfaced into their thoughts.

Battle Royale.

"No, no, no! It is none of what any of you had thought." The voice retorted, revealing that the owner of the voice had read the minds of each individual—well considering how they were connected to everyone's mind via telepathy, it was inevitable.

Those that had not come to the conclusion of a Death Game were struck with a wave of confusion.

"Participants who fail to complete the goal assigned will be sent back to their original world with no remembrance of this entire event. We are not cruel entities that will take your puny little lives just because of a failure."

The unknown tension within the space eased and a few figures heaved a sigh.

"Ahem, moving on. Standing in this very room—or space, are the sons and daughters of dragons and phoenixes. All of you possess the bloodline of royalty. But you were all chosen not just because of your bloodline, but because you possess the qualities of a great ruler capable of holding the world under your palms."

The sentences of the mysterious voice brought a surge of pride into the hearts of those who were confident in their abilities. There were those who remained tranquil and those who had a look of doubt dawn upon their faces.

"Some of you may think not, but we believe in our insights and every single individual in this space are the perfect nominees. Each and every one of you hold your deepest guilt, regret, wish, and want nothing more than to repair or accomplish whatever objective you had; willing to throw everything, including your own status and wealth."

Numerous pairs of eyes widened, others bore gaping holes between their lips and the rest remained calm on the surface but the raging storm deep in their hearts were hidden perfectly.

"Such powerful figures not caring about your own roles that others desire so much... Because despite the power you held, it was not enough to fix the past, relieve the guilt, or whatever it was that played a huge part in your success. All of you, bearers of a past so tragic, becoming one of the many influential and powerful figures in history yet still not being satisfied."

His sharp nails dug into his palms as a familiar crimson slightly oozed out. His onyx eyes turned to slits as the scorching gaze attempted to bore a whole through the invisible ground.

"The winner of the game will be granted the power capable of assisting the user in accomplishing whatever objectives they have. A power capable of turning one into a God."

The rewards were promising and ignited each and every participant's competitive spirit. They finally had a chance to fix or accomplish whatever they wished to do. It was a once in a lifetime chance. Not only that, there was a bonus of becoming a god.

"Anyone who wishes to return to their original world, step up."

When not a single individual made a move, the voice continued on.

"I see, well then. Each and every one of you will be accompanied by a system that will help aid you in each game. But first, you will go through a tutorial that will let you know of the basics and the rules of the games before the actual event begins. Once everyone is ready, a limited number of participants will be placed in different worlds with tasks assigned to you by the system compulsory to complete the never changing goals of each game, which is conquering the world.

Be it by genocide, pacifist or the neutral path, as long as the world is conquered by your hands, you will be deemed as the winner and will move on to different worlds until the final two competitors. But don't think each game is the same. The difficulty increases and the requirements change the further the number of participants decrease.

Any questions before we commence with the tutorial?"

A man dressed in advanced clothing raised his hand.

"What about our original worlds? What will happen to our existences as since we all have huge reputations, there will be a problem if all of us had just suddenly disappeared."

"No need to fret, your bodies are still there and the time in your worlds have been temporarily stopped. Those who fail and return to their worlds will automatically resume the time and will move on as if nothing had ever happened. We only needed your souls since forcefully making your existences in the worlds would destroy the peaceful balance we worked hard to create. You'll be transmigrated into various bodies, and even if some have the advantage due to their backgrounds, there is always a way to take the upper hand. Oh, and your appearances will remain the same as we have chosen the most compatible bodies you can transmigrate to without immediately exploding into gory bits."

The last statement sent a chill crawling up their spines until a woman decided to raise her hand as well.

"Won't that allow us to recognise each other? Especially those who have photographic memory. It would be unfair for those unable to memorise the faces of their rivals."

"Don't worry, your memories of each other's faces would be blurred and distorted to the point you can't even tell if it's human or not!"

...

"Will our cultivation or equipment come with us?" Another woman spoke up.

"Of course not, everyone will start from zero to prevent any unfairness regarding in power and advanced technology."

"What about our knowledge? Each and every single one of us has different knowledge and if we are thrown into a world that gives the other an advantage due to how similar it is, it won't be fair." This time, a deeper voice escaped from a man in historical clothing.

"The system will automatically provide you with the information required of each world, the common sense will naturally come to you and all would be fair. For those who know too much, that would be the slight advantage you would have but in cost of keeping that information, the body you will transmigrate to would be inferior to those with not as much knowledge in terms of background. Don't belittle background, for attaining access to most locations and supplies require authority and power."

Silence ensued and nobody voiced out their questions.

"If that is all, let the games begin!"