Avalez kingdom was full of noise one morning. The young prince had finally ascended the throne, and he chose to do it on the day he was getting married! The entire continent came to a halt, as it was a joyous event, one that they hadn"t experienced in a long time. The capital was buzzing with noises and booming with foreign visitors. Leon, and soon to be wed Liza, spared no dime nor effort in order to satisfy their people, as well as their friends.n.o.bles and commoners walked next to one another, and both were full of smiles. The peasants left their fields unattended, for they were sure not even monsters would dare disturb such a beautiful day. The streets were adorned with silk and gold, and true to its fame, the Avalez capital had a food shop every 10 steps. The aroma of delicacies gave the impression that they hadn"t eaten in years. However, they had nothing to worry about, since the food was free!
Such was the generosity of the new king and queen!
Bards and musicians sang to them at the head of every street, hoping to gain some gold coins thanks to their talents. Birds, cats, and dogs all sang to the tune. The capital was akin to a circus by noon.
The foreign visitors didn"t consist of only n.o.bles and merchants, or commoners with a brave heart, instead, even kings, queens, and princes dared not miss such a big event. Of course, most of them were old and new friends of the new couple.
Inside of the palace, seven colored flames spread just under the ceiling, yet the temperature was cold and comforting. Musicians of all sorts of instruments played a soothing tune. Maids and butlers hustled around in order to meet the demands of the guests, while Leon"s father, the previous king watched his son from afar. His face wrinkled and tired, and his eyes lacked a youngsters" glow, yet his face beamed with smiles every time he met his son"s gaze. He had let down the crown and the great responsibility that weighed down on his shoulder for the past fifty years. It was now his son"s turn, and from the looks of it, he wouldn"t be burdened down too much. After all, unlike him, Leon was blessed with marvelous friends.
As it was time to start receiving the important guests, the drummer beat twice on his drums, and instantly, everyone"s attention was taken.
"The first prince of Ryuu kingdom, Hayato Nakamura!" a butler by the gigantic double doors announced as the first of Leon"s friends entered. A young man with short dark hair and pristine black eyes walked gracefully inside. He ignored the ma.s.ses that stared at him and headed straight to the table where Leon and Liza were.
"Your grace, it is wonderful to see that you are doing well," Hayato said with a bright smile. "I"m afraid my father was incapable to come since he was looking after my great grandfather. I hope you"ll excuse me for congratulating you in his stead. On behalf of all of Ryuu kingdom, I say that we are most glad to see you two finally together."
Leon and Liza smiled peacefully and felt their hearts and eyes well up with emotion, as they watched their friend bow to them, wishing them a good life. The two of them stood up at the same time, cupped their hands, and bowed as well. No one dared to utter a word, and the bustling great hall soon came to a halt.
However, a second later the drummer beat twice, again.
"Lady Stephanie Schwarz!"
A couple of seconds later and the drummer beat again. One by one Leon"s friends walked inside, each one of them wearing luxurious dresses, gowns, and silk garments. Golden earring adorned with pale blue diamonds, and necklaces of pure amethyst. Each one of these accessories was worth more than a small kingdom since they were able to save the wearer"s life at least once. Only the closest of Leon"s friends wore them since they were made by the same person.
The small group of friends soon forgot about the other n.o.bles and kept to themselves. Their c.u.mulative laughter caused the walls to shake. Every single one of them had a cultivation state higher than Immortal Establishment level 5, and it was most rare to see so many present chatting and laughing innocently, without a plotting brewing behind their backs.
However, they were forced to listen keenly since the drummer beat once again. Out of their little group, the only kingdom yet to arrive was Glory kingdom, and the drummer had just announced them.
"King of the Glory kingdom, his highness," the butler by the door announced grandly as a youth with blond hair walked inside. He wore black leather top and red pants made from dragon whiskers; it was tougher than anything inside that room. His pale green eyes were quick to find his friends as he smiled. "Eric Avalon!" the butler finished his words.
Eric walked straight to Leon and Liza, and without paying any attention to status or position, hugged the both of them.
"It is great to see you all doing so well!" he said. "It"s been so long since all of us were together in one place, not since the Battle of Generations!"
"It is great to see you as well, old friend," Leon patted Eric"s shoulder and said. "I see that you are accustomed to ruling by now."
"Nonsense," Eric was quick to deny. "It"s all thanks to my mother and brother. They"re the ones truly ruling the kingdom; they"re just allowing me to rule in order to stay true to my father"s wishes. But, enough of that!" He noticed that the topic was straying off to a tasteless subject and chose to reel it back."
"Emilia should be coming inside any moment now; she was caught up behind helping a child who was almost trampled by our horses." Eric noticed the confused looks on his friends" faces and quickly explained. "Our horses are Warhorses, you should know that. And you should know what happens when a Warhorse is approached by a stranger…"
True to his word, Emilia walked inside. Her silver hair glowed as she pa.s.sed under the rainbow flames, while her pure white dress changed colors accordingly. She walked to her friends and wished the couple a happy life.
"What about your brother," Leon asked, "is he not coming?" He already knew the answer, since Edward never left Emilia alone.
"Unfortunately, he can"t come. A rebellious army marches from the south and plans to attack this place," Eric explained. "Apparently, they coordinated the attack with the day of your wedding, knowing that the defenses wouldn"t be as strong. And once they took this place as a stronghold, they plan on attacking the other kingdoms and holding the continent for themselves."
"Who are they? Remnants of the Blood sect?" Stephanie asked.
"Could be…But Ed said they were not. He said that the Blood sect would never rise again, and these people are simply cowards who fought on neither side during the war."
"Then, could it be…Did Ed go to meet them on his own?!" Liza was quick to ask. The very thought of Ed fighting a war on their behalf scared her.
"Yes. He might make it back in time for cake, he said," Eric smiled at her in order to calm her down. "In case I don"t, he said, present them with this."
Eric brought out a pure black sword from his spatial ring. It was filled with small white spots, giving it the look of a starry sky. The sword alone exuded an aura comparable with an Immortal cultivator, causing the gallery to widen their eyes in shock.
"Congratulations on your wedding."
.
.
.
Far south, where the Blood sect had first engaged the forces of Avalon and the collision, stood a 100.000 man. Opposite to them, was the prince of Avalon, Edward Avalon, on his own.