The Invincible Full-Moon System

It has been a thousand years since Earl Asur encountered Emperor Dominar.

And it has been a thousand years since his last humiliating defeat.

Even now, when once burning memories wane into fragments of blurred visions like the deeds of past lives, Earl Asur still remembered that pair of cold—and silent eyes staring down at him as if he were not a person, but an insect.

No emotions stirred when Emperor Dominar looked at him back then.

And that's far more painful to swallow than being mocked and ridiculed.

Just to show that Emperor Dominar saw him as nothing, a wounded, small insect that doesn't deserve his attention. For one thousand years, Earl Asur had been growing stronger rapidly, even inheriting the title of Earl after defeating an Earl in a duel.

Compared to back then, he was a completely different person.

He was way stronger now.

'Not again,' Earl Asur thought; his hands trembled, caught between excitement and nervousness. 'This time it won't end like last time. Today will certainly be different. This is the ultimate trial I've waited for—the fruit of a thousand years of labor. I'm an Earl now… He won't kill me.'

Earl Asur waited silently with his chest spread open with confidence.

Unlike back then, he was confident in himself.

He watched as Emperor Dominar walked across the plain that was a battlefield an hour ago.

Flowers bloomed from where blood spilled under his presence and bearing, akin to a royal procession that Mother Nature prepared for him. Following right behind him was another figure. He followed like a looming shadow beside Emperor Dominar's radiance.

Despite clearly someone special for him to escort the emperor, he was draped in normal clothes.

He was clad in a long, dark robe of heavy fabric; its folds plain and unadorned, but with the precision of a soldier's garb. Over it, a single pauldron of cold steel—sat upon his shoulder, giving his otherwise simple attire the air of grim functionality.

An outfit that made him look like a cassock, yet its austerity spoke not of faith but war.

Unlike most high-ranking soldiers, this man was gilded in no golden trimmings or symbols of rank.

Only the stark practicality made him feel more dangerous than any well-decorated, flashy soldier.

Clank…

Clank…

Clank…

Even from afar, Earl Asur could hear Emperor Dominar's steel boots tapping against the ground.

In fact, every move the emperor made steely clank as if his entire body was made of steel.

His pure white robe billowed theatrically as he came to a stop.

Emperor Dominar stopped right where he was within range of attack.

Seeing this, Earl Asur's eyes squinted as the soldiers lined neatly across the city wall, upright and also imposing to show Emperor Dominar that the Lumina Bubble had fallen to their dynasty. He was waiting for the emperor to come closer, but he didn't seem to have any intention of doing so.

"Is that the Primordial Emperor?" Stone uttered with a low voice. "I thought he was very old."

"You're not wrong. He's even older than me." Earl Asur replied.

Even though he looked way older than Emperor Dominar, fitting to even be the grandfather, he was in fact way younger. He didn't know by how much, but Emperor Dominar should at least be a few thousand years older than him.

"Then in that case, why does he feel…" Stone's words trailed in unease. "Young?"

Earl Asur didn't answer; he, too, didn't know why Emperor Dominar seemed to stop aging.

But now is not the time to lament on that matter.

"Stay here," Earl Asur instructed, intending to confront Emperor Dominar himself. "Attack when I give the signal. I don't know why he was here when this should've been a trivial matter, but in case he came with bad intentions, prepare to defend the city."

"My lord…" Stone called, his voice laced with silent disapproval.

He didn't want Earl Asur to approach Emperor Dominar lest he'd be killed.

"Relax. If the Primordial Emperor kills me—our beloved dynasty would return the favor tenfold," Earl Asur said with a small chuckle as he stepped on the edge. "I may be a new Earl, but I'm still an Earl of the dynasty. I'm going to be fine."

Swish!

Earl Asur leaped down from the city walls, landing across Emperor Dominat with a rough thud.

"It has been a long time, Emperor Dominar," He uttered, straightening his back to stare directly into the emperor's eyes. "Back then, I was nothing—helpless beneath your mercy. I've never forgotten that day you humiliated me. And because of you, I stand where I am today."

He spread his arms slightly, as though presenting himself, "Now, I am an Earl…"

"…"

Despite what he said, Emperor Dominar didn't utter a single word.

His lips were still sealed.

All that Earl Asur said only sparked Emperor Dominar to look at him for a fleeting second before turning ahead again.

It was exactly the same as back then.

Earl Asur remembered how Emperor Dominar had glanced at him—only for a second—before turning away, as if the sight alone confirmed there was nothing to fear. To him, Asur had been no more than an ant, incapable of ever harming a man.

Now, it was still the same.

"He… He still doesn't look at me?' Earl Asur gritted his teeth, eyes bulging in anger. 'He still doesn't recognize me?!'

All these torturous years, he had trained until his bones splintered—and his lungs bled, driving himself past exhaustion into something beyond fatigue—all to make sure he would never again stand in shame before Emperor Dominar.

For all those years, he had been relentless—never once slacking off when it came to training.

But even so, Emperor Dominar still didn't bat an eye.

Nothing has changed.

He was still nothing in Emperor Dominar's eyes.

Remembering that he was now bearing the weight of responsibility as a new Earl, Earl Asur swallowed his anger and composed himself again, "Leave the premises. You're trespassing on the dynasty's territory, and staying further will be taken as a provocation. I'm warning you to turn back."

As he spoke, Earl Asur's gaze flicked from Emperor Dominar to the escort, then to the emperor again.

No sign of hostility coming from Emperor Dominar.

It seemed he had no intention to attack.

Earl Asur ought to think that the man would be the one attacking on the emperor's behalf, yet that man's hand never strayed to the weapon strapped on his back—the silence between them hung heavy like the breathless moment before steel finally leaves its sheath.

But the man kept standing there motionlessly, his eyes down to the ground.

Just then, Emperor Dominar made a move.

He shifted his weight and took another step forward.

Boom!

In a heartbeat, Earl Asur unsheathed his longsword, and a cleaving arc of life energy ripped through the air to strike the ground right before Emperor Dominar's feet. It was a clear warning for him to stop getting closer. "One more step, and the next one would be aimed at your head. Emperor or not, if you dare go against the dynasty, I will not hesitate to cut you down."

Earl Asur pointed his longsword forward.

He was being serious, hell-bent on fulfilling his warning if the need arises.

But instead of stopping, Emperor Dominar lifted up his other foot and threw it forward to make another step. His eyes were still fixated head, not staring at Earl Asur, but the city wall instead. Even at this very moment, he still didn't acknowledge Earl Asur's existence.

"In that case, die!" Earl Asur gritted his teeth and swung his longsword.

For someone in his power, he was unnaturally fast.

Time seemed to stop as he reached Emperor Dominar and swung with all his might.

As his eyes bulged with power, the world suddenly turned dark.

Shing!!

His swing faltered.

Earl Asur's eyes opened again and flew wide as he was suddenly breathless. His blade froze mid-swing, powerless to continue strongly through its intended trajectory. When he looked down, horror seized him as there was a gaping hole marring his chest.

His heart was torn asunder, shattered beyond repair.

In the split second, he made his move, a lance of wood burst from the earth and drove clean through his chest. By the time Earl Asur understood what had happened, the lance had already withdrawn, vanishing back into the ground as if it had never been.

All that remained was the gaping hole—sudden, senseless, born from nowhere.

For him, the gaping hole blinked into existence.

No blood came out of his mouth.

Instead, from his toes upward, his body unraveled into raw energy, dragged mercilessly into Emperor Dominar's hand that he didn't bother to lift, keeping it right by his side—the steel-clad fingers drank him in like prey already claimed.

'No… No, no, no, no! This can't be happening! Not like this…'

Earl Asur's mind thrashed against the collapse of his own existence, clinging to its last vitality.

'I won't accept it… I refuse to believe it!'

His eyes blazed with bloodshot fury, locking onto Emperor Dominar with the desperation of a dying beast.

But even so, his form kept crumbling, dissolving piece by piece.

'You're telling me a thousand years of blood, broken bones, and suffering… a thousand years of hard fucking work is still not enough to touch the tip of his power?! A thousand years… a thousand years!!'

Even as his mind screamed unfairness, it didn't reach Emperor Dominar.

All his years of torment, his blood-soaked struggle to climb higher, edging on death countless times, he couldn't even brush the realm where Emperor Dominar stood. To the very end, he remained a shadow beneath the Primordial Emperor's radiance.

The gap between them was not effort, but destiny itself.

A chasm carved by sheer, unbridgeable talent.

Seeing Earl Asur killed like he was nothing, Stone's eyes bulged.

"ATTACK!!"

But even as a volley of Spirit Genesis was hurled towards him, Emperor Dominar didn't react.

His movement was never spontaneous, always composed and carved with intent.

Not even needing to lift up his hand, the energy that he harvested from Earl Asur shot forward and split into hundreds of small beams. Each one shattered the Spirit Genesis thrown at him like a bullet going through water, and then struck each of the soldiers on the city wall.

Realizing that the energy was inside them, the soldiers tried to claw the energy out frantically.

But it was far too late.

Boom!1

Boom!

Boom!

One by one in quick succession, the soldiers exploded.

Under the strain of the hostile energy coursing through them, their bodies ruptured into mangled heaps of flesh, spraying blood across the stones. Emperor Dominar never faltered, never hurried—he simply advanced toward the gate with steady, imperious steps.

At last, the man stirred.

The stillness that had clung to him like dust was cast aside as he moved with sudden purpose.

His hand went to his robe, fingers gripping the heavy cloth, and in one fluid motion, swung it up and over Emperor Dominar's head. The fabric unfurled like a dark canopy, shielding the emperor from the rain of blood.

Crimson drops hissed as they struck the robe, but none reached the emperor.

Beneath its shelter, Emperor Dominar remained immaculate, untouched, as though the very world was preserving his majesty. Pausing before the gate, he turned to look at the man—two white pears sparkle in the hollow of his eyes—sharp enough to pierce the shadows beneath the robe.

He regarded the man with that silent, searing light, and for a heartbeat, the air seemed to still.

Then, his voice—measured and imperious—slipped into the air.

"Thank you."

In response, the man only bowed his head a little.

And with that, Emperor Dominar turned to the gate—it was made to sustain a barrage of attacks, but when Emperor Dominar laid his hand against the surface, it did not resist. Stone and iron dissolved into streams of pale energy, unravelling like threads in the loom of creation.

Looking beyond, Emperor Dominar strode forward, walking into the city to save his people.