“…crap,” Rakna muttered.

“{I go away for a mere fourteen days,}” Fray suddenly spoke while the therian was still blinking at the window in front of him. “{And upon my return, you, sir, have become a True Emperor certified by the System and invited to the Myth Council while the Dusk Lioness just resurrected… That is a feat both grotesquely astonishing and absurd. You’ve outdone yourself on this one.}”

“Oh, hello, Fray. And well… I will be honest, the thought that the last two weeks had been a bit too calm crossed my mind for a second or two,” Rakna jested and moved the window to the side to see past it where the death energy and dust were settling.

When it was completely clear, he expected to see… well, he didn’t know what exactly but what he was not awaiting was an empty spot. There was no one amidst the shattered and minced pieces of mint.

He scowled and then heard something a dozen meters away. He turned to the source and spotted a black cat with red eyes munching on a glazed apple whilst holding it between her claws. The cat squinted her red eyes at Rakna but didn’t stop eating.

“Youmf dim it amgaim,” the animal said between bites.

“What?”

She swallowed and repeated, “You did it again.”

Rakna raised an eyebrow with a blank look. “One; don’t speak with your mouth full. Two; what is your current state? Three; is it normal that you’re small? And four; this Emperor… stuff is not my fault. Whatever it is, it happened because I turned you into an undead. Take the blame.”

“Pff! Sure, I’ll take the blame for your good luck. How was I supposed to know that necromancing me would do this? It’s not like it happened before,” Higure retorted and sliced a piece of chocolate from a nearby rock with her claws and tossed it into her mouth.

“We had two weeks of peace…” Allan grumbled from the side.

“Right; ignoring this seemingly very important System Missive,” Flavia commented sarcastically and walked to Higure. “So… to be sure, is this really you? Higure?”

“Indeed, lovely lady,” the lioness grinned back. “You are finally able to see me in the flesh. While it is something I never expected to happen any soon, here we are. I’m just sorry that I can’t take my human form at the moment.”

“You have a human form?” She asked curiously.

“But of course! You can ask my devourer, he got a good taste of it,” Higure replied impishly with a grin and the girls instantly looked at Rakna.

He rolled his eyes in return and flash-stepped to her. He grabbed her by the neck and she let out a saddened yelp as she dropped her sweets. He lifted her to eye level and they deadpanned at each other.

“Don’t say such misleading stuff, horny cat. Answer the questions.”

“Bzzz! Killjoy! I need my sugar after all this time spent watching you eat all sorts of meals without being able to taste them at all.”

“Why would you specifically need sugar…” Rakna mumbled and cast Appraisal on her.

❮ ◈ ❯

Name: Higure Mios

Age: 312 (712) | Level: 1 (0/10)

Race: Undead Dusk Lioness

Titles: Dimension Breaker – Fatality Hunter – Arch Nemesis of Dawn – Reborn

Master: Rakna Xiorra

Attributes:

STR: 1 | END: 1

SPD: 1 | DEX: 1

INT: 10 | LCK: 5

Statistics:

DE: 5/5 | MP: 10/10

SWI: 4 | AGI: 3

SEN: 4 | ATC: 10

ATT: 6.5 | DEF: 4

MA: 3 | MR: 0.1/min

Proficiencies:

- Runecraft (Lv. Ex ⋆⋆)

- Magic Theory (Lv. Ex ⋆)

- Soul Sense (Lv. Max ⋆)

- Magic Circle Theory (Lv. Max ⋆)

- Magic Formation Theory (Lv. Max ⋆)

- CQC Mastery (Lv. Ex)

…

Magic Skills:

- Unawakened.

Cognitive Skills:

- Reset

Spontaneous Skills:

- Reset

Unique or Racial Traits:

- Shuttle Specter Physique

- Void Breathing

Note: A mighty member of the Dusk Lion race. She lived in seclusion in the 750th Plateau like many of her brethren before her. She was murdered while weakened due to her birth by Asziquol Naberum Verias. Her life before then had been quiet and peaceful; omitted the few scuffles with the Dawn Tigers.

Additional Note: As an undead raised by the Hex Item, Necromancer’s Rule, it can level up like normal creatures and it also can be healed with its master’s mana, which will automatically be converted into Death Energy by the Hex Item.

❮ ◈ ❯

“So, you too were deprived of most of your abilities… Like Nyx basically.”

“It’s similar,” she replied with her tail swaying from side to side. “The only things I kept are my theoretical proficiencies. Stuff like Mana Control, which normally requires a physical body as well as a network of magic circuits, I will have to rebuild from scratch in this form.”

“But with your help, and at this stage, I should quickly be able to recover a decent portion of my past glory. And when my level increases, I should also be able to re-learn some of my skills and get to my human form,” she added and hummed. “But what I do need for sure is an Awakening Orb to relearn my magic elements. I’m in the same boat as Evelyn when she woke up from her seal.”

“I see… Well, as we already planned, I will be going to the 34th Plateau for a Quest. So,” Rakna said and looked around. “Any of you want to go with her to the Pavilion for an awakening?”

“Ah, wait!” The lioness exclaimed and freed herself from Rakna. She landed on the ground ran to Nyx. “You. It’s not a problem if you bring me, right?”

The goddess blinked. “I don’t mind but…”

“Good. Then, how about I become your pet?” Higure offered and Nyx tilted her head. She glanced at Rakna for help but he just shrugged obliviously.

“Why?”

“Because I think it’s better to have me bound to the group like Tyran and Pronos. I also get a free share of your experience and I’m in a dire need of it,” Higure said. “I also think you’re the fittest to be my ‘owner’ other than Rakna. Sadly, he has Pronos and no one can get a second pet. Even if he’s a literal Emperor now... So, do you accept?”

Nyx immediately had a window popping up and after a few seconds of deliberation, she just came to the conclusion that it would likely be impossible for her to get a better pet than Higure anyway. She selected ‘yes’ and the lioness smiled.

“Perfect!” She said. “Ah, but when we’re not exploring, I will be staying with my devourer. That’s non-negotiable.”

Nyx smiled wryly. “I don’t mind… You do seem to be attached to him quite a lot.”

“Of course! I still need him to mat-pfhm!” Rakna appeared behind Higure before she could finish her sentence and closed her mouth with one hand.

“A piece of advice that comes from having her all day inside my head; don’t take her too seriously if it’s not something important,” he said with the blankest tone ever and Nyx nodded hesitantly.

“While we’re at it, can we finally, you know, focus on this?” Allan raised his voice whilst pointing at the System Missive that he had in open view. “The heck’s a Legendary Wolf Emperor? And what is the Myth Council?”

“You don’t know about it?” Evelyn spoke. “It’s a governing body for the System. The members are all highly powerful and handpicked by the System itself. The council is composed of both Hosts and Locals. In rare cases, Wilden with a high following can be temporary guests. That’s why I was shocked when I saw Rakna was being invited.”

“Wait, wait, wait! Back it up a little bit,” Allan raised his hand. “I need more details. What… exactly does that council even do?”

“I can answer that,” Higure took over after licking her paw. “Shortly said, they take decisions on important stuff that relates to the politics of the System. For example, during meetings, things like implementing laws in Blacksteel can come up. Another example would be civil wars contingencies; and yes, those happen.”

“Evelyn said the council is picked by the System itself,” Rakna raised his voice. “What does that entail exactly? Why would the System do that?”

“There are a few reasons, as far as I know. But the key one is simple; order. The System needs its residents, and Hosts more specifically, to conquer Plateaus and grow stronger. It would be quite counter-productive if there was nothing to keep them in check. Adjudicators aside, if sparks of widespread conflict appear, the council intervenes to snuff them out. They also put their nose into economics, market industrialization, and distribution of magic materials, among other things.”

Rakna raised an eyebrow. “That kind of influence… comes from the members, right? The System set up the Council but the ones managing it must hold the power. Who are they?”

“There are honestly a lot of different separate requirements but… I’m sure you get the picture if I tell you that Hybran Blacksteel, the Pavilion’s President, the Grand Patriarchs of the Nine-Tailed Clan, the President of Trafford, the Kings and Emperors, the leaders of the Church and the Basilica, the Ebene Diare Locals, the leaders of the Major Guilds, and even the leader of the Throne of Glory, ranked second on the overall Host Ranking, have seats on the Myth Council.”

“…that does sound scary. It’s a massive lynchpin,” Rakna remarked. “All that power in one place is enough to rule the System for sure. The Pavilion’s President alone could dictate many things… And I guess I was supposedly offered a seat because I’m an ‘Emperor’ now?”

“It’s more than that. You are a Legendary Emperor. Not that I know what it means. But, yes, for the most part.”

“What is it though?”

“Well, why don’t you take a look at your new title?” Higure said with a snicker and Rakna flicked his fingers to open his status. He appraised his latest title, which had swallowed both Wolf King and Ruler of Legends to be created.

❮ ◈ ❯

Legendary Wolf Emperor

The direct evolution of the King is termed Emperor. They possess the same abilities as a King but their privileges cannot be compared. An Emperor is a being of absolute authority and their number can be counted on one hand.

As the Wolf Emperor, no wolf will be able to disobey the holder of this title if they do not possess status at least equal to a King.

However, there also exists unique standings even above Emperors. In this case, the Legendary Emperor is a ruler of legends. They are given even more prestige and hold a powerful intimidation potential toward all Legend-Rank Wilden, Hosts, or Locals.

Title Effects:

- Intimidation Skills will ignore levels when used on wolf-type beings and there is no chance for even higher-leveled foes to resist it unless they are at least Kings or a special case.

- Intimidation Skills will ignore levels when used on legendary beings and below. There is a chance to subdue higher-leveled foes.

- The System has recognized you as a key figure of power. You are presented the following rights and privileges:

1 - You now have access to a personal terminal;

2 - Maps of Dungeons, Ordeals, and Plateaus are freely given to you after finishing them once;

3 – You gain authority over low, mid, and high-class Locals;

4 – You now possess the right to request intervention from Adjudicators with approval;

5 - Teleportation across Plateaus without a requirement for a Badge of Honor;

6 – 50% reduction on all one-sided transactions, irrelevant of their nature.

7 - You can now define where you’ll appear for transportations to cleared Plateaus;

8 - You can now skip 10 Plateaus at once;

9 - You are now only required to pass one Trial per Plateau;

10 - You can create a Guild whose top 10 members will share the last two privileges;

11 – You are to be invited to the Myth Council. Reach the 100th Plateau.

Title Perks:

- Acquire the Skill; Call of Hounds (already owned).

- Acquire the Skill; Legendary Imperial Guard

- Acquire the Title; True Imperial Designation

- Acquire the Special Skill; Celestial Gate

- Acquire the Special Skill; Eonian Gate

- Acquire the One-Time Ability; Awakening of Divinity

- Acquire the One-Time Ability; Empirical Tribulation

❮ ◈ ❯