To everyone's astonishment, the anticipated catastrophic explosion never came. Instead, something far more bewildering unfolded.
The glowing orb, which had fallen to the ground with a slow, deliberate descent, suddenly expanded. It grew rapidly, much like a flame devouring a sheet of paper from its center outward.
What began as a faint glow ignited into a blinding, pulsating white ring of light, spreading in waves, rippling out into the surrounding air. It was as if the world itself had been touched by some celestial hand, setting the sky aglow in a vibrant, searing halo.
The crowd had braced for chaos, but to their disbelief, no destruction followed. No blast or shockwave shattered the air, and none of the fiery devastation they'd feared occurred. People who had been fleeing in panic came to a gradual halt, glancing nervously at one another before turning their eyes back to the mysterious spectacle. Some even stretched their arms out cautiously toward the light as it passed over them.
Contrary to initial fears, no one touched by the light was harmed.
The ring of light ignored all obstacles—buildings, walls, and armor—spreading like a wave from the center outward. Nothing in its path remained untouched.
Soon, people began to notice that wherever the light passed, the ground, walls, and even their own armor and weapons became etched with dense lines of text. Whether it was on their helmets, armor, swords, or war hammers, intricate patterns of words began to appear.
The markings were like shallow engravings made by a blade, neat rows of text radiating outward.
"Look," someone gasped, staring at their armor, now marked with dense lines of text. "This... this is from ≤The Path of the Warrior≥."
"It is!" another exclaimed, eyes wide as they inspected the symbols engraved into the stone wall beside them."I've seen these words before—this is from ≤Comprehensive Guide to the Worlds of Runes≥. The exact same text!"
The realization hit them all at once, and a chorus of murmurs spread through the crowd like wildfire.
"Could it be... that person earlier, could he really have been the 'Traveler'? someone whispered, voice laced with awe.
"It must have been him!" another agreed, eyes alight with excitement. "No one else could do this!"
"Amazing! How did he do this?"
"Isn't it obvious?" someone else chimed in. "Runes! He used runes!"
"Runes..."
The word rippled through the crowd like the spreading light itself. Runes.
"Runes can do this?" one of the guards marveled, gazing at his sword now inscribed with neat rows of text. "It's incredible!"
"Yes!" another voice joined in, alive with wonder. "Think of what else runes could do! Could we fly like the "Traveler"?
"Or defend ourselves from the wild beasts," a another guard muttered, gazing at the glowing runes on his armor. "With knowledge like this, nothing could stand against us."
"Exactly! When those two books were banned, I was really disappointed."
"Don't forget, those books are still banned!"
"Banned?" a woman said, her eyes gleaming with newfound defiance. "Look around you! The entire city is covered in the contents of those forbidden books. How do they plan to enforce a ban now? Are they going to cover He'an in mud?" She laughed, others joining in. "And even if they try, we'll just scrape it off!"
The crowd began to buzz with energy, voices rising as the realization sank in. The very knowledge they had been denied—the secrets of runes—was now etched into the very world around them. The ban seemed laughable now, futile in the face of this all-encompassing display. Every building, every weapon, every piece of armor was a living testament to the forbidden knowledge.
And still, the ring of light continued to spread.
The people looked out toward the horizon, where the radiant circle was still moving, expanding ever outward. It flowed toward the outskirts of He'an City, its speed undiminished. Buildings, farmlands, even the distant forests and hills would soon be touched by its glow. The light seemed endless, unstoppable.
No one knew how far it would reach. Some whispered that it would travel across the entire continent, perhaps even farther, carrying the forbidden knowledge to every corner of the world. Others wondered if it would ever stop at all.
But one thing was certain: the Traveler had unleashed something that no wall or law could contain. The forbidden rune knowledge was now imprinted across the land, inescapable, indelible.
As the light spread, hope and fear mingled in equal measure among the people. For some, this was the dawn of a new era—an era where the power of runes would be available to all, a tool for freedom and protection. For others, it was a terrifying unknown. They could only watch, breathless, as the light moved ever onward, changing everything in its path.
All they could do now was wait and see what the world would become when the light finally stopped. If it ever did.
....
"Chase him!" the King roared, his voice booming across the Capital as he landed with a thundering crash. His sharp eyes instantly locked onto Su Hao's retreating figure, and without hesitation, he gave chase.
The Grandmaster warriors scrambled to follow, but their speed was no match for the King's. Within moments, both Su Hao and the King had outdistanced them, their figures blurring in the distance, leaving the warriors far behind.
Su Hao's mission for the day had been accomplished. He no longer lingered and instead flew away from He'an City at full speed, his speed increasing until he was a blur in the sky. The air around him howled as he shot forward like a missile, the force of his flight creating a jet-like roar as he reached his peak velocity
But then, something caught his attention..
"Hmm?" Su Hao's eyes narrowed as he sensed a familiar pulse of blood Qi below him. His gaze swept the landscape, quickly identifying the source.
It was the King! He was pursuing him—relentlessly.
Su Hao chuckled. "He's really chasing after me? Let's see if he can keep up with me!"
Yet, as the chase wore on, Su Hao began to realize something unnerving. No matter how fast he flew, no matter the sudden shifts in direction, the King remained hot on his tail, closing the distance with unnerving persistence.
"He's not falling behind," Su Hao muttered, he couldn't help but praise him, "Impressive!"
Still, Su Hao wasn't worried about a contest of endurance. He knew he could outlast the King if it came to that.
After flying for some time, Su Hao suddenly sensed two massive sources of blood Qi coming toward him from ahead, their size even greater than the King's.
Far ahead, two colossal shapes broke through the clouds, moving toward him with terrifying speed. Su Hao squinted against the sun, his heart skipping a beat as the figures came into focus.
Ironclad Wyverns.
Their massive forms were impossible to ignore. Towering and majestic, they cut through the sky like armored titans. Their sleek, muscular bodies were covered in glistening silver scales, each one catching the light and reflecting it like polished metal, making the creatures appear as living, breathing suits of armor.
Jagged, crystal-like spikes jutted from their heads, forming a chaotic crown of lethal directions. The crystals refracted the sunlight, casting an eerie, prismatic glow around the wyverns, adding an otherworldly menace to their already fearsome appearance. Their long, serpentine tails thrashed behind them, each tail studded with smaller, razor-sharp crystals capable of cutting through steel like paper.
Their wings, though thin and membranous, defied their fragile appearance. With each light flap, the wyverns propelled themselves through the air with astonishing speed, as if the very wind bent to their will. The sound of their wings slicing through the air was sharp and rhythmic, like the tolling of distant bells, growing louder as they drew nearer. Their eyes, glowing a molten amber, locked onto Su Hao, and in that moment, he felt the full weight of their predatory gaze. There was a cunning intelligence in those eyes, a hunger that made his blood run cold.
The sky itself seemed to dim as the wyverns approached, not from clouds but from their sheer looming presence. The air around Su Hao grew thick, charged with the oppressive energy of their blood Qi. Each flap of their wings sent gusts of wind tearing across the land below, bending trees and stirring dust into the air. Yet, there was something mesmerizing about the creatures—their terrifying elegance, their lethal grace. They were nature's perfect hunters, and now, they were coming straight for him.
"What kind of Wyverns is this? he breathed, feeling the pulse of their immense blood Qi. "Their power... it's even greater than the King's! No, it's not just greater—it's at least five times as much!"
Su Hao quickly put the pieces together. "Could they be... Mystic-level beasts?"
"Damn it! When bad luck strikes, even drinking water can choke you. This is bad—Mystic-level beasts in front, and the Angry Mystic-level King behind..."
Without hesitation, Su Hao veered sharply to the side, attempting to outmaneuver the wyverns. But their speed was overwhelming. A simple shift in their trajectory brought them bearing down on him with lethal precision.
One of the wyverns opened its massive, tooth-filled maw, its jaws snapping with the intent to devour him whole.
Su Hao had no desire to test the sharpness of its teeth. He twisted his body mid-flight, narrowly dodging the Wyvern's bite, while hurling his short blade—now glowing with multiple rune effects—straight into the gaping maw of the nearest Wyvern.
"Whoosh∼!"
The Blade sliced through the air like a comet, piercing straight into the Wyvern's mouth.
"ROAR∼!!"
The Ironclad Wyvern let out an ear-splitting howl of agony, its massive form convulsing as it spiraled out of control, plummeting toward the ground in a violent crash. But Su Hao had no time to celebrate his strike—another threat was already closing in.
The second wyvern swooped down, its approach accompanied by an overwhelming wave of freezing cold. Su Hao felt the temperature plummet around him, the bitter chill draining the heat from his body, leaving his limbs numb and sluggish.
"This one has freezing abilities!" Su Hao realized, gritting his teeth against the cold. "There's no way to dodge this!"
In a desperate move, he swung his blade, aiming to smash the wyvern's head before it could close in.
"Bang∼!"
"Crunch∼!"
Though Su Hao's body narrowly escaped the Wyvern's jaws, his wing was not so fortunate. The Wyvern's teeth clamped down on it, shattering it instantly.
"I'm going down…" Su Hao muttered grimly, as his body, now unable to sustain flight, plummeted toward the ground.
"Boom∼!"
He crashed into the earth, raising a cloud of dust and debris.
Su Hao staggered to his feet from the rubble, shaking off the dirt and checking his condition.
His short sword was intact, but one wing of his Winged Armor was destroyed, making further flight impossible. His blood Qi was somewhat depleted from using "The Radiance of Runes," but it wasn't a major issue.
Thanks to the protective measures he had taken before the crash, his injuries were minor—nothing that would stop him from continuing to fight.
His hand instinctively went to the massive iron bomb strapped to his back—his secret weapon, the "Eight-Hundred bomb." It had suffered a dent in the crash but was still operational.
"Well, I didn't expect to crash," Su Hao muttered, brushing the dust from his armor. "This is awkward... How do I escape now?"
Su Hao adjusted the large iron bomb on his back, tightened the straps, and, after some thought, decided to remove the broken wings before sneaking away.
"Wait... The King! That fast!?" Su Hao suddenly sensed the King approaching, his massive blood Qi closing in, almost as fast as Su Hao's silent flight mode.
Without a second thought, Su Hao started running.
"Boom—whoosh∼!"
In a blur, a figure clad in ornate golden armor suddenly appeared in front of Su Hao, not too far away. The man held a broken golden blade in his hand, his face calm, but his piercing eyes locked onto Su Hao with unnerving focus.
Su Hao knew in that moment that escape was impossible, at least for now. His mind raced as he thought, 'Are Mystic-level warriors really this powerful? What's the principle behind their strength?'
The two stood still, staring at each other.
Finally, the King spoke, his voice low but commanding. "Traveler?"
Su Hao's eyes didn't flinch. He met the King's gaze with calm defiance. "The King of He'an?"
The two stood there, tension building between them, like two forces of nature on the brink of collision.
The King quietly studied the figure before him. His emotions churned beneath his calm exterior, too complex to unravel in a single thought.
The "Traveller" was unlike anyone he had ever faced. He wasn't simply a brilliant warrior—he was something far more dangerous. A thinker. A visionary. The brightest star humanity had seen in centuries, perhaps even millennia.
In the King's mind, The "Traveler" stood on par with the greatest figures in human history. Only one other had left such a profound mark on mankind: the legendary Emperor of mankind who had first led humans to break through the barriers of their mortal limits, ushering in the age of Master-level warriors. The "Traveler" had achieved what countless generations before him had only dreamed of. He had introduced ideas that shook the very foundation of their world.
The King's thoughts lingered on the books the Traveler had written, ≤The Path of the Warrior≥ and ≤Comprehensive Guide to the Worlds of Runes≥. He had read those works multiple times, each reading leaving him more shaken than the last.
For most, these books were marvels because they introduced groundbreaking knowledge about runes and expanded humanity's ability to compete in a world filled with powerful beasts. The practical applications were undeniable.
But the King saw something much deeper.
What the "Traveler" had introduced was a revolution in thought. The questions raised in the books—'What are runes? Why do they work this way? What is the principle behind their operation? What can we achieve with them?'—were a revelation.
Those questions, deceptively simple, were revelations that cracked open the door to understanding the deepest mysteries of the universe.
The "Traveler" had done what no one else dared—he questioned the very foundation of their world, challenging the accepted truths with boldness and clarity.
The King understood what most others didn't: The "Traveler" wasn't just teaching people how to use runes. He was shifting the very fabric of human thought, perhaps even brushing against concepts only the gods themselves might comprehend—the Laws of the universe.
If only fate had been kinder. The King allowed himself a moment to imagine what could have been. If the "Traveler" had come to him under different circumstances, perhaps he could have nurtured this young genius.
He could have taken him as a successor, passing on his vast knowledge and power, ensuring the Traveler's revolution would flourish under the protection and guidance of the throne. Together, they could have reshaped the world for the better, steering humanity into an era of unrivaled power and prosperity.
But now, it was too late.
The "Traveler" stood before him as an adversary, not an ally. Su Hao had challenged the established order, had spread ideas that ignited the spark of rebellion. His writings, now etched into the very fabric of He'an City, couldn't be erased. They had already seeped into the minds of the people, inspiring questions, dreams, and desires that could no longer be contained.
The King's heart was heavy with regret, but his resolve remained unshaken. The "Traveler"s revolution was too dangerous, too unpredictable. As much as the King respected him, as much as he understood the brilliance of his ideas, he also knew that the Traveler's path would lead to chaos if unchecked. The old structures would collapse, and in their place, a new world would rise—a world the nobility could not control.
For the King of He'an, the "Traveler" was both a symbol of humanity's brightest future and its most dangerous threat. The same genius that had written the path forward also had the power to tear down everything the King had spent his life protecting.
If he could, the King might have wished for a different future, but now, standing before this young revolutionary, there was only one path left.
One of them had to fall.
"Traveler…" the King repeated, his voice a somber echo of what could have been.
"King of He'an," Su Hao replied, his tone calm but resolute, "The world is changing."