Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 498: God-King! God-King!

Chapter 498: God-King! God-King!

"Is everything all right?" Freya’s gentle voice cut through Vlad’s introspection, pulling him back to the present as they both rode atop Fafnir’s fiery head.

"Everything is excellent," Vlad finally replied, a broad smile on his face.

Though Freya did not truly grasp the content of his thoughts, she chose to trust his assurances. Returning his smile, she let the tension in her shoulders ease and turned to watch the passing clouds.

Fafnir, the Depravita of Envy, continued to cut across the sky at a startling speed. Despite his enormous size, he handled the air currents with agility that belied his bulk.

Their flight did not last long. Before either Vlad or Freya had time to say much, the sprawling shape of Xaos City rose into view. From a distance, the metropolis seemed like a patchwork of concentric rings, each walled section teeming with life.

Vlad’s eyes widened as he realized the city had evolved considerably during his absence of over a year. Every ring bristled with new fortifications, watchtowers, and roads. Even from high in the sky, he could see streams of people moving purposefully along the walls. Their hurried steps and guarded glances made it clear they still believed a war raged on.

’Overlord must have kept the victory a secret, waiting for my return,’ Vlad thought, recalling that Overlord liked orchestrating big announcements so they would resonate more powerfully. It explained why none of the usual celebrations had been broadcast to the city. Indeed, the tension in the streets suggested that citizens were unaware of the Leviathans’ downfall.

Soon, the layout of the concentric rings became clearer. The outer ring, the city’s main defensive perimeter, was now fully controlled by the military. Everywhere Vlad looked, he spotted troops drilling on vast training fields. Barracks, armories, and even small factories for weapons stood pressed close to the high walls. Millions of soldiers might be stationed here—ready to shield the rest of Xaos City should an invading force dare strike. The entire ring bristled with an air of readiness as if the Leviathans appeared at any moment.

A bit farther in lay the middle ring, housing the bulk of the city’s population. There, innumerable buildings lined broad avenues. Vlad noticed a scattering of schools, training facilities for advanced techniques and professions, and large factories that churned out supplies day and night. Yet something gnawed at him: there appeared to be no parks or open plazas for fun. Every resource, he realized, must have gone toward the war effort. The Leviathans had been a threat like no other, pushing humanity to its limits. In that scenario, art, leisure, and recreation would naturally take a back seat to survival.

"I can’t hold that against Overlord," Vlad told himself silently, though the absence of normal comforts for the people pained him. He knew that once peace was undeniably confirmed, new projects might finally bring color and joy back into daily life.

At the mountain’s heart, Vlad glimpsed the final ring, more imposing than all the rest. Towering above everything else was the Xaos Tower, which, in his memory, had been formidable but not nearly so gigantic. Now it soared over five hundred meters tall, runic inscriptions aglow along its walls. Arcane matrices shimmered around it, pulsing with living energy. Even Vlad found it challenging to interpret the swirling glyphs that covered the structure. Evidently, Overlord had worked tirelessly to expand the tower’s capacity and self-evolving code.

Although the notion of Overlord becoming ever more self-sufficient gave Vlad a momentary sense of unease, he put that aside, focusing on the cluster of massive factories flanking the tower. Their scale rivaled entire districts, each devouring monstrous amounts of energy to produce cutting-edge weapons, armor, and sophisticated mechanical devices and drugs.

The clangor of industry reached even up into the sky. However, Vlad’s attention soon turned to a bright glow near the tower’s pinnacle: a golden fireball so brilliant it resembled a miniature sun.

"Divine Force," he recognized immediately, feeling the energy radiating across the top of the tower. Even with his heightened abilities, he doubted he could withstand a direct blast from that orb. But as formidable as it was, a sight within it drew his gaze more forcefully: a dark-crystal statue carved in his own likeness, stationed in the center of that radiant sun.

Vlad saw throngs of people walking to the tower, bowing in devotion toward the statue inside the sun, then departing solemnly. It was a pilgrimage of sorts—a formal journey to honor the "God-King."

A soft sigh escaped Vlad’s lips. This was not the path he wanted for his kingdom, for his people to adore him as something more than human. Yet the Leviathan War had forced desperate measures. War did not cater to personal taste or ideological purism. Without that concentration of faith fueling Divine Force, humanity might well have perished. Just as a quiet discontent rose in him, he felt the warmth of Freya’s hand. She smiled at him, her gaze gently, assuring him that everything would be fine.

Vlad gently patted Fafnir’s neck, signaling the dragon to descend. A monstrous, flaming reptile dropping from the skies would have sent people into a frenzy a few years ago, but everything was different now. The Xaos people accepted such things. After all, their army was led by a golden giant for a Grand Marshal. Astonishment at new phenomena had become a norm in Xaos City.

Within moments, Fafnir hovered just above the luminous sun-orb. Vlad stood upon the dragon’s head, fully visible to the crowds below.

"God-King!" That exclamation ignited in the crowd like a spark thrown onto dry tinder. Hundreds of thousands echoed it in unison.

"God-King! God-King!"

At once, they dropped to their knees. The entire city, ring upon ring, seemed to reverberate with worship. Vlad held his composure, though a part of him winced at the display of such fervent reverence. He would have liked to wave them all upright but understood that forcing them to abandon this expression of gratitude would hurt more than help.

He let the chanting continue for a fleeting moment, then released a measured pulse of aura across the city. Instantly, silence fell, anticipation taking its place.

"Hear my words," he commanded, letting his voice carry into every corner of the metropolis, "The war is over. The Leviathan Race has been exterminated!"

The hush that settled was impossibly thick. People who had dreaded news of fresh attacks or unstoppable foes suddenly stood blinking. Then, raw hope burst through them like a dam giving way. Cheering erupted, a tidal wave of pure relief. Tears streamed down the faces of many. Strangers clung to one another, unstoppable laughter and sobs intertwining.

"Hail the Xaos God-King!" someone else cried out, resonating through the near-endless throngs, and soon more followed, echoing across the entire city.