The Herb King



Days passed and it was soon the final day of the martial arts competition. This time, there were only eight participants left. They were the future of the Regalis Continent! 

At this moment, the huge stadium of West Ocean City was fully occupied. Many people even had to stand because all seats were taken. However, no one seemed to mind this and the excitement in their eyes didn't diminish. 

A huge platform was prepared at the center of the stadium for the final battles. With this huge stage, the young talents would be able to display their full power! 

Alec Ward, Janrose Lassiter, Altina Azure, Xavier Paxley, and four more powerful young elites stood shoulder to shoulder at the waiting area. With a huge crowd watching them, they couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. The battle today would decide the outcome of the martial arts competition. The results of their battle would determine the rankings of their respective empires. 

Holy General Omar hovered in midair like a wise sage. He gazed at the crowd as he shouted. "Today is the final day of the martial arts competition! The matchups have already been decided!" He then waved his hand and a virtual projection suddenly appeared above the huge platform.

Art Ryann - Alec Ward

Altina Azure - Robert Alalon

Janrose Lassiter - Milan Fero

William Holt - Xavier Paxley

"Art Ryann and Alec Ward, please come up on the stage!" Omar called out. 

The crowd cheered as they watched the two young men jump on the stage. Both were peerless talents who managed to come out on top of the other young geniuses. 

"Are you two ready?" Omar inquired as he looked at the two.

Alec nodded his head as he pulled out his sword. Art's eyes were still shut tight, but he also nodded. 

"Begin!" Omar shouted.

Suddenly, Art opened his eyes, shooting two rays of crimson light! 

Alec was already aware of this guy's peculiar eyes so he was prepared. He quickly summoned a defensive energy wall in front of him. 

Bang!

Cracks appeared on the surface of the energy wall, but Alec wasn't flustered when he saw this. He abruptly jumped into the air and released a flaming blade of light that shot toward Art Ryann.

Art grabbed his weapon, a Unique-Rated staff. He then raised his staff which deflected the flaming blade of light aimed at him. 

Swoosh!

Art Ryann felt his weapon trembling after deflecting that attack. It was actually strong enough to damage his weapon! Looking at the burnt marks at the tip of the staff, Art Ryann narrowed his eyes into slits. 'This guy is also close to comprehending his own Sword Intent!' He felt shocked in his heart. 

***

Meanwhile, Irithel's group had already made more than ten Transportation Runes, but they were still far from transporting all the Barbarian tribes of the Northern Region. There were over a hundred Barbarian tribes in total and they would probably need more than a month to make enough Transportation Runes for everyone. Time was tight for them now that there were more Underworlders who had emerged to the surface. 

To speed up their plan, Irithel divided the group into six smaller teams. Each team has five Engravers and twenty Shadow Guards. They traveled all over the Northern Region, seeking for the tribes marked on the map. 

At this moment, Irithel was overseeing the situation in the Proud Tiger Tribe. Zachary wasn't with her since the guy was in a different tribe. 

There were eighteen Shadow Guards who came with Irithel and Callon was one of them. There were also over a hundred elite elven warriors scattered in the Proud Tiger Tribe's camp, ensuring the safety of everyone. 

Callon stared at his mother with a complicated look on his face. He had once betrayed her because of their differing opinions and it was only recently that he realized how foolish he was. A moment later, he sighed and looked away. "I'm no longer the prince of the Aracan Kingdom, a Shadow Guard of the Barden Territory." He muttered as he went back to his post.

Irithel turned her gaze to look at the desolate figure of her son. Her eyes were calm and no one knew what she was thinking. 

Suddenly, an elven warrior ran towards her and reported in a solemn voice. "Your Ma- Miss Irithel, our group has seen a large army of Underworlders marching towards our location. From their speed, they will arrive in less than an hour. What are your orders?" 

"Underworlders? How many of them are coming?" Irithel raised her eyebrows. 

"From our initial estimates, there should be ten thousand Underworlders and the one leading them is a Level 5 Underworlder. We aren't sure if there are more Level 5 warriors among them." The elven warrior replied. 

Hearing this, Irithel narrowed her eyes as she called one of the Engravers' assistants. "How many hours do you need until the Transportation Rune is made?" 

The assistant noticed that something was wrong with the situation so he immediately answered. "We need three hours. We still have to imbue the rune with sufficient energy. Otherwise, we won't be able to transport all the Barbarians in the tribe." 

"Tell the team to speed up the process. Go!" Irithel commanded in a stern voice. 

"Yes, Miss Irithel!" The assistant bowed and left right away. 

Irithel raised her hand and a Shadow Guard appeared beside her. "Gather the Shadow Guards and the elven warriors. There is an army of Underworlders marching toward our location. Inform the Proud Tiger Tribe and ask for their support. We need to stop those creatures until the Transportation Rune is made!" 

"As you wish!" The Shadow Guard lightly bowed his head before he disappeared.

Irithel whistled and not long later, a giant Gryphon descended from the sky. She then jumped on top of the Gryphon and urged it to fly. "Let's go see this Underworlder army!" 

The Gryphon raised its head and roared loudly before it flapped its wings. It rose in midair and disappeared into the clouds.