Chapter 244: The Emperor and The Empyrean

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Emperor Christopher Augustus Lunareigh...Ren could only sigh at this name.

The thing about ’Tales of the Martial God’—the story about the world he now lives in—is that you can tell the importance of a character based on their name.

Those that had, or will have, an impact on the plot will have thought-out names, ones that made them sound important and worthy of the readers’ notice.

As for those who will only have a slight impact or brief screentime, the story tends to have AI-generated names. Ren himself was one of these...well, he’s supposed to be, but that’s besides the point.

Emperor Christopher is an important figure. He is the emperor of the Heavenly Bronze Empire, after all, so of course, he is important. But in truth, his impact on the story all happens in the background.

His reforms, political acumen, decisiveness, and efficiency as a ruler were, often off-handedly, mentioned sparely as the story progresses. He never really steps into the spotlight, and there was a very good reason for that...

Emperor Christopher was a tall man with a lean build. He doesn’t look strong physically—at least. It also doesn’t look like he practices martial arts. If anything, he looked frail. Not sickly, just a bit fragile.

He had pale skin and had eyes that looked like amethyst crystals. He’s wearing a fitted business suit and pants of white and gold with brown leather shoes. He’s also wearing a thick maned crimson cape attached to his shoulders, and he has a cane, which he used to assist him in walking.

The emperor doesn’t look old. If anything, he looked like a middle-aged scholar instead. But make no mistake, this man was well over 150 years old. He’s older than the kings here who looked older than him physically.

And if one were to judge him as weak and unfit to rule just because of his fragile exterior, they would be committing the most grievous mistake in their whole lives.

Emperor Christopher had been ruling for about 100 years now. He ascended the imperial throne when he was around 50 years old.

He was the youngest child of the previous emperor, and he was the one who sat on the throne—not the eldest, the second eldest, or the oldest sister, or anybody from the legitimate bloodline—him, Christopher the youngest.

As for how he did that, many speculate, but nobody could confirm. What’s clear is that his siblings died in accidents before they could ever be coronated. He’s the only one who lived long enough to sit on the throne.

Of course, he’s been accused of kin-slaying. The series of unfortunate events was, indeed, a little too suspicious. But even after investigating him multiple times, he’s been found innocent of all accusations against him.

He even suffered obvious disdain and slight from his own father because, apparently, once upon a time, the previous emperor openly declared that he’d much rather put one of his illegitimate children on the throne rather than pass it to the youngest.

The previous emperor was drunk when he said that, but whether that was drunken words or sober thoughts, or some reckless jest due to the influence of the alcohol on his system, it doesn’t make it any less cruel.

Still, in the end, it was he who’s now sitting in that throne. And he had proven to be a good ruler. He’s been managing the affairs of the empire for 100 years, and he looks like he could still do it for another hundred if that’s what’s necessary.

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The Emperor said some pleasantries to them. He was soft-spoken while also authoritative.

But making an appearance for this event wasn’t the only reason why he’s here.

"Everyone, I’d like to introduce to you my daughter..." he said, and a lady gracefully stepped out of his shadow.

The moment she was revealed, everybody—especially males—inhaled sharply.

Calling her beautiful would be an understatement. If faries or goddesses were real, she’d be one.

She has long platinum blonde hair and had the same amethyst crystal eyes as her father. And even though she’s wearing combat gear, her charm and beauty weren’t affected at all. If anything, her gear increases it even more.

She wasn’t just pretty too; she was also strong. From the fluctuations she’s releasing, she’s at the 2nd Transformation of the Inhuman Realm—a whole stage higher compared to pretty much every participant here.

"Diana Eunice Lunareigh, my eldest daughter, my pride and joy." The Emperor’s voice didn’t hide any of his emotions. They were plain in everybody’s ears.

"When she was born, the skies parted and the stars shone. A dragon and phoenix manifested above the imperial castle, roaring and crying with joy upon her birth."

He placed a hand on his daugher’s shoulder and continued his declarations.

"When she had her initiation ceremony, she awakened a Sacred-grade martial physique called the [Dragon and Phoenix Martial Physique]. Since then, she resolutely walked the roar of martial arts while also learning the ways of a ruler from me."

Everybody gasped in surprise again after hearing this.

A sacred-grade martial physique. A grade above the epic grade, one grade lower than the peak grade of martial physiques, which is the Divine Grade.

If an Epic-grade martial physique only appears in one among a million people, then a sacred-grade martial physique appears in one among a billion.

The luck of the imperial family was truly exagerrated to have her born in their line. The mere fact that he’s grown this well and fine was tantamount to how well they protected her.

Having this much talent could provoke the ire of some unsavory people, after all. There were no doubts that assassins had been sent her way. But even so, she’s right here, alive and well despite all.

Diana Eunice Lunareigh. There is no doubt that she was a blessed individual. She wasn’t merely lucky to be born as the princess of an empire; she also had the aptitude of a future martial god.

She doesn’t look like a pampered princess. She looked like she was ready to wage war.

"She’d be joining you in the secret realm," he declared. "Worry not, I assure you that she’s capable of handling herself. We did not raise her a greenhouse flower. I want her to join you because, frankly, she has outgrown the castle. She needs to go out and get more experience."

"I guarantee you that she will not hold you back."

"The points she earns will belong to the empire as a whole, not in any specific kingdom; this is for the sake of fairness."

"That said, although I know she’s more than capable of taking care of herself, I hope you look after her through the duration of this event. She is, after all, very important to me."

Diana scanned the crowd with her bright purple eyes and nodded to them wordlessly. Not a shred of hesitation on her face, nor a sign of uncertainty. She was like a rock—firm and resolute.

Ren gave Aria a side glance, and he felt glad he did.

Aria was wide awake now; some could even say that she’s ’alarmed,’ and to those who knew the truth about her, that’s understandable.

Like Diana, Aria too has a sacred-grade martial physique. The difference is that, for her to survive, her family had to stage her death and give an Oscar-worthy performance to convince the world that she died.

Celestine Carmichael died so that Aria Carmichael could live. Her family had to resort to lying to the whole world just for the sake of her survival.

Aria had always taken her luck and fortune for granted. But now that Diana was here—someone who’s more beautiful, more fortunate, and more capable than she is—Aria was now feeling the heat.

Because unlike her, Diana didn’t have to hide. She doesn’t have to pretend to be someone she isn’t. She could bask under the sun as herself, and she’d be just fine.

And because of her impressive background, she’s already at the 2nd Transformation of the Inhuman Realm. Her talent was supplemented with hard work and abundant resources, so it is very likely that her foundation and real strength go way past this stage.

To say that she’s probably the most talented and most fortunate martial artist in the whole empire might not be an overstatement.

Aria was looking at Diana like she was looking at her own reflection—except the reflection showed a different face, and a divergent path in her life had things go better for her.

Obviously, that’s not something she could easily swallow. She’s not aware of this yet, but the seed of jealousy and envy was already sprouting in her heart.

Ren thought differently, though.

The reason why Emperor Christopher had been impactful in the story wasn’t because of his feats or his exciting life.

He was impactful in the story simply because he’s Diana’s father. Most of his relevance in the story was because he stood behind Diana every step of the way until she grew to her full potential...

And it’s also because his daughter, Diana Eunice Lunareigh, is an Empyrean.