Lord Shadow

And in those three years of rebellion against the Empire, Azief began to learn the Blood Magic in secret.

In just a few months he had used all the blood vials he got from his raid on the churches and from dead Avengers and Learned Ones.

Azief discover that this magic could help him later when he returns to his reality. To use blood to conjure magic.

Azief body possesses endless blood vitality. If he could use his blood to use magic, that is even more terrifying.

His physical body is already terrifying enough. Combined that with magic that is of unknown sources….Azief could imagine there would be hardly anything on Earth that could threaten him.

In a way the blood is used to change the energy surrounding everything.

Azief saw this as an opportunity. He will use this magic in times of when there is people need saving.

If he admitted he could use magic without using the blood from the Church, his entire existence would be regarded as a blasphemy to the teachings of the Church.

Years passes by in a blink of an eye.

Even as time passes, he is not panicked. He somehow understands a bit about his Heaven Sundering Finger and how to use it.

So he is not worried no matter how many years he spends in this world. Because, he knows he would still be able to see the spring with Katarina.

He promised her. And he would fulfill his promise.

In the months that followed until the New Year, Azief threat to the Empire influence in Aethens slowly showing.

With many more camps of peasant joining the rebellion, Azief ranks swelled and with the raids on the Empire structure intensifying, Azief now has a cavalry squad, a well-trained militia and a disciplined infantry.

And Azief achieve all of this in only three years.

And it did not come without a price.

The Empire is furious. With each victory that Azief claim, the Empire grew angrier.

In their anger because they could not do anything to the rebellion in Shurley that is slowly growing bigger and bigger, The Empire wipe out a few village charging them with the crimes of supporting Azul Verignon rebellion.

Azief knows he did nothing and had no contact with that village and gain no support from those cities but Azief also knows that the Empire is just searching for excuse to bleed the peasantry blood dry as the war in the border intensify with the Barbarians from the north.

Azief on the other hand did not see this as a minus. Instead this would only send more peasants to his arms.

By now, Azief presence in the Vast Forest is akin to a lord without a castle.

Tyr and Zinar is both Azief general, Tyr leading the cavalry while Zinar leading the infantry.

Azief is still suspicious of Zinar but because she has a lot of support of the peasant Azief decided to wait and see.

And in the year that passes by their love slowly fizzle out.

But for some reason Azief did not find the pain ….painful. It was unlike the feeling he had when Azul was separated from Meihul.

And since he didn’t feel pain in his heart, doesn’t that mean the real Azul also did not?

Which is weird in itself.

Then what is Azul….regret?

He seeks and he seeks for Azul regret, and time passed by, his band grew larger and more disciplined, laws were established, refugees were recruited, and people were slowly won by Azief cause

The love between Azul and Zinar also has cool down.

But there is always that unspoken tension between them.

Azief despite this weird feeling in his heart could never truly believe her and yet even though he did not feel pain in the love ending, there is this feeling of incongruousness in his heart.

Like he has forgotten something very important.

But there is grand plan in front of him and he decide this is not the time to indulge in such feelings of uncertainty so he put his feeling aside as he focus himself on his army.

And in those years hiding and strengthening himself in the forest for a full blown rebellion, Azief did not have only smooth sailing experience.

He was nearly assassinated by one of the Orel outlaws. When Azief survive the assassination he makes a brutal example of betrayal in the band.

In the fourth year of his rebellion, Azief position in the forest and the cities around it strengthened.

Everywhere in Aethens, people spoke of Azul Verignon and the Band of Peasant he leads.

These stories propagated and spread in taverns, in secret places, in dark corners of the church, in brothels and secluded alley of abandoned cities and Reaping Stands.

The Rebellion Leader that is slowly whittling the Empire authority in the lands of Aethenspania, Azul Verignon!

And most importantly his Crimson Army that numbered around 70 thousand men and walk into cities of the Empire without fears of the Church or the Imperial Army.

The Empire is too far to send an effective force to break them and the Church could not field such a large army 2without the Empire reinforcement in Thul’nos

More Avengers and Magus were stationed in cities around the Forest and during the Reaping. But those that were stationed around the forest are brutally murdered, their corpse left hanging on the trees around the entrance of the Vast Forest.

And the Reaping?

As long as the Crimson Army came to those Reaping unless the Church brought down their entire force down, they could not contain such numbers of trained soldiers.

In the Vast Forest itself, people only enters if they wanted to join the Crimson Army as traps is spread all around the Forest and only the people in the Crimson Army knows the forest like the back of their hands.

By now even if there were Magus that noticed the Crimson Army doing their drill in the Vast Forest they would not dare to just attack by their lonesome.

To counter seventy thousand soldiers The Church need to bring all their forces in Aethens region down to even have a hope of containing this large army of Azul of House Verignon.

The Old Noble houses of Aethenspania spoke of Azul Verignon with a hint of pride while his elder brother and youngest brother who did not follow their father to join Azul, hides in Ashaya.

By now, the fires of rebellions are spreading all over the Empire four regions with many of them trying to emulate the deeds of Azul who is the most successful leader of rebellion in the Empire history.

The Empire is not unaccustomed to rebellion in their governance.

But the rebellions of peasants which is rare in itself and nobles rebellion of conquered territory rebellion which is pretty common is let only to foster for a while and then finally squashed which gives the oppression impact toward the peasant and the nobles.

But, they never expected that a band of peasant, of a small city, led by a boy could grow so large that it became the headache of the Empire.

By now, to contain the rebellion in Shurley the Empire need to commit their army to come down from their Four Walls in Thul’nos which is impossible with the barbarian breathing down their neck not to mention they are separated by a large sea.

And because of the rebellions in Aethens region, the blood supply for the soldiers in the garrison of the Four Walls is insufficient.

Which in turn causes the Empire to become even more merciless, reaping people indiscriminately, village were Reap in just a matter of days until no man, child or woman were left alive, all instrument of the Empire.

This only help Azief cause even more as more people fled from their villages and cities, fleeing from indiscriminate Reaping, seeking protection from Azief Crimson Army who welcomed them with open arms

Azief has been harassing and foiled many Reaping with his ever growing soldiers and with each Reaping foiled, flocks of peasant joins his army bolstering his men every time.

And then on the fifth year of his rebellion against the Empire, the time is ripe, the land in chaos, the warlords all over the Empire has rose up and the will of the people on his side, Azief finally decided it is time to move.

It has been five years; yet, Azief still did not know what he had to regret.

For, he lived a life with no regret.

He as Azul, met great men and women, brave and valiant, fighting for their belief which only serves to strengthen Azief own heart and his desires to seek the truth of this Universe.

To become strong and peer through that Veil by himself. If Azul could be so strong that he could create a world inside a saber like this why can’t he do it also?

He met people who suffer all kinds of torments, and saw how they overcome it.

He saw despite the hard lives they lead, they still fall in love and died for it, without regret and sorrow, fighting for a different tomorrow for their children in his army.

Azief accept their death proudly and with each people that die under his commands, his burning rage to the Empire matched the original Azul anger.

One morning, Azief standing on large podium in the Vast Forest shouted at his me

‘Today, we begin our counterattack. Five years we have waited for this moment. Countless of lives have been Reaped and we the Crimson Army could not stop all Reaping in all corners of the Empire. We have grown larger and stronger than the first year of our rebellion. We have sharp weapons, high morale and the will of the people behind us, all praying for the destruction of the Empire of Thul’nos.’

Azief look at his soldiers which are composed of many people of the defeated kingdoms during the time of the Empire Conquest.

He did not promise this before but with 70 thousand soldiers under his commands, a large force he now can promise it to his soldiers

‘I promise to liberate the four kingdoms from the yoke of the Empire. And with the destruction of the Empire, we will create a new world.’

AYE!

ROAR! The soldiers shouted all lift their weapon to the air and roar. The rebellion of Azul Verignon begins!

In the fifth year of the rebellion, Azul Verignon started to bring down cities around the Vast Forest.

One by one, the cities fell under his army attack.

Some were felled by being sieged, other because the peasant inside the city opens the gates after being incited by Azief spies.

In just a matter of months, Azief managed to grew his army to 160 thousand soldiers. He divided the large army he possesses into three.

One is led by him, the other led by Tyr and the other one lead by Zinar subordinate, Ymir.

With three armies attacking in different direction, Azief, Tyr and Ymir conquer large swath of land and annex counties after counties.

Azief picked the most opportune moment to strike.

The fifth year of his rebellion, the Barbarian on the Four Walls were weakened but when the Empire sends some reinforcement to hold the Aethens regions, the Barbarian got an opportunity and broke down one of the Walls.

With internal and external threat, the Empire responses were chaotic.

By recalling back the army on journey to Aethens northern region, Azief smoothly united the northern region of Aethens with a large army of three hundred thousand soldiers.

In the sixth year of his rebellion, Azief once again set an expedition to the southern and western region.

In half a year both of those region were subdued while the eastern region nobles all surrendered and Azief has united back the land of Aethens.

Some nobles were reinstated to their old position without any power instead just an empty title and the act of training a private army was banned and would be considered treason to the Crimson Army

In the seventh year of his rebellion, Azief declared himself King of Aethens, the rightful heir to Old Lands of Aethenspania and marry a noble daughter of Aethens, Lyana of House Regal.

King Azul and Queen Lyana of Aethens were coronated in the same day they marry each other and put the nobles of Old Noble house of Aethenspania at ease.

In the days that follow, Azief slowly whittle the power of the nobles of the old Houses and wiped them out in a large inner war in the Palace Walls.

Azief charged them on a trump up charge of high treason and executed all of their kin.

Even his father in laws was not spared; the only surviving member that is not implicated by association was his Queen.

This action by Azief extinguishes any hope for the noble houses of Aethens to ever make a comeback.

Azief…finally hold unlimited and unchecked authority in Aethens without any nobles to ever dare challenge his ruling.