Chapter 1114: Chapter 1111: Feeling Drained Chapter 1114: Chapter 1111: Feeling Drained Eric was acutely aware of why his life had been like that of a protagonist with an unfair advantage all these years; it was all bestowed upon him by the figure before him.

That is why, no matter what he achieved, he had never been arrogant, because he knew that everything he went through was orchestrated for him; he was like a puppet on strings in a stage play, with every move being controlled.

Knowing this, it was very difficult for him to feel proud; he was full of doubts about everything he had, including his current lover and even his son.

“There’s no need to be so modest, you undervalue yourself too much. Your own abilities also play an indisputable part in your achievements,” Muria reassured him with a smile, comforting him as if he was a ripened leek ready for the harvest.

Although about seventy percent of Eric’s achievements, along with a string of dazzling titles, could be attributed to Muria, there was no doubt that Eric had also made his efforts.

After all, there’s a saying, “A sodden clod cannot be walled up.” Clearly, Eric was the kind that could be walled up, which made him much better than those who were no better than clods.

“Your Majesty flatters me; I am well aware of what stuff I am made of,” Eric replied with composure, his experiences over the years had matured him thoroughly.

“Heh, I’m not praising you, but giving a fair assessment. Even without my intervention, with your skills, it’s possible you could have been ennobled for your talent,” Muria said.

Muria didn’t show any royal authority to Eric, there was no need—Eric was already willing to dedicate everything to him.

“But without your intervention, I would be more likely to die on the battlefield than to be ennobled.”

“That is also true,” Muria agreed, acknowledging that the saying “One man’s success is built on the sacrifice of many” was not just mere words. Every general of the Blazing Sky Kingdom who had ascended to nobility through military merits had climbed a mountain of corpses and waded through seas of blood.

“Are you ready?” Muria asked straightforwardly after a brief chat with Eric.

“I was ready the moment I stepped into this palace,” Eric responded, having prepared himself for this moment for a full five years.

“Good, the process might be very uncomfortable, but I absolutely won’t threaten your life,” Muria reminded him, also making a promise.

“Your Majesty, bring it on!”

“Take a seat.”

After Eric sat down cross-legged as instructed, Muria reached out towards him. Clouds of six-colored mist eagerly emanated from his body, like a ravenous python, they engulfed the motionless Eric in one gulp.

Wrapped in the Qi that seemed to have its own consciousness, Eric let out a pained grunt. He felt his hard-earned powers being relentlessly pulled at.

Whoosh!

The sound of surging tides and churning seas echoed from within Eric, and a reflection of a blue sea appeared behind him, representing his power.

As this power manifested, blue waters burst from Eric’s body, attempting to retaliate against the consuming force; yet the moment the heavy waters surged, Eric immediately suppressed them back into his body.

Eric clearly understood what he was doing; this was the price he had to pay for all the wonderful experiences and endless glory he had gained in the past five years.

“Very good, just like that, cooperate with me,” Muria said with approval, nodding at Eric’s action. “Your will has been tempered in the battles over the years. The following process will be painful, but the pain will be within your tolerance.”

“I know,” Eric could feel the pulling force around him growing stronger, his power beginning to drain from him, or more accurately, being ripped out.

The sensation of power ebbing away was undoubtedly uncomfortable for someone like him at this stage, but no matter how painful it was, he had to endure it.

As time went by, the blue Qi was extracted from Eric’s body and devoured by the force extending from Muria’s body, and the euphoria of rapidly increasing power surfaced once again.

In contrast to Muria, who showed pleasure on his face, Eric’s features gradually twisted in agony, feeling as if his body were being hollowed out.

This wasn’t an exaggeration but a vivid description. Eric was in excruciating pain. At first, his internal power instinctively fought back against the external source power devouring it.

But as the swallow continued to intensify, his power’s resistance grew weaker and weaker. Beyond a certain point, his power ceased to resist altogether and even began to accommodate the King’s power, collaborating with the devouring force. Eventually, it started to surge out of its own accord, completely disregarding the feelings of its own master.

The sound of the tide fluctuations didn’t cease within the great hall, but the ocean phantom behind Eric was gradually fading away, as his power was rapidly diminishing.

Meanwhile, behind Muria, from blurry to clear, the phantom of the sea emerged, as he was gradually taking control of the ocean’s power, snatching the last type of power held by the demon of the seven calamities.

“Drip!”

Although the time of power absorption wasn’t long, to Eric, it was like an eternity had passed, leaving him extremely weak. He couldn’t even sit up, lying directly on the carpet in the middle of the great hall, his face pale.

“I’ve finally gathered all the powers,” Muria took a moment to experience the oceanic force he had never touched before, then turned his attention to Eric, whose body had been hollowed out.

“Do you find this feeling of weakness nostalgic?” Muria strolled over to Eric, squatted down, and asked with a smile. He knew that this youngster, who held the last of the epic powers, came from commoner origins.

In a chaotic world, anything could happen; nobles of the royal palace could become beggars on the streets overnight due to the fall of their country and dynasty.

And a street beggar can suddenly turn their fate around due to a stroke of luck, founding a nation and creating an epic saga. Such is the chaos of troubled times, filled with opportunity.

Without a doubt, Eric’s ancestors must have once been prosperous. He might even be the descendant of some duke or lord. However, Muria had no interest in investigating this.

In this world, the number of nations that have been born and then destroyed is simply too many. Pick any commoner on the street, follow their bloodline up a hundred and eighty generations, and most likely they would be descended from nobility.

Eric likely belonged to such circumstances. However, his lineage having fallen to such a state was somewhat surprising to Muria; it was extinguished to the point of leaving only him.

Of course, there might be others like him, possessing the epic power representing the force of the sea, but Muria had not found a second one to date.

Eric’s parents were non-awakened commoners. It was simply a case of awakening in his generation. Muria thought that if Eric had not awakened, he might have been rather frustrated.

“Nostalgic? No, I am not fond of it in the least. I’ve never been this weak,” Eric said with a bitter smile in response to Muria’s teasing, his face deathly pale.

“Is that so? I have experienced the feeling of being utterly powerless.”

“You… How?” Eric’s face showed shock, as he associated Muria’s words with his own current state, and the thought was deeply terrifying. The King of the Blazing Sky Kingdom had been stripped of his power.

“Surprised? Even I was born without any power.”

“Uh…” Eric’s surprised expression froze on his face, twisting it somewhat.

“Alright, enough teasing. I will now bestow upon you what I once promised,” Muria said, placing his palm on Eric’s chest. Then, a deep blue light shone between Muria’s hands, followed by a surge of power that Eric was intimately familiar with.

“What is this?” Eric’s face lit up with surprise and confusion, for he felt that the power that had just been drained from him had all returned.

“Feel it carefully, it is slightly different from before,” Muria, seeing Eric’s expression, reminded him.

“My power has weakened?” Eric quickly sensed the difference. If the power Muria had taken from him was solid, what returned was like liquid. Although it was the same kind of power, it had been diluted.

“Weak is only temporary. Once I break through that final barrier and complete the last step, everything will return to its original state, and you will even become stronger because of this.”

Muria spoke words that Eric did not understand, then slowly stood up, turned his back to him, and used body language to indicate it was time for him to leave.

“I…” Though he had many questions, seeing Muria’s current attitude, Eric had no choice but to hold his tongue, leaving the Royal Court with his power directly weakened by a level.

Despite the diminished power, Eric didn’t feel displeased because the outcome was much better than he had expected; he even felt a subtle connection with his lord. In Eric’s feeling, what he gained seemed to be more than what he lost.

“Did you turn him into one of your minions?” After Eric left, a being with six wings, radiating holy divine light, appeared beside Muria.

“Right now, he can’t be considered my minion. It will only be after I completely erase the demon’s consciousness and perfectly integrate his power,” Muria replied.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read