Coiling Dragon: Age Of War

Festivities were all time high in the village after Charles had given the victory speech and everyone was joyous on the occasion, eating, dancing and singing.

While the village was making some noise, the people at the top had gathered in Charles garden where they were congratulating each other and thinking of the future.

Richard was the star of the occasion and he had been brought into the spotlight. None of them people present thought of him as a small player anymore, as they saw him above them. To them it was undeniable that he was a chosen one, Athena's chosen one.

It meant that he was incomparable to them and it was an honor for them that they had the opportunity to become a part of his fable. It was not just spoken word but true belief and it was clear in their actions. Richard wasn't alien to people groveling before him and kissing his feet, as he was a businessman from a developed country working in a developing nation. Other than that, he was also a successful person which gave people ample reason to buŧŧer up to him. So, he played along naturally in the current situation. He was in his zone and had control once again. His mind was in the game and his dark thoughts had been pushed into the depths of his mind. His future was looking bright and he believed with certainty that he would achieve his goal.

Getting back to the situation, Charles, Legolas and Harold gave an oath of loyalty to him by invoking Olympus, making it official as an oath of that level couldn't be taken lightly. Oaths taken by invoking Olympus were managed by Horkos, and Horkos personified the curse that would be inflicted on any person who swore a false oath. He was the avenger of perjury and the punitive companion of the Immortal of Justice, Dike.

It was a good thing for Richard as he had an ȧssurance about their loyalty and he now had a way to avoid uncertainties. Living in the current world without having ȧssurance of loyalty could result in death unlike his previous world, so he had been thinking about that issue. He didn't wish to experience a back stab at any moment of his life.

The Knights didn't just take the oath, but they even passed their skills to him. It was an investment for them, and they would be brain-dead to throw away such a chance. Their skills and items were only precious to them but on the world scale, they were nothing. The chosen one would always reach a high stage, so these things were nothing in the big picture.

On the other hand, the benefits they would reap from the investment were grand. The world held clear proof that the followers had prospered greatly once the chosen one rose in power. Even if Richard didn't give them anything, their connection with him would give them benefits such as connections and gifts from other people.

They also understood the difficulties related to being a follower of an untested and weak leader. Death was a great possibility, especially if they were targeted by enemies of Olympus. There was always the risk of ȧssassins targeting Richard. However, it didn't matter. The level of gain depended on the level of risk taken.

Regardless of the risk, they took the oath for the future of their bloodline. An opportunity had presented itself and they were ambitious enough to jump once it had proven itself trustworthy. Richard also didn't let them down and promised them a good future as he always rewarded good work. He understood the fact that people needed incentives, so he never relied on the goodwill of others. Good will was an unstable thing and it could go away once the person became too busy or got tired.

Moving on from the oath, Richard received information about the system and how things operated in the Kingdom. He was made aware that people at the top would be interacting with them soon, as it was impossible to hide such a battle from them. There was also the fact that their group had surpassed the requirements of a baron in terms of personal strength and group power.

Charles had managed to ascend to Golden core level while the other two also rose to Core formation. These two weren't the only ones as their right hand men also grew to the same level while Edward, Noah and Maya had also reached Core formation. If that wasn't good enough, most of the warriors had made a solid foundation and the lower level warriors had reached foundation realm.

Charles was good enough to qualify as a Viscount with the current group of people. Though, he lacked in terms of achievements. However, with Richard's presence it wouldn't be an issue. The King would directly increase their ranks once he heard about it, according to their expectations.

Richard didn't make his decisions without thought and took his time using the mental boost. He covered for all possibilities and chose the route with the most benefits. He chose to lead his group to a higher rank as he needed people with a solid backing and he needed resources. There was no way to avoid the King and the dangers would come to him eventually, so it was best to stay closer to a strong region than a village. He had no problem tackling the political issues and those groups would most likely try to get on his good side.

Charles and the duo were just the beginning, and Richard would have to see and react accordingly with the other candidates in the future. He was slightly nervous about the King, but he wasn't going to run from it. It was inevitable for him to get contact with such personalities as those were the people with the power and knowledge. Also, it wasn't new for him as he had met countless Presidents and Ministers in the previous world. There was no sense of shock or awe for him hearing those ranks. There was no fear of slipping because no one could deny his claim as Athena had truly supported him when it was extremely rare for such a thing to happen. His energy was silver and only another chosen one could point him out. Richard never let anything get to his head and make him arrogant, so he made sure to avoid taking pointless risks. He would have denied being a chosen one, if there had been a way to deny his claim. Only Athena could deny him, and she had played along with his game so she didn't mind such a strategic use of her name.

Once the talk about the Kingdom finished, the group discussed about improving the territory and the people. With the power in his hands, Richard took charge and decided to share his vision with them. He had his purpose in life but that didn't distract him from other people. He would help when it was possible for him to do so and he needed to strengthen the people that served him. In pure power, Richard was only below Charles. He had just entered the foundation realm, but his strength was so immense that the others could feel the difference in their existence. The higher energy realm made the affect even worse. It was another proof of Richard's authority. Normally, it was impossible for a new foundation builder to have higher power than a core formation warrior. It was an unprecedented event.

However, to Richard it also showed the weakness of his followers. The core formation fighters under him were too weak except Edward, Legolas and Harold. Even those three weren't good enough like Charles had been on their level, so he needed to improve their level of skills and physique. Their foundation needed to be tweaked and he needed to educate them. He was devising a teaching plan once he read upon the data available to his followers. The trio agreed and was extremely happy to receive such a gift. Richard was lower in realm but his knowledge in certain subjects was higher and his understanding of the body was deeper than theirs, as none of them had gone beyond the surface level. He was the chosen one, his knowledge came from above. That was their thought process and it was true about the real chosen one, which was why they were real monsters in mortal form.

While the heroes were celebrating, the villains of the event were feeling unwell. They were feeling sick to their bones from the hatred, fear and disgust after hearing about what had taken place.

Mars had returned home broken when they had expected a victorious return. He had lost his main partner and his left hand. His seniors had left him at his home before going to their own territories to recuperate from the damage they had received. The foreign duo planned to pass the knowledge to groups that would be interested in hunting down a weak chosen one. They would get rewarded and even a get a chance to participate in a fight with such a being. It was cowardly but both knew their inability to fight a prime condition chosen one.

With their departure, Mars arrived home in shame and relayed the information to his grandfather.

Baron Stephen took everything calmly on the surface while the inside was a mess. He had never expected his enemies to be blessed. He now has no choice but to take a knee and ask for forgiveness. He didn't fancy the idea of revolting against the chosen one. It was heretical since he belonged to Olympus. He felt hatred for Charles and disgusted at the idea of working under him. But, he also feared for the survival of his bloodline. He couldn't show arrogance to Charles anymore. The man had been blessed and it was best for Stephen to reconcile before things went awry. The King would be moving soon according to his understanding and Stephan didn't want to face the royal wrath. .

Stephen didn't blame Mars and understood that the child was feeling terrible. So, he took that into account and consoled him. He made everyone in the family to understand that they couldn't fight against Charles anymore and they should treat them as superiors. None of them could afford disrespecting such a person anymore. Stephen was adamant that anyone who took such an action was not from his family. With that point made clear, Stephen told his family to arrange gifts so that they could meet up with Charles and present themselves to Richard.

Mars was forced to listen to such a thing. He lived the reality of the lower class for the first time in his life where he had to smile and gift the other party for the beating. He understood the reality, but he couldn't accept it. He couldn't believe that the chosen one was some low class individual. He was better than some villager, why did he have to kneel. His anger and loss of Jason blinded Mars that he was thinking against his belief. He was thinking of revolting against the Olympians in a way. It wasn't clear inside his mind at the moment but the feeling was building up. To avoid disturbing his family, Mars excused himself and decided to leave for the HQ of his organization.. He needed help to become stronger and he needed want to see his family grovel before a villager.