Summoning Millions of Gods Daily, My Strength Equals Theirs Combined Chapter 1 -1-Twilight of the Empire
Crossbridge Empire, Valoria Palace
Clang!
A sharp metallic ring reverberated through the hushed palace hall when the silver tray tumbled from Grand Marshal Angie’s fingers, disrupting the profound quiet within the room.
Her strong and attractive features, typically serene and regal, now glowed with a blend of astonishment and boundless delight.
"His Majesty has awakened!" she exclaimed, her tone quivering with a mix of incredulity and rapture.
"Hurry! Alert Doctor Melina and Lord Winston right away!"
Without stopping to pick up the dropped tray, she whirled around and dashed along the extended hallway, her boots pounding on the marble surface as though the entire realm had stirred to life.
"...Your Majesty?"
A feeble, raspy murmur shattered the quiet from behind her.
Aurek gradually forced open his heavy lids, his mind reeling from excruciating pain.
Intense sunlight, overwhelming for his throbbing head, sliced through the openings in the dense velvet drapes, casting fragmented rays onto his bedding.
The warm golden beams highlighted the opulent overhead canopy, the ornate bedposts, and the smooth silk coverings under his palms.
Hold on... this place? Why am I in a palace bed?
His pulse raced with bewilderment.
The youth's actual identity was Durin, a freshman studying History. Mere instants before, he had been bent over his dorm desk, pulling an all-nighter to complete his final assignment. But suddenly, he found himself here—waking up in a royal bed!
What in the world is happening?
Before he could inspect the room further, a massive wave of foreign recollections crashed into his consciousness.
Durin clutched his forehead as sharp agony pierced his brain. Recollections alien to him—unfamiliar, otherworldly, but intensely clear—imposed themselves, fusing deeply with his essence.
One fragment at a time, he pieced them together.
Realization struck him.
He had crossed over to another world.
Not merely into some ordinary role, but specifically as the ruler of the Crossbridge Empire—Aurek the Sixteenth.
On the surface, it appeared ideal. An undergrad student abruptly reborn as a monarch? He might have indulged in limitless luxury—at the height of authority, relishing noble extravagance, basking in the allure of elite ladies drawn to him.
However, the truth proved much harsher.
The sovereign he now embodied... was completely worthless.
This realm was Eura, a territory immense enough to dwarf Earth tenfold. That estimate covered only the charted areas; enormous untamed regions lay beyond, unmarked on the boldest charts.
In the documented territories, countless realms dotted the landscape, akin to stars in the evening firmament.
Amid this vast sea of dominions, the Crossbridge Empire ranked as formidable—but merely in comparison.
Ten millennia prior, the realm was established by the inaugural sovereign, Aurek Veynar, a warrior of master rank whose supreme power forged a territory from turmoil.
Since then, the Veynar lineage had governed without interruption, handing down the crown across seventeen lineages, ending with Aurek XVI.
Yet destiny dealt a harsh blow.
The sole successor to the deceased ruler was born impaired in mind.
This "tragic offspring" spoke his initial words only at five years old.
By ten, he struggled to scrawl his name. Then, at twelve, following his father's sudden demise, the hapless lad—despised and sympathized with—was elevated to the imperial seat.
No brilliance was needed to foresee the consequences. A fool crowned amid carnivores—how could any empire endure?
The nobility and bureaucrats of the realm acted swiftly. Resembling hungry predators, they brazenly partitioned the leftover riches of Crossbridge.
Unfettered by dread of royal command, they hustled to enrich themselves prior to the realm's downfall.
Aurek XVI, despite his dullness, perceived the rot in his advisors. Yet he possessed neither bravery—nor maybe the intelligence—to oppose them.
Cowardly through and through, he permitted the abuse.
In assemblies, youthful nobles ridiculed him publicly, at times slashing his ceremonial attire into odd garments for laughs.
Thus, time dragged on.
Upon reaching his sixteenth year—the occasion signifying maturity in Crossbridge, when he ought to assume full command—disaster befell.
Amid the festivities, a compact, robust pony toppled him, rendering the delicate ruler senseless.
That stupor endured two grueling years.
Ending now—with Durin's arrival.
Inconceivable... was this fool so utterly incompetent?
Durin’s—now Aurek’s—lips quirked in dismay as he absorbed this lamentable history.
Moreover, as though insufficient, the absorbed recollections unveiled a far more startling fact:
This realm transcended mere blades and intrigue. It brimmed with abilities—arcane forces and extraordinary talents.
Here, ordinary folk toiled and perished at the lowest level. To ascend, entry into Apprentice status was essential. Further tiers included Trainee, Elite, Expert, Hero, and ultimately, Master.
Masters earning mythic renown could progress to Grandmaster, Stellar, and Sage.
God Rank, however... lingered solely in tales, murmured as sagas of primordial legends.
In Eura, might alone dictated order.
Even the founding Aurek had leveraged his Master Rank prowess to establish Crossbridge's base.
Nevertheless, the imperial mantle rang empty.
Throughout Eura, mighty religious states and realms flourished. The Ordon Theocracy towered above all.
To the unlearned crowds, a monarch reigned absolute. But to Ordon, a monarch served as a useful marionette, a tool for herding the masses.
The Ordon Theocracy dominated Crossbridge along with almost an eighth of the landmass.
Their dominance was absolute. Scores of Master-level experts rallied under their flags. Their highest cleric—His Holiness the Pope—was said to bear a god-bestowed divine mantle. His power defied measurement.
Beneath his leadership, Ordon grew without bounds, installing figurehead leaders continent-wide.
The Crossbridge Empire numbered among them.
Outwardly, the empire appeared prosperous—fertile soils, populous citizens, plentiful levies.
But Aurek grasped the reality.
Nine-tenths of the empire's assets and tributes funneled straight to Ordon. From the scant balance, venal functionaries pilfered nearly everything. Only a mere five percent trickled to the royal coffers.
The outcome?
A mere shell of a dominion. Destitute. Divided. Decaying internally as threats loomed externally.
Still, the Theocracy refrained from meddling.
Similar to bloodsuckers, they savored sapping Crossbridge's vitality, extracting until barren before casting aside the remains.
Thus, I'm a nominal emperor... but truly the ultimate dupe?
Aurek sighed deep within, his spirit brimming with irritation.
As he adjusted in the sheets, his right hand encountered a chilly, solid object near the bed's rim.
His digits enclosed it, identifying the item.
The Emperor’s Scepter—the emblem of absolute rule.
For two years, it lay neglected beside the bed, accumulating grime.
Yet upon his grasp—
A rush of heat erupted from the scepter into his hand, coursing like liquid gold along his bloodstream, permeating his arms, legs, and skeleton.
The insignia atop the scepter—a sculpted Iris bloom—ignited in an eerie, dim golden radiance.
The light pulsed briefly before fading, depositing a faint sheen on a single petal of the bloom.
Suddenly, a see-through panel materialized before him.
[Emperor’s Scepter: Activated]
[Current Level: 1]
[Emperor Points: 10]
[Available Unit: Elemental Assassin (Cost: 1 Point)]
[Effect: Allows the emperor to summon powerful soldiers. As the level increases, more units and soldiers can be summoned, with chances to summon special units.]
[Tip: Every 100 Emperor Points increases level by 1. Summoning consumes Emperor Points, while defeating enemies grants more points.]
Aurek’s eyes widened in alarm.
"I... I have awakened a system?" he murmured, stunned.
His breaths grew rapid, his torso heaving.
Only recently, he had despaired against institutional rot and godly oversight. But now—this! His ultimate advantage, his secret edge, his fate upturned!
Should this hold, everything shifted dramatically.
A gradual, assured grin curved his mouth.
Fine then. In that scenario... it's time these leeches learn the true sovereign.
Naturally, despite the bravado, a trial was necessary first.
Discover the capabilities of this Elemental Assassin.
Resolutely, Aurek concentrated on the luminous choice and activated it mentally.
"Come forth—Elemental Assassin!"