The Golem Mage

The Northern Kingdom was not the only one trying to get the submission of the cities under their jurisdiction; the other four kingdoms were likewise striving to reach out to the cities beneath them.

Each employed distinct strategies of theirs in hope to bring the newly empowered city lords into their fold, though the royal families were influential within their own region domains, however these rulers were realistic enough to recognize that they could not match the power of lords who had spent ages preparing to rise as King-tier experts of the human race when they attacked that is why they realized that they need the full power of all the cities under them.

They were eager to preserve their authority rather than submit to ambitious, aspiring King-tier lords who would want to attack them,which is why they were acting swiftly about this.

In the Origin Realm, true diplomatic leverage belongs solely to King-tier experts, the standard human lords were viewed as nothing more than mere cannon fodder—or, at best, temporary custodians of land granted by their region’s king,

This title stemmed from the high mortality rate among the lords and the constant transfer of ownership over lord-rank cities after a battle, it is what had earned them the reputation of being mere temporary caretakers of these territories.

However, Great lords fare slightly better, holding status akin to lesser nobility, though their authority never extends beyond the realm of the king they are under, and they function primarily as the king’s operational force during military campaigns.

Whenever there was a situation where the king of their region could not intervene, they are the ones that get dispatched to carry out the monarch’s objectives.

However, practitioners controlling King-tier land rank are second only to Emperor-level experts, they literally answered to no one except the human emperors.

And provided they conquer all cities within a region, they possess the authority to carve out their own domain and bestow upon it whatever name they choose.

But for the case of the five kingdoms despite the fact that they have already previously established their kingdom, the governing system of the Origin Realm does not permit rulers to automatically assume equivalent titles without proving themselves through conquest.

At a minimum, the realm system had given them face by allowing them to broadcast a message to lords inside their kingdoms which required them to secure the formal surrender of the individuals who became City Lords over the cities within their kingdom’s borders.

By re-establishing their kingdom through this process, these rulers would gain not only official recognition from the realm, special king seals but also the protective power granted to King-tier regions in the Origin Realm.

With such formidable defenses and perks in place, potential aggressors would hesitate to attack, unwilling to risk damaging their own foundations in a war they were uncertain of winning.

However, despite each king of the five kingdoms utilizing their single free broadcast message to declare their intentions, the response they received fell far short of their expectations.

_ _

“Hahaha! The heavens are just!The day has finally come for us to stand on our own. Klaus, ready all of our mages! We are breaking away from the Northern Kingdom. Let’s see if they even have the time to pursue us while facing the threat of powerhouses from the new realm.” the Patriarch of the Dragonmir clan declared with wild laughter.

Unlike ordinary clans, the ancient clans—much like the five royal families—had been sending their descendants to the Origin Realm for generations.

As a result, they possessed a far broader understanding of the realm than average clans did. As the long-acknowledged strongest mage in the Northern Kingdom, the Patriarch of the Dragonmir clan had harbored a growing resentment against the royal powers for years, but he had never before found an opportunity to throw off their yoke—until now.

Leveraging the foundation established by his clan’s mages in the Origin Realm, he sought to build his own kingdom, although relying solely on his descendants in the realm would fall short of creating a full kingdom, however he worked to recruit the subservient bloodline clans under his banner as well.

He believed that with a measured approach, even if he failed to forge a new small bloodline kingdom for them, he would come remarkably close.

Above all, he vastly preferred this path of monarchy to remaining subservient to the Northern Royal Family.

Meanwhile, other ancient clans whose descendants served as city lords across the Northern Kingdom mostly adopted a wait-and-see approach, the zero clan was the sole exception alongside the Dragonmir clan, which had flatly rejected the system prompt that asked if they wished to link their territories to the capital city.

_ _

Yet, while the various ancient clans of the Northern Kingdom either declared their positions or remained neutral, a resounding dragon roar suddenly echoed into the sky in a not so far away distance.

Measuring nearly a hundred meters long, the creature took the form of an eastern dragon, scaled in vibrant azure-green, as it ascended into the skies, a thunderous roar echoed from its maw.

Though its body appeared translucent, flickering as if it might dissolve into nothingness at any moment, onlookers still felt an undeniable presence, as though a living, breath-taking dragon soared above them.

Just then, five distinct auras surged skyward, emanating from five formidable weapons.

The overwhelming pressure radiated by these armaments struck awe and dread into the hearts of all who beheld them.

Across the entire Five Kingdom region, every living soul could feel the immense energy of the five armaments hovering in midair around the azure-green dragon.

The weapons channeled their power directly toward the dragon, acting in unison to stabilize its flickering form, to one side hovered a kusarigama glowing with a deep purple aura, and a lethal dagger was attached to the end of its chain.

In another direction levitated a feral, dragon-themed greatsword paired with a matching bracer that levitated beside it, an armament which was casting a fierce red glow before the watching city lords.

In yet another location floated a katana alongside a shorter ninja blade, distinct from a traditional wakizashi, yet these two weapons were emitting a brilliant sky-blue radiance.

To another side, a pale green radiance bathed a uniquely crafted staff, unlike standard staves, its top and bottom were reinforced with intricate metal bracing.

At its head rested an integrated circular hoop adorned with hanging rings, from these rings, fine cords suspended small sky-blue and green jade gemstones, giving the weapon the distinct appearance of a shamanic staff rather than a conventional design.

The final armament resembled a shield at first glance, but closer inspection revealed it to be a pair of mirrored artifacts that was glowing with milky colour sheen.

Once all five armaments manifested, the vanishing silhouette of the fate dragon, which had been on the verge of fading completely gradually stabilized.

[» Region System announcement... The Eastern Royal Family has successfully established a kingdom.Therefore, the barrier’s lifeline has been halved, accelerating the Five Kingdom region’s assimilation into the Origin Realm.]

[» Region System announcement... The ancient clans of the Eastern Kingdom have pledged their allegiance to the Eastern Royal Family. In compensation for their submission they have merged with the easterner kingdom fate, hence their respective clan armaments have been awakened.]

[» Region System announcement...As a result of this development, the mana from the Origin Realm will assimilate into the Five Kingdom region at an accelerated pace, with the highest concentration gathering in the eastern sector.]

As the kings of the other kingdoms struggled to comprehend the phenomenon unfolding before them, a system message arrived, revealing the truth behind the spectacle.

The manifestations had taken place in the skies above the Eastern Kingdom, paired with the system announcement, the situation became clear to them that the Eastern Royal Clan had successfully established their kingdom, awakening their own unique fate dragon in the process.

The five distinct clan armaments revolving around the dragon clearly belonged to the ancient clans of the Eastern Kingdom.

While the other rulers could not guess what promises the Eastern Royal Clan had made to secure the allegiance of all five clans, they knew that these ancient lineages had long lived in harmony.

Consequently, they decided to attribute this impressive feat of kingdom creation to that longstanding unity, yet, after witnessing such immense power gathered at the easterner section, only intensified their own resolve to re-create their own kingdoms as soon as possible.