Nation-Snatcher

The Sun God's manifestation finally solidified everyone's faith once more. For a believer, nothing could make them more fervent than witnessing the divine power of a god with their own eyes.

Loserius also cleared himself of the "liar" and "blasphemer" stigmas branded by Hu'erlun. Dabolo himself manifested, bestowing upon him the title "Died in Glory," solidifying Loserius's status as a chosen one.

Hu'erlun, as the first Emperor of the Canghuang Continent and ruler of the entire landmass, dared not defy the will of the gods.

Loserius's story was not only meticulously and realistically recorded in the annals of history. The Sun Church he established, along with the remnants of the Sun Empire's fallen subjects, were not completely purged by Hu'erlun.

Although it did not receive official support from the Eagle Empire, as the first deity to manifest publicly, the Sun Church's doctrine of infinite loyalty to Dabolo was preserved.

With the Emperor's tacit approval, the Sun Church and the War Church were both considered the legitimate successors of the Eagle Empire!

Of course, as a devout follower of the God of War, while Hu'erlun dared not openly defy Dabolo, his propaganda and investment in the War Church created a fundamental gap in scale between the church of his biological son and that of his illegitimate son.

For several consecutive years, the Eagle Empire flourished and grew, its national strength becoming increasingly formidable.

However, from some unknown day, Emperor Hu'erlun's body began to age prematurely.

At the prime age of thirty or forty, with a powerful physique gifted by the gods, he should have lived for two to three hundred years without issue.

But now, Hu'erlun, for some unknown reason, showed clear signs of old age. The wrinkles that creased his face caused his loyal ministers, who had followed him through thick and thin, to feel both bewildered and heartbroken.

For a time, rumors spread like wildfire: Emperor Hu'erlun had killed the chosen one, Loserius, angering the Sun God Dabolo, who had then cast a "curse of aging" upon him.

Finally, one morning during court, the ministers did not see their Emperor. Instead, they received dire news that sent the entire empire into panic.

His Majesty Hu'erlun, having been utterly exhausted physically and mentally overnight, with a head full of white hair, was no longer able to get out of bed.

His Majesty had no heirs!

If anything were to happen to him, where would the Eagle Empire go?

However, the only fortunate thing was that the Imperial Tutor, Kubana, who was over fifty years old and as renowned as the Emperor, resolutely stepped forward at this critical juncture.

Taking over the Emperor's authority, he continued to govern this colossal empire, which was still in its "infancy." The Sage Kubana, as he had done countless times before, once again saved the empire from imminent collapse, stabilizing the panicked populace.

Late at night.

The Emperor's bedchamber.

Kubana dismissed the attendants serving the bedridden Hu'erlun and approached the luxurious sickbed alone.

Hu'erlun's eyes were clouded, and each breath he took was accompanied by a wheezing sound.

Upon seeing Kubana's face, a flicker of clarity returned to Hu'erlun's dazed eyes.

He raised his withered arm and said, "Ku, Kubana..."

Kubana sat beside the sickbed, holding Hu'erlun's dry palm. He exuded the same reliability as always. "Your Majesty, I am here. Is there anything you wish to say?"

Hu'erlun trembled, "Kubana, I, the founding Emperor, the chosen one, the sole sovereign of the Canghuang Continent... I, I consider you a father."

Kubana's expression was one of regret. "I have always known, Hu'erlun. Your Majesty, I will ensure that your name and the empire's glory continue to prosper."

Hmph!

Hu'erlun, with a surge of strength he didn't know he possessed, gripped Kubana's hand tightly, trying to sit up but unable to do so.

His hair and beard were disheveled, his expression contorted. "Then, Father, what exactly is this Spirit Nourishing Soup you gave me!"

Kubana's heart tightened, but he calmly replied, "Your Majesty, I don't understand what you mean."

"Ha~"

Seeing the change in Kubana's expression, Hu'erlun, through years of close association, sensed the truth.

Hu'erlun trembled, "You, you... traitor! Blasphemer! Pantheon will punish you! You, you are utterly rebellious, you actually poisoned me!"

Having been discovered, Kubana seemed to have no need to conceal anything further. He said lightly, "Hu'erlun, my dear Emperor, everything I have done, like you, the mission of a chosen one has never changed in my heart. The title of blasphemer has always been irrelevant to me."

Perhaps it was a final surge of energy, but Hu'erlun instantly connected all the dots.

His eyes widened in disbelief. "You, you are also..."

Kubana sighed, took a dagger from his robe, and cut the insignia of the Great Shaman of the War Church from his robe, covering it over the struggling Hu'erlun's face.

"Your Majesty, from beginning to end, I helped you build an immortal foundation. It began with me, and it shall end with me. May the light of Pantheon be with you forever."

With one swift motion, he plunged the dagger into Hu'erlun's heart.

The gushing blood soaked the bedclothes.

"Kubana! You and your... false god will face Pantheon's wrath! I will await you... all... in hell..."

Twitching, the first founding Emperor of the Cangmang Star died with his eyes wide open.

Kubana wiped his hands, his expression resolute. He muttered to himself, "After all these years, you killed Loserius and received no punishment from Lord Dabolo. I... as a chosen one, a devout apostle of the God of Truth Aitejuli, am also protected by the divine..."

Saying this, Kubana looked up at the ceiling, as if awaiting something.

"Alas!"

Every soul in the imperial city trembled.

A sigh from a god echoed from another dimension.

The God of War, Pantheon, did not manifest his true form, but his divine voice was heard, as if bidding a final farewell to his apostle.

"My apostle, I bestowed upon you supreme power, yet you completely failed my expectations. Death by foolishness is your ultimate fate."

Beyond this, no other great power descended.

However, these words left the subjects kneeling piously on the ground, shaken and utterly bewildered.

His Majesty, the Supreme Emperor Hu'erlun... was dead?

Died by foolishness?

What did the divine being mean?

He had established the first immortal empire, ruled the eight desolate regions, and still, the divine being was not satisfied?

Or was there some trickery involved?

Kubana, by the sickbed, had maintained his pious demeanor throughout, expressing his respect for the divine.

Only after the divine sigh had long since faded did Kubana straighten up. He looked at Hu'erlun, whose face was obscured by war patterns and whose death was grotesque, and he too sighed.

He lifted the blood-soaked bedding and saw, carved into the bed board, six crooked characters exuding infinite resentment:

Nation-Snatcher, Kubana!

His Majesty Hu'erlun seemed to have been aware for a long time, but the attendants sent to serve him day and night were all his loyal confidantes.

If he had spoken these words directly, it would have only hastened his demise.

So, you carved the truth of history beneath the bedding, waiting for me to discover it?

But...

When would I ever give you the chance?

Kubana used a dagger to erase these words, then quietly gazed at the grotesquely deceased Hu'erlun. After a long while, he picked up a candlestick and threw it onto the bed.

Kubana walked out of the emperor's sleeping quarters, with an unceasing inferno behind him.

In the spring of the twenty-first year of the Eagle Calendar, the first founding emperor in history, Hu'erlun, was assassinated in his sickbed by an attendant and perished in the raging flames, his remains utterly consumed.

Imperial Preceptor Kubana was enraged and that very night, had all the attendants by the emperor's bedside beheaded and displayed as a show of his fury.

The next day, all the key ministers gathered. After a lengthy discussion, Imperial Preceptor Kubana officially assumed all the authority of Emperor Hu'erlun, who had no heir, becoming the second emperor of the Eagle Empire.

The court and the country submitted.

Later historical records state: Kubana the Nation-Snatcher, an original pioneer of the Church of Truth, single-handedly propelled the world's progress for thousands of years. During his reign, the nation prospered, the people lived in peace, and the court was tranquil. His merits outweighed his demerits, making him worthy of the Eagle Empire and worthy of heaven and earth.