The awakening of the Immortal Kings and Immortal Emperors was not merely the end of another stage of the awakening.
It was the moment when the true face of Iberon began to emerge once more.
For the past ten years, the world had grown accustomed to hearing news of immortals emerging from their slumber, witnessing ancient sects return to existence, and watching kingdoms buried beneath the seals of time reclaim their breath.
But the appearance of Immortal Kings and Immortal Emperors was different.
Those beings were not merely survivors of an ancient era.
They were rulers.
They were existences that had once stood above millions of beings, commanded vast empires stretching across boundless territories, and waged conflicts whose traces remained etched into the history of Iberon.
And when they opened their eyes...
Their first question was not:
"What happened to the world?"
It was:
"Where is my people?"
Then came the second question.
"How much territory belonging to our race remains?"
And the third...
Was far more dangerous.
"Who controls it now?"
Because despite the passage of millions of years, there was one thing they had never forgotten.
Iberon was not a world where everyone could coexist without limits.
Land was limited.
Blessed regions were limited.
Resources were limited.
Ancient inheritances were limited.
And every single stretch of fertile land or territory rich in energy could determine the difference between the prosperity of a race and its extinction.
Therefore...
The return of the Immortal Kings and Immortal Emperors could never become the beginning of an age of peace.
It was the beginning of a new age of conflict.
In an ancient human kingdom, a colossal palace had appeared above a mountain range that had never existed on the maps of the current era.
The palace's pillars were enormous, carved from dark immortal stone, while its walls were covered in engravings depicting ancient wars between humanity and the other races.
In the deepest hall of the palace...
A man sat upon an elevated throne.
His hair was white, and his face bore the appearance of a middle-aged man, yet his eyes were so profound that anyone who gazed into them would feel as though they were staring into an unfathomable sea.
His aura was silent.
Yet that silence was more terrifying than any storm.
He was an Immortal Emperor.
Around the throne stood several Immortal Kings who had awakened during the preceding days.
One of them spoke:
"We have found many humans."
The Emperor opened his eyes.
"How many?"
"More than we expected."
The King paused.
"But they are scattered across many regions, and some of their territories have fallen under the control of other races."
Silence descended.
Then the Emperor asked:
"Which races?"
The King replied:
"The elves control some of the ancient forests. The demons have expanded into the western regions, and several dragon kingdoms have emerged from the mountains..."
He did not finish.
Because the Emperor's expression changed slightly.
He spoke calmly:
"Then they have awakened as well."
"Yes."
The Emperor lowered his eyes for a moment.
Then he stood.
The instant he rose, the entire palace trembled.
"Gather the humans."
The Kings looked at him.
One of them asked:
"Do you mean all humans?"
The Emperor looked at him.
"Everyone capable of wielding a weapon."
Then he added:
"And everyone possessing a cultivation talent worthy of being nurtured."
He paused.
"We do not have the luxury of wasting time."
One of the Kings asked:
"And what of the territories occupied by the other races?"
The Emperor remained silent for several moments.
Then he said:
"Take them back."
"Even if they are under the control of Immortal Kings from the other races?"
A cold smile appeared upon the Emperor's face.
"Especially if they are under their control."
There was no hatred in his voice.
Nor was there anger.
It was much simpler than that.
He was speaking of humanity's interests.
If there was land humanity needed, and another race controlled it...
Then that race had become a competitor.
And if it refused to surrender the territory...
It would become an enemy.
The Emperor said:
"I do not want an all-out war."
Then he looked at everyone.
"Not yet."
"Gather our strength first."
"Recover the surrounding territories."
"Build cities."
"Restore the sects."
"Retrain the current generations."
Then he raised his gaze toward the heavens.
"And when our great ancestors return..."
He paused.
"They must find humanity in a state worthy of them."
At almost the same time...
In the far north of the Upper Continent, colossal mountains trembled beneath a roar that had not been heard by the world for millions of years.
Within a vast valley surrounded by towering peaks, dragons began to gather.
It was not a friendly gathering.
The dragons were not a completely unified race in terms of bloodlines and authority.
Every lineage possessed its own influence.
Every Dragon King had his own territory.
Every clan had its own interests.
But the emergence of an ancient Immortal Dragon Emperor forced everyone to reconsider the balance of power.
An ancient Dragon Emperor stood atop a mountain peak.
His body was so enormous that the surrounding mountains appeared insignificant before him.
Beneath his claws, the rocks cracked without him exerting the slightest force.
Several Dragon Kings stood around him.
One of them said:
"We have found thousands of dragons."
The Emperor replied:
"And the regions in which they live?"
"Scattered."
"Are there territories under the control of other races?"
One of the Kings fell silent.
Then he said:
"Yes."
The Emperor raised his head.
"How many?"
"Many."
He remained silent.
Then he spread his wings.
His shadow covered a vast portion of the valley.
"The dragons have returned."
His words were slow and heavy.
"And with their return, their territories shall return as well."
A Dragon King said:
"But some of those lands have been inhabited for millions of years."
The Emperor looked at him.
"And who said that time grants ownership of land?"
No one answered.
Then he said:
"The land belongs to whoever possesses the strength to protect it."
Elsewhere within the Dragon Kingdom, other dragons had already begun gathering their descendants.
Their goal was not to unite with humanity.
Nor to form alliances with the elves.
Nor to cooperate with the demons.
They were doing only one thing.
Building the strength of the dragons.
The ancient mountains were once again brought under dragon control.
The sacred caverns were reopened.
The nests of ancient bloodlines were reclaimed.
And the young dragons began receiving teachings that the current era had not known for countless ages.
This was not preparation for peace.
It was preparation for the era to come.
And within the ancient forests...
The elves were doing the same.
But their methods were different.
They did not begin by expanding violently.
Instead, they slowly extended the borders of their kingdom.
The ancient forest expanded.
Tree by tree.
Root by root.
Until the surrounding regions began to change.
Some beasts retreated.
Several smaller tribes withdrew.
And the ancient forests began reclaiming territories that had been lost ages ago.
An Immortal Elven King stood before an enormous ancient tree.
One of his advisers said:
"We can expand eastward."
"What lies there?"
"Territories controlled by a beast tribe."
The King asked:
"Their strength?"
"Weak."
"Then it will become ours."
There was no contempt.
No hatred.
Only a decision.
Then he asked:
"And the west?"
"There are territories controlled by the demons."
His eyes changed slightly.
"Watch them."
"Should we attack?"
"Not now."
Then he added:
"But do not allow them to come any closer."
The elves knew perfectly well that the demons were not allies.
And the demons knew the same.
Every race was attempting to build a wall of strength around itself before the laws of the world changed once again.
Within the dark lands...
The demons began building their empire.
They had no interest in integrating with any other race.
Quite the opposite.
The ancient memories of their conflicts with the other races remained alive within their records.
And when the Demon Emperor emerged from his slumber...
He needed very few words.
He gathered the Demon Kings before him.
"Reclaim the ancient territories."
One of them replied:
"Some of them have fallen under the control of the elves."
"Reclaim them."
"And some belong to humanity."
"Reclaim them."
"The dragons?"
The Emperor paused.
Then said:
"Do not start a war with the dragons yet."
Everyone looked at him.
"Why?"
He replied:
"Because I do not want us to waste our strength before we know how many others will awaken."
He raised his hand.
"But if any of them attempts to expand into our territories..."
A cold smile appeared on his face.
"Kill them."
And in the heavens...
The Divine Clan was rebuilding its kingdom.
The angels did not look upon the land in the same way as humans did.
They possessed celestial cities, sacred domains, and territories high above the earth.
But that did not prevent them from expanding.
New cities appeared above the clouds.
Then more.
And entire regions began declaring their submission to the authority of the Divine Clan.
One of the Celestial Kings asked:
"Do we need additional territories?"
The Emperor replied:
"Not because of our current needs."
He fell silent.
Then looked toward the horizon.
"But because of what is coming."
Everyone understood.
When the great beings returned...
A mere welcome would not be enough.
There had to be a great kingdom.
A powerful people.
Vast territories.
And a preserved legacy.
So that when their great ancestors returned, they would find a world that had not weakened in their absence.
And upon the burning mountains...
The phoenixes began gathering their bloodlines.
New nests appeared.
Volcanoes erupted.
And vast regions transformed into fiery domains where only members of this race could survive.
An Immortal Phoenix Emperor stood atop a volcanic peak.
Hundreds of phoenixes surrounded him.
He said:
"We have slept for a very long time."
He looked toward the heavens.
"But time did not wait for us."
Then he turned toward his people.
"Gather every phoenix bloodline."
One of them asked:
"Even the lesser bloodlines?"
"All of them."
"And why?"
The Emperor said:
"Because the age of the great beings is coming."
Then he added:
"And I do not want our ancestors to find their people scattered."
Deep within the Great Ocean...
The merfolk were rebuilding their kingdoms.
Pearl cities appeared.
Their borders expanded.
Ancient sea routes were reopened.
But the Great Ocean was not empty.
There were other creatures.
Sea beasts.
Ancient bloodlines.
And territories controlled by different races.
Therefore, conflicts began to emerge beneath the waters as well.
They were not yet an all-out war.
But they were a beginning.
Clashes over regions rich in energy.
Struggles for ancient cities.
Disputes over buried treasures.
And confrontations between bloodlines.
The Great Ocean was returning to its ancient age...
And with it, its ancient laws were returning as well.
As for the dwarves...
They chose a different path.
Their first concern was not conquering territories upon the surface.
They cared about mountains.
Ores.
Forges.
Weapons.
And the heritage they had lost.
But that did not prevent them from expanding.
Every mountain rich in minerals became a target.
Every ancient mine became strategically valuable.
The dwarf kingdoms began expanding beneath the earth, until their networks stretched across unimaginable distances.
One of the Dwarf Kings said:
"If the other races are reclaiming the land..."
He raised his hammer.
"...then we shall reclaim the mountains."
The hammer struck the air with a thunderous sound within the hall.
Clang!
A spark burst from the metal.
"And our coming age shall be stronger than the one before."
Within the territories of the qilin...
The ancient tribes began gathering.
Even the storms themselves seemed to respond to them.
The Immortal Kings reorganized the tribes.
Unified their territories.
Reclaimed sacred regions.
Then they began looking toward the surrounding lands.
Some were controlled by beasts.
Others by humans.
And still others by ancient kingdoms that had begun to emerge.
The qilin did not seek to rule the entire world.
But they wanted to ensure that no other race could threaten their existence.
And that alone was enough to make expansion inevitable.
As for the beasts...
Their situation was more complicated.
They possessed no single empire.
But the emergence of Beast Kings and Beast Emperors changed everything.
The beast tribes began gathering around the strongest bloodlines.
Heavenly Tigers.
Ancient Wolves.
Colossal Eagles.
Primordial Serpents.
Beasts carrying divine blood.
And countless other bloodlines that the current era had believed to be nothing more than legends.
Every Beast King began constructing his own territory.
Every Beast Emperor began gathering the strongest bloodlines beneath his banner.
And the wilderness itself began expanding.
Entire forests became forbidden lands to humans.
Mountains were declared sacred territories by the beasts.
Deserts appeared beneath the banners of beast tribes.
And thus...
It became clear that the beasts would not surrender their territories easily.
In a distant region...
The bloodlines of the vampires awakened.
Their cities had remained hidden within dark regions for millions of years.
And when their Kings and Emperors emerged...
They began reclaiming their ancient palaces.
Then their cities.
Then their territories.
Their goals were no different from those of the others.
Power.
Land.
Resources.
And preparation for the return of their great ancestors.
As for the dark elves...
They moved in even greater silence.
Their cities were hidden beneath the earth or within regions that the current civilizations had never reached.
They began gathering their tribes.
Then reclaimed their ancient cities.
Then they began looking toward the territories of the elves on the surface.
There was no friendship between them.
Their history was filled with bloodshed and conflict.
One of the Dark Elven Kings said:
"They have awakened."
One of his subordinates replied:
"The elves?"
"Yes."
Then he added:
"And that means we must move faster than they do."
And so...
Iberon began to change.
Not because of a single war.
Nor because of an external enemy.
But because of something far more complicated.
Every race began rebuilding itself.
Humanity was building its kingdoms.
The dragons were reclaiming their mountains.
The elves were expanding their forests.
The dark elves were restoring their hidden cities.
The demons were reclaiming their territories.
The Divine Clan was building its celestial kingdoms.
The phoenixes were reshaping their fiery domains.
The giants were beginning to reclaim their ancient territories.
The qilin were gathering their tribes.
The merfolk were expanding their underwater kingdoms.
The dwarves were reopening the mountains.
The beasts were organizing the wilderness beneath the banners of their Kings.
And the vampires were rebuilding their dark empires.
There was no alliance between them.
Nor was there any promise of peace.
Every one of them saw the world from a single perspective:
The interests of their own race.
And in some regions...
The borders began to touch.
Then skirmishes began.
Then disputes.
Then small-scale battles.
One race claimed an ancient territory.
Another refused.
An Immortal King dispatched an army.
Another King responded.
A city changed hands.
A blessed region became the cause of conflict between two kingdoms.
But no one wanted to ignite an all-out war.
Not yet.
Because everyone could feel that something greater was approaching.
And there was one truth known to almost every Immortal King and Immortal Emperor.
They had not awakened at the end of the ancient era.
They had awakened before its final stage.
As the months passed...
The ancient kingdoms began appearing in greater numbers.
Ancient banners rose above the mountains.
The emblems of forgotten empires returned to existence.
Sects that had once been nothing more than legends began accepting disciples once again.
Everywhere...
Immortal cultivators gathered.
Kings organized armies.
And Emperors began redrawing the maps of influence.
Even the current generations began to understand that the world they had known throughout their lives no longer existed.
Iberon had entered a new era.
An era governed not by the current powers alone, but by the struggle between the remnants of the past and the present world.
And every race was racing toward the same goal:
To become stronger before their great ancestors returned.
Because everyone knew that the moment the gods and great beings returned, the balance of Iberon would be transformed in a way that no Immortal King or Immortal Emperor could predict.
And therefore...
They had to prepare.
Gather their people.
Build their kingdoms.
Reclaim their territories.
Stockpile resources.
And make their bloodlines as powerful as possible.
If the great ancestors of humanity returned...
Humanity wanted to be prepared.
If the great ancestors of the dragons returned...
The dragons wanted to stand at the peak of their strength.
If the great ancestors of the phoenixes returned...
The phoenixes wanted a kingdom worthy of them.
And the same was true for every race.
No one was waiting for the others.
Everyone was racing.
Expanding.
Preparing.
Watching one another from behind ever-growing borders.
And deep within Iberon...
Immortal energy continued to rise.
Without stopping.
Without slowing.
As though the planet itself were pumping an inexhaustible power through its veins, preparing for something whose time had not yet come.
But far beyond the eyes of everyone...
In a region no kingdom had ever reached...
There were ancient seals.
Older than the kingdoms that had begun to emerge.
Older than the sects.
And older than many of the civilizations that had returned to existence.
The seals were silent.
But they were not dead.
Deep within them...
There were auras that did not belong to Immortal Kings.
Nor to Immortal Emperors.
Existences whose power belonged to an entirely different level.
Existences whose memories were tied to an era whose true nature was no longer known to anyone in the current age.
Within one of those seals...
A finger moved.
A movement so slight...
Then it returned to stillness.
Yet it was enough to indicate that the awakening had not reached its end.
Rather, it was approaching...
The stage that would change the entire history of Iberon.