The Age of Warring Kingdoms had been nothing more than a transitional phase.
After the Immortal Kings and Immortal Emperors emerged from their slumber, and after the ancient bloodlines began gathering and reclaiming their territories, it was no longer possible for the world to continue in its previous form.
The small kingdoms began to disappear.
The scattered tribes began to unite.
The ancient sects began interfering in the affairs of the kingdoms.
And the powers that had once been nothing more than scattered bloodlines began to realize one undeniable truth:
The world that was coming would have no mercy for the weak.
Millions of years had passed since the Great War.
Throughout that immeasurably long era, the races had fragmented, their bloodlines had branched into countless offshoots, their territories had changed, and new powers had emerged that had never existed in the ancient age.
But the return of the Immortal Kings and Immortal Emperors had awakened the memories of the past within them all.
They understood that the age of division was over.
And that before anything else, they had to unite their people.
Not out of love for peace.
Nor from a desire to live side by side.
But because every race had begun to understand that what was coming would be greater than anything they could face as scattered tribes and fragmented kingdoms.
And so...
A process that had not been witnessed on Iberon for millions of years began.
The racial empires began to be born anew.
At the heart of the human territories, a city rose that had not existed only a few years earlier.
It was no ordinary city.
It was a colossal project constructed by the Immortal Kings and Immortal Emperors who had returned to the world.
Its walls stretched for thousands of kilometers, towering above them immense divine towers, while ancient defensive formations covered the sky like an invisible web.
And at its center...
A vast imperial palace appeared atop an immortal mountain.
Within the palace, dozens of Immortal Kings had gathered, while behind them stood countless elders of ancient sects and leaders of human kingdoms.
At the end of the hall...
The Immortal Emperor sat upon his throne.
His eyes were calm.
Yet his mere presence made the entire hall feel as though it were beneath the pressure of a mountain.
One of the kings spoke:
"We have gathered a number of humans far greater than we expected."
The Emperor raised his eyes.
"And the sects?"
"They have begun joining us."
"And the kingdoms?"
The king hesitated for a moment.
"Some refuse."
Silence descended.
Then the Emperor asked:
"Why?"
The king answered:
"Their rulers do not wish to surrender their authority."
The Emperor smiled faintly.
"Then they have yet to understand this age."
He raised his hand.
The sounds throughout the hall ceased.
"We will not build a fragile alliance."
The expressions of everyone present changed.
"Nor will we leave humanity divided among thousands of petty kingdoms."
Then he stood.
The instant he rose, an immense imperial aura erupted forth, causing everyone present to lower their heads instinctively.
He said:
"From this day onward, the unification of humanity begins."
Then he looked toward one of the kings.
"Send the imperial decree to every kingdom."
"And those who refuse?"
Silence filled the hall.
Then the Emperor answered:
"Give them two choices."
He raised two fingers.
"Join."
Then he lowered one.
"Or disappear."
His words were not an empty threat.
Everyone knew that the new age would not allow hundreds of small powers to exist forever.
And the human banners began rising over the ancient territories.
One banner.
Then another.
Then thousands of banners, their old royal emblems removed and replaced by the banner of a single empire.
And thus...
The first great human empire of the new age was born.
But it was not the only one.
In the far north...
The dragon mountains began to change.
The mountain ranges were no longer merely homes to separate dragon tribes.
The peaks began to be linked by ancient formations.
The dragon cities began to expand.
And the various bloodlines began sending representatives to the greatest dragon valley.
There...
Upon a colossal stone platform, stood an Immortal Dragon Emperor.
His eyes were deep as a storm-filled sky.
Around him stood dozens of Dragon Kings.
One of them said:
"All the major bloodlines have sent representatives."
"And the smaller bloodlines?"
"Most of them have agreed."
Then he added:
"But there are some who fear losing their independence."
A low laugh escaped the Emperor.
"Independence?"
He looked toward the mountains.
"In the Age of the Great Ones, the independence of the bloodlines was preserved because the strength of the dragons was sufficient to deter everyone."
Then he turned toward them.
"But now, the humans have awakened."
"The elves."
"The demons."
"The Divine Clan."
"And others."
He fell silent for a moment.
Then said:
"If the dragons remain divided, the world will devour us piece by piece."
No one objected.
They all understood the truth.
What was needed was not for every bloodline to become identical.
What was needed was for them to have a single center of power.
And the dragon kingdoms began to unite.
The ancient cities began submitting to the empire.
The sacred territories were reopened.
And new laws were established to protect the dragon bloodlines.
But one thing was known to everyone:
The Golden Dragon was not a common bloodline.
There were no armies of Golden Dragons.
Nor were there entire tribes of them.
Since the ancient ages, there had been only two true Golden Dragons.
The Dragon Ancestor.
And the Dragon Goddess.
For this reason, no one spoke of the Golden Dragon as a bloodline that could be gathered or relied upon.
Their two names alone were enough to remind everyone that the greatest secrets of the dragon race remained tied to two beings from the deepest reaches of the ancient past.
As for the rest of the dragons...
They would have to build their own strength.
At the end of the gathering, the Dragon Emperor stood and said:
"We do not seek to rule the other races."
The kings exchanged glances.
Then he continued:
"But we will not allow any race to rule us."
He raised his head.
"The dragons will build their empire."
"And whoever attempts to take our land..."
His eyes ignited.
"...will pay for it with their blood."
In the ancient forests...
The elves were undergoing a different process.
Their unification was not based on strength alone.
The forests themselves had become part of the process of unification.
Ancient roots spread across the lands.
Trees intertwined.
And the scattered elven cities began connecting to one another through natural networks that had not existed for millions of years.
At the heart of the oldest forest...
The elven kings gathered.
One of them said:
"Most of the kingdoms have agreed."
The Immortal King asked:
"And what of the kingdoms that refused?"
"They refuse to submit to a single throne."
The King remained silent.
Then he said:
"We do not need a single throne."
Everyone looked at him.
"What we need is a single empire."
Then he placed his hand against the trunk of a colossal tree.
Ripples of green energy spread throughout the forest.
"Every kingdom may retain its own laws."
"Every bloodline may preserve its own identity."
"But when someone threatens the elves..."
He raised his eyes.
"They will find an entire empire standing before them."
And the Elven Empire began to take shape.
Its expansion was not loud.
Massive armies did not march everywhere.
Instead, the forest itself expanded.
And the territories that fell under its influence slowly changed, until it became difficult to tell where the boundaries of nature ended and those of the empire began.
But behind that tranquility...
There was a clear ambition.
To reclaim every land the elves believed to be part of their ancient heritage.
As for the Dark Elves...
They were not prepared to allow the elves to expand without a response.
Deep within the Underworld, their kings and emperors gathered.
The hall was black, illuminated by dark purple crystals.
One of the kings said:
"The elves are expanding."
The Dark Emperor answered:
"Let them expand."
The king raised his head.
"My lord?"
The Emperor smiled.
"The farther they expand, the clearer their borders will become."
Then he stood.
"And when the time comes..."
Some of the crystals around him went dark.
"...we will remind them that we are still here."
There was no talk of reconciliation.
Nor of unity between the elves and the Dark Elves.
The history between them was older than most of the kingdoms that existed in the present age.
Each side believed itself the rightful heir to its lands.
And so the Dark Elven Empire took shape far from the light.
Cities beneath the earth.
Fortresses within the mountains.
Tunnel networks stretching across immense distances.
And armies moving unseen.
An entire empire...
Growing within the darkness.
In the demonic territories...
Unification was no gentler.
It was faster.
And more ruthless.
Dozens of demonic kingdoms initially refused to submit to the Demon Emperor.
But they quickly discovered that the ages had changed.
Armies emerged.
Battles erupted.
Kingdoms fell.
Then other kingdoms voluntarily joined after realizing the enormous difference between their strength and that of the emerging empire.
And after only a few years...
A vast portion of the demonic territories had come beneath a single banner.
The Demon Emperor stood before a colossal map.
One of the Demon Kings said:
"Our borders now extend to the west."
He pointed toward another region.
"And this?"
"Under human control."
Then he pointed north.
"And this?"
"The dragons."
The Emperor smiled.
"So we have neighbors."
The king said:
"Enemies."
The Emperor answered:
"In this age, the difference between a neighbor and an enemy is small."
Then he added:
"But we will not attack without reason."
He raised his eyes.
"First, we build our empire."
"Then..."
A cold smile appeared.
"...we decide who deserves to remain on its borders."
In the heavens...
The Divine Clan was doing the same.
Celestial cities began connecting with one another.
Vast palaces appeared above the clouds.
Sacred fortresses guarded the heavenly passages.
And small kingdoms merged beneath the authority of a single empire.
The Heavenly Throne stood above a city that most beings could never reach.
The Immortal Emperor of the Divine Clan stood before his council.
He said:
"The other races have awakened."
One of the kings answered:
"Yes."
"The humans are expanding."
"And the dragons."
"And the demons."
"And the elves."
The Emperor nodded.
"Then there is no reason for us to remain divided."
He then looked toward the heavens.
"When our Great Ones return, they must not find a fragmented clan."
Silence descended.
Then he said:
"They must find an empire."
In the lands of flame...
The phoenixes gathered.
Their unification was not easy because of the differences between their bloodlines, their growth cycles, and their habitats.
But the emergence of an Immortal Emperor forced them to look toward the future.
Great nests were established.
The volcanoes were united.
And vast volcanic mountain ranges became part of a single empire.
The sky above them was red.
Fire flowed between the mountains like rivers of the world's blood.
The Phoenix Emperor stood atop a volcanic peak.
Thousands of phoenixes surrounded him.
He said:
"You have preserved our blood."
Then he spread his wings.
"Now we shall preserve our land."
The cries of the phoenixes rang across the heavens.
The Empire of Fire was born.
As for the giants...
Their return was different.
Their bodies alone represented a symbol of power.
They reclaimed the ancient mountains.
They reclaimed the valleys.
And they reclaimed the vast territories that had once been the homeland of their ancestors.
But they did not stop there.
They began constructing enormous stone fortresses.
Each fortress resembled a new mountain.
Each city was several times larger than the cities of the other races.
One of the Giant Kings asked:
"Do we need more land?"
The Emperor answered:
"We need enough land for our generation."
Then he looked toward the heavens.
"And for the generations that will be born when the Great Ones return."
And the Giant Empire began rising above the mountains.
Deep within the Great Ocean...
The Mermaid Empire was born.
The pearl cities united.
The coral palaces came under a single authority.
And the ancient sea routes were reopened.
But the ocean was vast.
And the mermaids were not alone within it.
There were sea beasts, ancient bloodlines, and territories that still lay beyond their control.
Thus, the maritime empire began expanding gradually.
A female Immortal Queen said:
"We will not control the entire ocean."
One of the kings asked:
"Then what is our goal?"
She answered:
"To ensure that no one can control us."
As for the dwarves...
They forged their empire from iron and stone.
Beneath the mountains, the furnaces burned.
The hammers never stopped.
Weapons began accumulating.
And the underground cities became connected.
The dwarves began reclaiming the ancient mines.
Then they seized the resource-rich mountains.
One of the Dwarven Emperors said:
"We will not compete with the other races for every piece of land."
Then he raised his hammer.
"We will compete with them for what they need."
Silence filled the hall.
Then he smiled.
"Ore."
The Dwarven Empire was building its strength far from the world's eyes.
But everyone was beginning to understand that whoever controlled the resources required for weapon and formation crafting...
Possessed a card of power no less important than controlling territories.
In the lands of the qilin...
The tribes began to unite.
There were ancient differences between them.
But the emergence of Immortal Kings and Immortal Emperors made those differences secondary.
The sacred lands began connecting with one another.
And vast palaces were erected in the center of the plains.
A Qilin Empire was formed, relying upon the strength of the tribes and their ancient bloodlines.
One of the kings asked:
"Will we compete with the dragons?"
The Emperor answered:
"If necessary."
"And the humans?"
"If they approach our territories."
"And the beasts?"
The Emperor looked at him.
"Even the beasts are not our allies."
Then he added:
"In this world, sharing the same blood does not mean sharing the same interests."
The beasts were the race most different from all the others.
They did not form a single beast empire in the traditional sense.
Instead, multiple empires began to emerge, each led by the most powerful bloodlines.
The Heavenly Tiger Empire.
The Ancient Wolf Empire.
The kingdoms of the colossal eagles.
The territories of the primordial serpents.
And countless other beastly bloodlines.
These powers were not united beneath a single throne.
But they shared one thing:
They refused to submit to the other races.
An ancient Beast Emperor stood atop a mountain peak.
Before him stood the Beast Kings.
He said:
"The humans are building their empire."
Then he turned toward the north.
"The dragons are doing the same."
Then toward the east.
"And the demons."
One of the Beast Kings asked:
"Then shall we all unite?"
The Emperor stared at him for a long moment.
Then shook his head.
"No."
Everyone was surprised.
He said:
"Each bloodline will build its own strength."
"But if another race attempts to devour the wilderness..."
His eyes changed.
"...they will discover that beasts are not prey."
And in other regions of Iberon...
The vampires began rebuilding their empires.
Black palaces appeared beneath the night.
Ancient cities returned to life.
And bloodlines that had hidden themselves for millions of years emerged from their sanctuaries.
They were fewer in number than some of the other races, but their individual strength and organization made them a force that could not be ignored.
Inside one of the dark halls, a Vampire Emperor said:
"We do not need to be the most numerous."
Then he raised a cup of crimson energy.
"We only need to be the strongest in the darkness."
And so...
Within only a few years, the face of Iberon began changing with astonishing brutality.
The map no longer contained hundreds of small kingdoms as it once had.
New colors appeared.
New borders.
New banners.
Human Empires.
Dragon Empires.
Elven Empires.
Dark Elven Empires.
Demonic Empires.
Celestial Empires.
Phoenix Empires.
Giant Empires.
Qilin Empires.
Maritime Mermaid Empires.
Dwarven Empires.
Vampire Empires.
And countless beast kingdoms and empires.
These empires were not allies.
Nor did any pact of peace exist between them.
Instead, every race viewed the other empires as rival powers.
Some watched.
Some expanded.
And some waited for the right opportunity.
Everyone knew that resources were limited.
Blessed lands were limited.
Ancient relics were limited.
And as immortal energy continued rising without end...
The value of every land rich in energy began multiplying.
Thus, the new borders became more than mere lines on maps.
They were lines dividing interests.
And sometimes...
Life from death.
In some regions, imperial armies began appearing along the borders.
Dragon banners fluttered above the mountains.
Human banners above the plains.
Elven banners among the ancient trees.
Demonic banners above the blackened lands.
The banners of the Divine Clan above the clouds.
And in the darkness...
The banners of the Dark Elves watched in silence.
The Age of Empires had begun.
But this was not the true objective.
Every Emperor, regardless of race, was thinking of the same thing.
The Great Ones.
The beings who had left Iberon behind millions of years ago.
The existences that had once stood at unreachable peaks.
Everyone had begun preparing for their return.
The empires had not been built for the present alone.
They had been built for the day when the ancient seals would open.
The day when the gods would return.
The day when the Great Ones would return to their ancient world.
And when that moment came...
It would not be enough for a race merely to exist.
It had to be strong.
United.
In possession of vast territories.
And in control of sufficient resources.
And so every empire entered a silent race against the others.
Who would possess the greatest territories?
Who would gather the largest number of cultivators?
Who would reclaim the greatest portion of the ancient heritage?
And who would be the first to reach new heights before their Great Ones returned?
No one knew the answer.
But one thing was clear.
Iberon was no longer a world ruled solely by the powers known to the current generation.
The ancient civilizations had begun reclaiming their former glory.
And the races that had once been scattered were beginning to transform into colossal entities.
Above the heavens...
Immortal energy continued to flow.
Denser.
Purer.
And more abundant.
As though Iberon itself were preparing.
Preparing to welcome something that had yet to arrive.
Something that made even the Immortal Emperors feel, deep within their souls, that they were merely the prelude to an age far greater.
And deep within one of the forbidden regions...
Where no being had set foot for millions of years...
An ancient seal lay silent.
No light.
No sound.
No movement.
Then...
A crack appeared upon it, vanishingly small.
Crack...
And silence descended once more.
But this time...
The silence no longer seemed eternal.
Instead, it felt as though something behind the seal...
Had begun listening to the world once again.