The Imperial Palace. A name that every Asian would be familiar with, for it was a commodity in all cultures spanning the great continent — a relic of a rich era, but an era of the past nonetheless. And perhaps, none would be clearer of such greatness than one of the largest countries in the world, a nation that so arrogantly declared itself the “center of the world”, but it was not without its basis. Though their methods and states might have fluctuated over their long history, there was no deny that they held an important mark in the world’s history, cementing themselves as a superpower throughout the ages.

  Yet, for the past decade or so, China had long disappeared from all eyes on Earth. They closed off their borders, refused all communications, and now, when people tried to reach the land in the center of it all, they’d find a giant wall barricading them from entry — the so-called “New Great Wall Of China”.

  How did things come to this point, one might wonder. The answer lay in the very same historical structure that was mentioned before.

  The Imperial Palace. It was the name of the massive architecture that suddenly spawned from the center of Beijing. Crushing out all traces of modern life in its vicinity, the building — nay, the city — grew and grew, eating away everything around it until it remained the only structure standing. No one knew from whence it came, but strangely enough, by this point, no one seemed to care anymore.

  After all, there was no reason to. For China was still standing strong… or perhaps, stronger than ever before.

  In the center of the Imperial Palace, men gathered round. Despite the interior bearing the old, classic beauty of feudal architecture, the men still were very much modern workers: equipped with shiny new suits, telephone communicators, and digital devices all the same. It was their way to accommodate the situation — even if their building had turned back in time, their vast information network still needed to be maintained if they wished to compete with the other forces in the world.

  And in the center of it all was a golden throne, its complex and gaudy carvings only accentuating its luxury. There was not much use but for the simple purpose of portraying power, yet, it was a very effective one.

  Especially when the figure on the throne wasn’t any regular man, but a beautiful woman with long, fiery red hair like a stream of sunlight. Her golden robe barely covered her voluptuous bosoms, and her leaning pose on the throne was only asking for men to come and devour her on sight.

  Yet, none of the men dared move an inch. Or, to be exact, their affection for the woman on the throne was that of pure admiration. Reverence, even.

  “Long live the Empress!” The men all bowed, sounding in unison.

  “You may stand.” The woman spoke — her voice sweeter than any honey and more alluring than even raw pheromones. Yet, her sultry face was mixed with a hint of concern. “Reports.”

  The foremost man stepped towards the center platform, kneeling while swiping his fingers in the air. From his device, a projection flew forward, revealing a map of a mountainous range, covered by a perpetual blizzard. Pinching his fingers at a certain region in the holographic map, the man zoomed in to reveal a blot of violet light — albeit small, but very clear even as a hologram.

  “There are signs of mana fluctuations in the Infinite Wastelands,” the man said. “We suspect that a cross has awakened.”

  “… Anything else?” The woman asked.

  Another man stepped forward. This time, he zoomed at the violet region again, only to reveal nothing else… or rather, it was to emphasize that nothingness.

  “If a cross has awakened, then the fluctuations can’t have been only this small, and of this short a timeframe. In this case, we’ve theorized that either it has found its suitable host, or it has been resealed before the demon inside could fully break free.”

  A wry smile formed on the woman’s mouth. She knew what the implications meant. And so, she acted.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Send the Guardians to the Infinite Wastelands.”

  “Your Majesty, you mean…”

  “Yes. All four of them.”

  The Four Guardians, named after the four mythical beasts of Chinese mythology — Qinglong of Spring, Zhuque of Summer, Baihu of Autumn, and Xuanwu of Winter. The title was blessed by the current ruler to the four strongest combatants of China, similar to the Nameless Squad that a certain young man was a part of. However, unlike the Nameless Squad, China’s resources were far more superior, and as such, when properly equipped, a Guardian could fight on par with any demon-possessed. That was to say, the Guardians were China’s strongest forces — to send all of them away, and to dangerous, uncharted territory like the Infinite Wastelands to boot, was a move nothing short of suicide.

  However, the empress was unwavering.

  “My soldiers are strong. I trust that they can complete their mission.”

  She might have spoken in a soft tone, but everyone present knew: those words were final.

  “But, Your Majesty, what exactly are your orders?”

  “There should be at least two living people around the area. Approach and escort them here to our city. Do not engage with them unless forced to — meaning that unless your life is in danger, you are not to hurt a single hair on their heads.”

  A string of rather cautious orders, compared to her steely resolve.

  “May I inquire about the reason?”

  “Tell me. What do you think is the greatest power in the world?”

  “That would be… our land, no? Under your guiding light, Your Majesty, we — the Eternal Empire — have nothing to fear.”

  The woman only smiled at the answer, and for the first time, took a step closer to the man having said those lines. His cheek felt the warm, supple feelings of his ruler’s gentle fingertips, a sensation so euphoric that he could pass out in any moment’s notice.

  The empress’ fingers continued to caress the man’s face with subtle movements, moving like snakes to explore every nook and cranny that they could find.

  However, there was no pleasure to be found in the end.

  At the last possible moment, her wrist flicked faster than light, turning a gentle caress into a blinding slap, sending the man sliding on the floor.

  “Fool,” she scoffed. “It was this very arrogance that almost led you imbeciles to your doom. Have you not learned anything after the two world wars?”

  “But, Your Majesty…”

  “The trick to everlasting power is cooperation, remember that. The more allies we can unite under our flag, the more we can benefit.”

  “With all due respect, Your Majesty, asking humans to cooperate is…”

  “A pipe dream, I know. But who said that our new friends here are humans?”

  “You mean…”

  “I told you, right? The secret to everlasting strength is cooperation. If it’s the Infinite Wastelands, then I’m sure it’s that wild animal, Purson. Convincing him is cheap — make sure to tell the Guardians to stock up on food and women.”

  “Understood, Your Majesty.” The man bowed.

  “All of you are dismissed.”

  “Long live the Empress! Long live Lady Zepar!” As the order ensued and the woman returned to her throne, the men once again formed into a line.

  The woman snapped her fingers, and a giant circle of light spawned on the ground where the rest of the humans stood. With just a flash, everyone had disappeared from the premises, leaving only herself in the empty room.

  Now without a crowd to maintain her presence, the woman, or rather, the demon, had her mouth curled into a thieving grin.

  “Fufu… the pieces are already here so soon. Heaven’s Gate, and now my former comrades… The day when God falls is near.”

  One of the 72 Demons, Zepar — governing the land of the heart. Unlike her peers, her power didn’t show up in a grandiose way, but a subtle poison that seeped through everyone she had made contact with. Having been on Earth for well over decades, she worked slow and steady, charming and corrupting people into making her own cult. The result was this current building she resided in — surprisingly not from her own powers. But rather, she only gave her followers a slight push over the edge.

  Humans are fascinating creatures. With a goal and enough motivation, they can strive for great things. And once that motivation was further amplified by a demon’s charm, it showed progress like no other. Once Zepar had China completely under her grasp, it shut itself off from the rest of the world to avoid prying eyes on its advancements. And now, it was reaping the results — the recreation and upgrade of the Great Wall, the solid vision holograms, and this building: Heaven’s Gate, the world’s first and only teleporting mega fortress.

  It was as she had planned — all the pieces in her board game had been collected. The only thing left was for her to gather the rest of the demons for one final holy war.

  Whether her former comrades would become her current, however, was up to her maneuver of the board known as Earth.