Magus Supremacy

Chapter 1068: Goodnight Julius

Chapter 1068

A loud, piercingly loud sound followed by a crack that sounded like glass shattering rolled over the town as Kael’s eyes quickly darted in that direction to see the domain peeling open.

Even Zodiac One was intrigued as he turned his head around to look at the peeling barrier.

After smashing a metal sword into the head of a wolf beast, Amir too looked up.

He was drenched in sweat and even blood—some his own, some, the enemy’s.

It wasn’t only him, though.

Everybody fighting had sustained one injury or another as exhaustion was beginning to creep into their bones, their energies dwindling.

Kael’s eyes were fixed on the domain that had now fully shattered open to reveal Julius on his knees, coughing violently as his hands clutched his chest like someone who was having a heart attack.

His back was turned to the main battlefield, hence nobody could see his face.

But with how bent his body was over the ground, it was clear that something was utterly wrong.

Looking around, Orion could not be found; only a few cubes of ice with trapped flesh could be seen littering the place around the Emperor.

"Old geezer!" Kael shouted as lightning violently exploded around his frame, allowing him to lunge forward with blazing speed that nobody was even able to see, talk less of stopping him.

Within a second, he slid on his knees in front of Julius.

And only then did he spot the pool of blood that had now gathered beneath the Emperor due to his constant coughing.

Amir too dashed forward, leaving the main battlefield behind to the others.

Within a minute of navigation, he stood over the kneeling Emperor and Kael.

Aside from the blood, Julius looked deathly pale, almost like a corpse.

His eyes had become bloodshot red.

He was still coughing when Kael placed his hand on the man’s shoulder with a somber look on his face.

Feeling the touch, Julius looked up with blood rolling down his chin.

His vision was blurry, hence he couldn’t really make out the features of who was in front of him.

Therefore, he reached out with his bloodied hands to feel the young adult’s face for a few seconds.

"Ka-Ka-Kael? I-Is that you, my son?"

Kael’s teeth were grit as he stared at the once powerful Emperor reduced to this because of the Otherworlders.

His voice shook for a moment before he regained control, took a deep breath, and then held the hands feeling his face carefully.

"Yes, old geezer. It’s me."

A soft smile creased the Emperor’s face as he coughed out another mouthful of blood.

Amir’s jaw tightened as he wanted to reach out but refrained.

Even though he was weakened, even though he was a Captain, nobody gave him the right to touch an Emperor, so he just kept watching with a somber look.

Zodiac One had now grown bored on seeing that the man was dying.

He wasn’t even bothered by the fact that all the Zodiacs aside from him were all dead now.

He just turned to the larger battle, watching as bodies fell and blood was spilled constantly.

The numbers on both sides were dwindling at an amazing rate.

"Ah... have I said this before? You have really grown into a powerful young man," Julius uttered with a shaky, cracked voice before coughing out a few specks of blood.

"I think you need to save your breath. You need rest. Let me take you to a heal—"

Julius held the man’s hand, then shook his head.

"Unfortunately, we all know that my time is up, even if you don’t want to admit it. I’m literally seconds away from my core shattering to pieces and I lose my life."

Kael’s form tensed immediately on hearing that.

Julius felt it, then forced out a smile.

"Ohoy~ why do you feel sad? I have done my duty as an Emperor. I have taken down four Zodiacs in my lifetime. A feat that no Emperor can boast of. You know... if I head over to the afterlife, I will bo-bo... cough....cough... I will boast to my ancestors. I’m sure they will be jealous of my feat."

Kael frowned. Eyes growing moist for the first time in years, he was teary-eyed.

"You talk too much."

Julius smiled.

"Well-Well, as an Emperor, I’m used to speaking to the public continuously, so it’s a given."

The man coughed a few times before the area between them grew silent.

Heaving a sigh, Julius reached out, grabbing Kael’s face gently.

"I’m sorry for hiding you from the eyes of the public instead of showing off. I’m sorry for sending you to the academy even though you protested initially."

"..."

"I have long forgiven you for that. If you hadn’t done all you did, I wouldn’t have met these awesome folks and even a good enough rival like Grey. I would have been a sheltered and arrogant kid. So I’m not upset. Thank you for that."

Julius smiled genuinely, then turned his head toward the sounds of battle.

He couldn’t see anymore except for a few vague outlines.

Even his sense of smell was fading, but he could still hear for now, even if faintly.

Turning back toward Kael, he held out his palm.

"Pr...Pro-Promise me th-that you won’t die here. Pr-Pro-Promise me that you won’t feel saddened by my death. Promise me that you will see this war to the end and make this Kingdom and the world prosper under the new dawn... free from the shadows of the Otherworlders. Promise me, Kael."

"...."

The young man looked at the outstretched hand for a few seconds before placing his own palm into it.

"Of course. Why would I be saddened by your death, old geezer? Ha! I will also make sure to see this war to the end. I already promised myself that."

Julius smiled and then let out a breath of relief, which was followed by another round of coughing as a loud shattering sound could be heard coming from within his body.

He looked horrified for a split second, then quickly calmed back down and beamed at the mage before him.

"... Kae-Kael... please call me father for once? I-I...."

Kael shot forward and caught the man in a warm hug with tears rolling down his face in waves.

He couldn’t control it anymore.

Even without the Emperor asking, he had been contemplating it.

Ever since he was sent to the academy forcefully when he was sixteen until now that he was twenty-three, he had never called the man before him ’father’ before.

"Fa-Fat... Rest well, great Emperor. Rest well, oh great mage." Kael paused for a second, then added with a crack in his voice,

"... Rest well, Father."

Hearing the word right before he lost the ability to hear, tears rolled down Julius’ face as his eyelids fluttered for a few seconds before closing forever.

A satisfied smile remained on his lips as his hands fell to his sides within the embrace of Kael.

Feeling the tension loosen from Julius’ body, tears fell from Kael’s eyes as he hugged the man tighter, refusing to let go, while Amir hung his head low in a deep bow.

"Goodnight, great Emperor."