The Kulaman Ruins Battle.

The Giant Devouring Quicksand Battle.

The Nian Oasis Struggle.

The Tulu Desert City Siege.

Kang Oh participated in all of the battles between the 2nd and 3rd princes as a mercenary.

He also fought most of the Empire Guild's eight squads.

Kang Oh fought Moby Dick and Taker again in the Nian Oasis Struggle, but he wasn't able to kill them there either.

He encountered Ridgeley, the captain of the Brown Bear Squad, in the Kulaman Ruins.

Kang Oh had given him a humiliating defeat in the past, so upon seeing him, Ridgely rushed at him without any regard for anyone or anything else.

Not only was he unable to pay him back, but he was humiliated even further.

He was so excited that he wasn't able to fight properly. Once Demon Sword Akanhoff broke his halberd, the fight was over.

Indeed, he was humiliated once more.

In the Desert City of Tulu and the Giant Devouring Quicksand, Kang Oh encountered the captains of Black Wolf, Giant Soldier, and Yellow Dragon: Black Wolf, Tainos, and Eric.

Eric was his most difficult opponent.

The Yellow Dragon Squad was the Empire Guild's strongest squad. The Spirit Swordsman, Eric, managed to bring Kang Oh to death's door.

If he'd killed Eric any later, then he would've died.

The only captains he didn't get a chance to fight were Glacier's Captain, Irene, and Red King's Kuskal.

These two captains and their troops were guarding the Empire Guild's headquarters, so he probably wouldn't get a chance to fight them.

Aside from them, Kang Oh fought the 2nd prince's strongest warriors too.

The Black Insect Mage, Hayaba!

The Lord of the Desert City Turkal, Agman!

The Desert's Slaughterer, Kwan!

Kang Oh performed admirably against them, so much so that the 3rd prince's executives tried to scout him.

However, he firmly refused their offer and continued as a mercenary.

The looming shadow of defeat had cast over the 3rd prince.

Kang Oh believed the 3rd prince didn't have a chance in hell of turning this war around.

Thus, he had no reason to join the 3rd prince's forces. After all, it was the height of stupidity to join a sinking ship.

Being one of the 3rd prince's mercenaries fit him best, as it allowed him to fight the Empire Guild and the desert's strongest warriors without being tied down.

'This civil war will end soon.'

The 3rd prince was gathering as many forces as possible. Plus, they stopped fighting every single day. It was clear that they were out of options, and were trying to end the war in one single battle.

There were rumors that the 2nd prince was consolidating his forces too.

The two forces were getting ready to end things in the Parmana Desert Basin.

While they were preparing for the final battle, Kang Oh went to the Goddess's Land, and went through its high level hunting grounds.

He went through the Saul Graveyard, the Nightmare's Nest, the Cannibal Garden, and even the ??? Dungeon. The Saul Graveyard was, of course, an undead paradise, and the Nightmare's Nest contained horrific monsters known as Kowlers. True to its name, the Cannibal Garden contained various carnivorous plants, and the ??? Dungeon was where the Basilisks lived.

Basilisks were top-tier monsters that had the ability to use Petrifying Gaze, Petrifying Poison, Scale Missile, and charge attacks.

In spite of that, he hunted them all by himself!

Though he possessed Demon Sword Akanhoff now, it still didn't make hunting them a walk in the park. It was, as always, an extremely dangerous endeavor.

After all, Basilisks were normally too much for Kang Oh to take on alone.

However, all of his hard work had paid off.

The stronger his enemies, the more quickly his proficiency would go up.

His efforts didn't go to waste.

When Kang Oh had first gotten Valan's quest, his proficiency in Demonic Swordsmanship was at 67%. Only a week had passed, yet his proficiency had gone up to 70%.

In other words, his Demonic Swordsmanship had gone up by 3% in a single week.

With his talent as a Demonic Swordsman increasing, and the Earth's Blessing doubling his proficiency gain, his growth was explosive!

At this rate, he would be able to raise his proficiency to 100% within the 100 day time limit.

However, there was an unknown variable here: the missions given to him by the Whispers of the Earth!

It'd be terrible if it gave him a mission that was both extremely difficult and long.

He also needed time to use Seal Demon. Defeating a level 500 raid boss wouldn't be easy. .

'Fortunately, I can get Bart's help for that.'

He could also ask Helena and the Witch's Forest for their help too. After all, they were indebted to him for his help with the Ecle War.

Anyhow, he heard that the 2nd and 3rd princes had gathered all their forces in the Parmana Desert Basin, so he immediately left the Goddess's Land and headed for the desert.

The 2nd and 3rd prince's forces stood across from a giant basin, which resembled a volcanic crater.

'I'm on time.'

Kang Oh let the Mercenary Leader, who was in charge of all the mercenaries here, know that he was here, and then stood at the vanguard.

He examined the enemy's flag.

'Over there.'

The Empire Guild's flag was fiercely fluttering through the desert wind.

"Are you over there, Dukeram?" Kang Oh muttered.

He wanted to fight with Dukeram today.

However, there was no guarantee that they'd come face-to-face. He'd just have to wait and see.

* * *

The sun's rays were intense today.

The Desert Warriors stood in rank and file, and sweat fell from within their turbans.

It was as if their camels were thirsty too, as they stretched out their long tongues.

The Arabas Kingdom's 2nd prince, Tehiyon, rode out in front of his army.

"Everyone, listen up!"

The 2nd prince's forces quieted down, and focused on Tehiyon's face, expression, and voice.

"My older brother, the crown prince, met a tragic end. Doesn't that make me, the 2nd prince, the one who will follow in my father's footsteps and rule this kingdom? Isn't that right?"

"That's right!"

"However, my ambitious little brother tried to take the throne for himself and started a civil war. I, the true successor to the throne, order you. Crush my little brother and the wicked forces that follow him, and show the world that I am the Arabas Kingdom's true ruler!"

"Uooooh!"

His men's cheers rang out.

The Empire Guild's mastermind, Jegal, had been watching this all happen.

Then, Jegal whispered, "How is the mind control going?"

"We're almost done. He'll become a puppet king under our control," his subordinate said, smiling.

"Good." Jegal smiled wickedly.

An Empire that would control the entire continent; that Empire would find its beginnings in the Arabas Kingdom.

Once Tehiyon's long speech was done with, the 3rd prince, Tehiram, stood before his army.

"Tehiyon, you're not the true successor to the crown! How can we serve you, the one who killed our older brother, as king!? Isn't that right?" Tehiram yelled.

There were rumors that the 2nd prince had assassinated the crown prince, and this was the 3rd prince's justification.

"That's right!" the 3rd prince's forces yelled simultaneously.

"By killing the true successor, the crown prince, you lost all rights to the throne. That makes me the true successor to the throne!" Tehiram raised his sword into the air.

"Uwaaaah!" It was followed by cheers.

"I, the true successor to the throne, order you. Punish Tehiyon and those who follow him!"

"Charge!"

"All forces, charge!"

Then, the commanders ordered their troops to advance.

Boooooo!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sounds of horns and beating drums resounded throughout the battlefield, and two giant armies closed in on each other.

"Aah, the battle has started!"

"The battle has finally begun."

"I know you've waited a long time. The battle has started now, so stay tuned!"

The gaming networks' correspondents raised their voices.

This was the largest war ever since the Ecle War. Obviously, it was the gaming networks' number 1 priority!

"The Empire Guild's eight squads are making their move. The Glacier Squad and the Red King Squad are here too."

"Do you think Emperor Dukeram will make an appearance here?"

"I don't see Emperor Dukeram anywhere. He must be in that wagon that's being pulled by all those camels."

Numbers rank 1.

Emperor Dukeram!

He didn't show up much on TV, but whenever he did, he left behind a huge impression.

The correspondents had learned that Dukeram had arrived, so they were desperately waiting for his appearance.

His appearance guaranteed huge viewership ratings.

"Aah, the 2nd and 3rd prince's forces are fighting!"

"Are you seeing this? The sight of all these people and camels filling the desert!? Don't miss any of it. You'll be sure to regret it!"

The battle had begun in earnest.

The 2nd prince's forces were slightly stronger than the 3rd prince's. It was about a 6 to 4 advantage.

However, they hadn't fought for very long, so that advantage wasn't visible as of yet.

"Lure them into the trap as planned," Jegal said to his subordinate.

"Yes, sir. I'll send a message to each of our captains."

"Mm. We have to provide Mr. Dukeram with a stage worthy of his stature," Jegal said firmly. His face displayed how much he respected Dukeram.

Some say that Dukeram is just a figurehead, and that Jegal is the actual brains behind the operation.

That wasn't true at all.

Jegal was #2. His position had been given to him by Emperor Dukeram himself. And he was satisfied with his current position. It was Dukeram for god's sakes!

'He's the most perfect person I've ever seen!'

Talent, ability, brains, character, appearance, ambition, etc. He had them all in spades! That was Dukeram in a nutshell.

Anyhow, Dukeram would be the star in today's battle. And they'd also realize something.

Dukeram was the best, and he always would be.

* * *

The 3rd prince's army possessed the Arabas Kingdom's 2nd and 4th Corps.

The 4th Corps Commander, Stan, was called the 'Kingdom's Star'. He was a Master Desert Warrior.

He was a genius that became a Master before the age of thirty, and he was also considered an outstanding individual that'd lead the Arabas Kingdom for the next 50 years.

Stan was the Empire Guild's goal.

"Charge at Stan!"

"Let's go."

The Empire Guild's Yellow Dragon, Giant Soldier, Black Wolf, Red King, Glacier, and Iron Horse Squads cut through anyone in their way and made their way to Stan's 4th Corps.

They had sent six of their squads to cut a path to Stan.

Although the 4th Corps' soldiers were elites, they were individually far weaker than the Empire Guild's members.

Despite having the numerical advantage, the 4th Corps' vanguard crumbled instantly, and the entire corps was beginning to collapse.

"You idiots! Get a hold of yourselves!" Stan appeared like a messiah on top of a two-humped camel.

"Ooh!"

"The Commander is here!"

"We're the invincible 4th Corps!"

Stan was not only the 4th Corps Commander, but was also considered the future of the Arabas Kingdom; with his appearance, the troops' morale rose to its maximum.

"Tala, reinforce the right flank. I want the rest of the 1000 man commanders to gather in the middle. Desert Mages, what are you doing? Form a giant wall on the left flank and prevent the enemies from advancing! Bring the injured to the rear! Mages, save your healing spells for now!"

Stan's leadership ability was exceptional too.

Once he gave his orders, the Empire Guild's advance slowed.

"The target's in sight," Eric said.

"Just as planned. Yellow Dragon Squad, cut a path to the target!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Glacier Squad, get a move on!"

"Giant Soldier Squad, let's go!"

The three squads formed a triangular formation, and began piercing through the center of the 4th Corps.

It was a foolish plan.

"How foolish. Left and right flanks, crush them!" Stan yelled.

The Empire Guild pierced through the middle like a sharp drill, but it seemed like the left and right flanks would surround them soon.

At that moment...

Another squad belatedly came after them.

Dukeram's wagon was going with them! The Brown Bear Squad and the Moby Dick Squad were guarding it!

"Moby Dick Squad, to the right flank. Brown Bear Squad, to the left. Please buy us some time," Jegal yelled.

"Yes, sir!" Moby Dick and Ridgeley yelled simultaneously, and commanded their troops.

"Now then, let's go!" Jegal said to the wagon.

Dukeram's wagon made it all the way to Stan without a single obstacle in sight.

The Empire Guild's squads had carved quite the comfortable path for him.

"You come to the center of the battlefield in such a gaudy wagon. Who are you, little boy!? Get lost!" Stan scanned the wagon and yelled.

Then...

The door to the wagon opened, and a man came out.

"Aah, he's finally shown up!"

"The Emperor has come in person!"

"The immovable rank 1! Dukeram has finally shown up!"

The correspondents yelled at the top of their lungs.

Tramp.

The man came down from the wagon, and leisurely walked over to Stan. He sported a soft smile on his face.

"Sorry. My vice-captain likes to make things flashy."

Emperor Dukeram had finally arrived.