Rise Beyond Celestial

*Armageddon Era, BlackStar Continent*

The forest village of Wendigo was nestled in the heart of a dense forest, where ancient trees with broad, twisted trunks formed a natural barrier. The thatched roofs of the small wooden houses rose above the tall grass and flowering bushes. The dirt paths, barely discernible among the roots and ferns, wound between the dwellings, while children played near the wells, and villagers went about their daily tasks. The constant murmur of leaves in the wind mingled with the cries of birds and distant laughter. A simple, almost unreal peace reigned here, under the benevolent shade of the trees.

But suddenly, this calm was shattered by a shrill, almost piercing sound that tore through the air like a blade. The villagers, startled, looked up at the sky. There, above the village, an odd rift appeared, floating between the treetops. The fissure rippled, as if tearing the very fabric of reality.

From this rift, a young man slowly emerged, floating with a supernatural ease. His skin was an unsettling pallor, almost translucent under the flickering light. His long black hair fell in unruly locks, violently contrasting with his equally dark attire. His black coat, adorned with thin, bright red lines, seemed to move independently of the wind, as if obeying an invisible force.

A mischievous smile formed on his face, revealing sharp canines, too long to belong to a human. His eyes shone with a deep mischief, a spark of danger that made the atmosphere oppressive. His hands buried in his coat pockets, he floated above the ground with a detached air, observing the villagers with a scornful amusement.

Silence fell upon the village, the birds ceased their singing, and every breath of wind seemed to freeze, as if nature itself held its breath in the presence of this strange visitor.

"At first glance, I didn't detect any Elysian or mana within a 1000-kilometer radius," he murmured to himself, looking down at the people below.

"Well... Anyway, I have to build my empire. And we'll start with this little village... But it's easier said than done..."

Linfer assumed a pensive pose, for now, he hadn't thought of a plan. He was a guy who lived in the present moment, but he still needed a plan to create his empire and claim his father's throne.

"Basically, I need competent and loyal subjects!?"

A slight smile appeared on his lips as ideas flooded his mind.

"They're way too rudimentary... Every proper civilization starts with cultural shock."

His smile widened as he let himself fall.

*BOOM*

The ground shook violently as he landed, causing a deafening crash. Clouds of dust swirled around him, enveloping his figure. The villagers, panicked, stopped in their tracks, their gazes turning towards the source of this monstrous noise.

The swirling dust clouds obscured the silhouette of the strange young man who had just descended from the sky. Yet, despite the fear that gripped their chests, some curious and disbelieving villagers began to approach, trying to penetrate the mist. They had enemies from other villages, creatures from the woods, bandits, and even myths about people who could create fire without anything, but never someone capable of floating in the air and descending like a god.

Among them, a middle-aged man, his face marked by years of labor in the fields, stepped too close. His face showed both curiosity and ignorance. He took another step forward.

Suddenly, without warning, a pale, slender hand emerged from the thick mist. Its icy fingers closed violently around the man's face, gripping his skull with an immense force. For an instant, everything seemed to stop. The man's gaze reflected surprise, then pure terror.

A sharp crack sounded, followed by a grotesque squelching noise. The man's head was pulverized in a splash of blood and brains, splattering the ground around him. The closest villagers screamed in horror.

Cries echoed, women called out to their children, while some, paralyzed with terror, could only watch, unable to comprehend what had just occurred.

The lifeless body of the man collapsed heavily onto the ground, a deathly silence reigning around the scene, as his warm blood slowly trickled away. Linfer, with a simple wave of his hand, dispersed the mist, observing the villagers' reactions with an evil smile.

Linfer's smile widened as he savored the terror that spread across the villagers' faces, before declaring with malicious pleasure:

"Step one: genocide!"

Before anyone could react, Linfer disappeared, his body dissolving into a series of residual images. Mad cackles echoed as his shadows appeared and vanished all around the village. With each reappearance, screams were heard, followed by the sinister sound of spurting blood. Linfer surrendered to a murderous frenzy, striking down men, women, children, and elders without discrimination. His sole purpose was death.

There was only his demonic laughter floating in the air, transforming the peaceful atmosphere of the village into a hell on earth. In a matter of seconds, the village, once bustling with a hundred lives, fell into a morbid silence. The ground had become muddy, soaked with blood that flowed in thick streams, creating a macabre scene of carnage.

With a simple gesture, Linfer evaporated all the blood, which condensed into a bright red orb in his palm. His silhouette remained strangely clean, except for his hands, which he had deliberately left stained with blood. Gazing at the blood sphere, he furrowed his brows, a hint of disappointment crossing his gaze.

"As I thought... No interesting mana or abilities," he murmured. "The ambient mana is pitifully weak here."

Then, a sadistic smile reappeared on his face. "I have a head start on you, bastard," he thought, thinking of Leviathan.

He knew that one of the first people he had to eliminate would be his brother, and for that, he had to stack the odds in his favor. And especially that morality wasn't one of his strong points, he hadn't held back.