The Golem Mage

# At the Northern Kingdom's Capital

While the subordinate cities of the Northern Kingdom face one or two space gates, depending on whether a nearby city was destroyed, the capital itself was always besieged by five space gates.

Four of these are High-tier gates, positioned at the cardinal points of the kingdom—north, south, east, and west.

These gates are defended by ancient clans that rule over these territories, as well as other high-tier clans that have been granted the privilege to reside within the Royal Capital.

However, the fifth gate, a Peak-tier gate, looms ominously above the center of the palace, presenting a constant concern for the Royal Family.

The mere thought of a space gate hovering overhead is a frightening prospect, as it signifies the potential for an attack at any moment.

Although the abyssal races occupying the space gate above the Royal Palace have not launched an assault for an extended period, the Royal Family remains vigilant.

With each Blood Moon War, they enlist the best monarch mages from each clan in the capital to fortify the palace's defences.

The Royal Family harbours a fear that the day may come when the abyssal races will indeed strike, however, some of the esteemed mages summoned against their will have grown weary and frustrated with the Royal Family's demands.

After all, the Royal Family possesses the most monarch mages, bolstered by the underground spring they control, it is clear that they wield the greatest power in the capital and could easily defend themselves with their own mages, trained by the Royal Family itself.

But the King of the Northern Kingdom has always opposed this approach, many have begun to interpret his actions as a deliberate strategy to weaken the other clans.

It was evident that their descendants or clan members were fighting for their lives at the four other High-tier gates, especially when they were conscripted.

Instead of being granted the chance to protect their kin, with the power they possess, they are denied this right and are instead asked to defend a palace that has not seen an attack in years.

So the belief has taken root that the Royal Family's true intention is to debilitate the other clans, ensuring that none grow strong enough to pose a threat to them.

# Inside the Palace

Various patriarchs of the clans residing in the capital had gathered in the throne room, having requested an audience with the king, in response, the king summoned all those assigned to the palace to attend the meeting too.

One of the patriarchs who had called for the meeting stood to address the pressing concern:

"The attacks against the four High Tier gates are intensifying, if we are not careful, one of the gates may soon be breached, all we ask is to allow a few of the monarch realm experts present here to be deployed to the Four high tier space gates, to maintain control and prevent disaster."

As the patriarch voiced his concerns, reactions within the room varied— some of the other patriarchs nodded in agreement, while others frowned, and a few anticipated that he might face retribution.

King Charles of the Northern Kingdom, however, simply gazed at the patriarch with an amused smile.

"What is your clan's specialty, or which element does your clan have a natural affinity for?" the king inquired, still smiling.

"Sir, it's the plant element, my clan is renowned for their mastery of the plant element!" the patriarch responded.

"Alright then, what is the name of your clan, and what is your name?" the king probed further.

The patriarch was left perplexed, unsure of how his name was relevant to the current situation, but he knew he had to respond.

"My clan is the Greenleaf Clan, and my name is Sage, Your Majesty," the patriarch introduced himself, bowing respectfully to King Charles.

"I have taken note of your request, if you wish for your request to be considered, you must first defeat the patriarch of the Ancient Blaze Clan," King Charles declared, causing Sage's eyes to widen in astonishment.

What the king had proposed was, to Sage, an insurmountable challenge, he knew all too well that he was no match for the patriarch of the Ancient Blaze Clan, a High-tier monarch whose power vastly exceeded his own as a low-tier monarch.

The disparity was so great that the Blaze Clan patriarch could easily make a plaything of him, not to mention the elemental disadvantage, with fire being the natural counter to plant element, he almost felt the king did it on purpose.

Even as a specialized plant mage, Sage was aware that the mages of the Blaze Clan were far from ordinary flame clans.

Every member of the Blaze Clan who attained high-tier status and was recognized as a genius had the opportunity to enhance their flames at the clan's underground temple, unless they were born with a unique variant flame.

And that was just for those who reached the high-tier; the true extent of the Blaze Clan patriarch's power, now that he had ascended to the monarch realm, was unfathomable.

The only one who seemed keen to measure the strength of the Blaze Clan patriarch's variant flame was the patriarch of the Ancient Zero Clan, as they were long-standing rivals.

"Err... Your Highness, I believe I must concede this challenge, as I stand no chance against the formidable leader of the Blaze Clan," Sage admitted, clenching his fist in resignation before retreating to his seat.

King Charles snorted at Sage's display of resignation.

He had hoped for a clash that would provide him with the thrill of bloodshed, although he yearned to command them to fight, but he was aware that many were already displeased with him and he did not wish to exacerbate the tension.

"Although some of you initiated this meeting, i had already intended to summon you all in the first place ," King Charles began, addressing the room.

"You have all been called upon to protect the palace, and I am well aware of your grievance, however, let me assure you, the threat posed by the Peak Tier space gate cannot be taken lightly."

"What I am about to reveal is the history of the gate and the reason it has not assaulted the palace for years, the peak-tier gates have been sealed by the holy guardians of the Northern Kingdom, as is the case in the other four kingdoms.

But now, we face a dire crisis—the guardian of our kingdom is nearing the end of his life."

" And the moment he passes, the seal will break, and the entities controlling the space gate will be free to attack. I assure you, you are not prepared for such an event, even High-tier mages would be mere cannon fodder in this war; only the monarchs will have the power to influence its outcome," King Charles declared with gravity.

As worry etched on the faces of all the patriarchs present, they had never confronted the Peak Tier gate before, but they did not doubt the king's words.

Even the high-tier gates were capable of producing low-tier monarchs, and they felt if sufficient energy was channelled into them they would sent out way more monarch realm experts, they were acutely aware that the Abyssal races boasted more experts than their own ranks.

The only reason they had managed to hold their ground for so long was that the space gates limited the number of monarch-rank warriors the Abyss could deploy.

The humans have grown considerably and are no longer suffering defeat as they once did in the past, they have begun to mount effective counterattacks against the Abyss. Additionally, there are human mages who actively seek out confrontations with the Abyss through the space passages.

For instance, Terran has a bounty on his head due to the number of low-tier 8 experts he has slain, despite being only a Tier 7 Mage.

"Pardon me, Your Majesty, but I find it difficult to believe that anything can prevent the Abyss races from emerging through the space gates, is this not a violation of the Blood Moon rules? Will we not face condemnation for such actions?"

The patriarch of the Dragonmir clan, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.

His human form bore a single horn curving backward from his head, a testament to his deep assimilation with the dragon bloodline he absorbed.