Chapter 18: To Send A Message
The Declaration of the Nation of Despera.
Still on the grand plazas, where the battle between Kai and Drarkarr was occupying the giant advertising screens, a new line of text suddenly appeared:
The Declaration of the Nation of Despera.
The declaration video seamlessly used the fiery battle of the mysterious newbie player as its intro, transitioning smoothly into official broadcasts on mainstream media channels. In that moment, people were so stunned by the new information that they forgot to question how powerful a force must be to simultaneously hijack all the major screens across the globe.
A new nation is being born in Valia—today, at this very moment!
On the screen where Kai was still fighting, a black flag appeared in the bottom right corner. It gradually expanded, taking over the majority of the frame, as a voice began to speak:
"To all Valia players around the world, and to all inhabitants of Earth! The battle you're witnessing is truly spectacular, isn’t it? A warrior of Despera is pushing back a mighty Emperor, saving the entire Estapha Kingdom from the brink of destruction! A miracle! A legend!"
News spread like wildfire across the internet. The keyword “Despera nation declaration” skyrocketed in search volume. Within minutes, hundreds of millions flocked to a newly launched livestream channel called The Principality of Despera, which had gone live just one minute prior.
"Ah, but the truth is, there's no such thing as miracles!" the voice continued.
"Everything is the result of human effort. Kai didn’t gain that power out of nowhere—it’s the fruit of years of training and dedication. He is the first warrior of the Principality of Despera, representing the belief we stand for: supreme achievement through relentless effort. This nation was born from such efforts, and our sincerity moved even God!"
Right then, Kai unleashed a Rising Slash, tearing through one side of Drarkarr’s face.
"Warriors of Valia, and all who dream of joining this world—have you ever imagined yourself standing alone, holding back a raging tide, becoming the hero who shapes the fate of Valia? Have you ever felt powerless before the might of Zephrania? Despera seems like a miracle, a marvel—but it’s really the inevitable outcome. A proper response to those who are dissatisfied with their own helplessness. Despera is not a miracle; it creates miracles!"
"Like I said, your imagination is shallow."
It was Kai’s voice, as the screen showed him performing Triple Slash, slicing past Drarkarr, flipping to dodge Crimson Eclipse, then springing up to hurl a spear that pierced the Emperor of Zephrania.
"Exactly!" the voice picked up Kai’s line and continued.
"Our imagination is limitless. Don’t confine yourselves. Don’t be content with the existing order. Don’t accept your own weakness. Don’t settle—be outraged! Turn your frustration into action! All who are dissatisfied with this world, let’s create the extraordinary! Join Despera and change the fate of the Valia continent!"
The screen shifted into the Emperor’s Guard selection interface, commonly known as the "Choose Your Side" screen. The classic red and white split showed the flags of Estapha (a dragon with winged sword) and Zephrania (a dragon-bodied phoenix with a crescent blade). Suddenly, a black flag bearing an axe and a lion dropped down, dividing the screen into three parts.
Immediately, millions logged into Valia globally, just to confirm one thing:
A third nation had appeared in Valia.
“It’s real, guys! It’s really real!”
“It’s an actual game update!”
“God has allowed a new nation to emerge!”
“This is a legit in-game event!”
“Only new players can reselect their faction, damn…”
“I got into Despera—they’ve only got one city right now.”
“Only one city?”
“Wait… it's Desoraii in the far East. That city used to belong to Zephrania.”
“It was just taken 7 minutes ago.”
“Damn?! A whole city got taken and no one noticed until now?”
===
Smack!
Helen flinched and turned around, only to see her coworkers scrambling to make way for someone. The one who had just slammed a stack of papers onto her desk was none other than the Vietnamese boss.
“He actually cares about Valia?” Helen frowned, then stared in shock at the papers he had brought.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
“Oh! Based on the latest info I’ve received, a new nation has emerged—Despera! Sounds like ‘Desperation,’ right? And just 7 minutes ago, they captured Desoraii City. The offensive… in just 5 minutes, the city fell? Only 5 minutes?!”
“You all really haven’t been paying attention,” the boss shook his head and walked away.
Helen, of course, didn’t bother with him. She immediately began searching forums for information. Her coworkers also rushed back to their desks. This wasn’t the time to gossip—this twist deserved to be the hottest news in gaming.
“That’s right, they planned this very carefully. Without City Guardianship, new players choosing Despera wouldn’t be able to enter Valia. While the world was watching this newbie named Kai, the newly founded nation Despera had already launched its first campaign. According to what I’ve gathered… the assault team… consisted of 6 people in black... six?!”
Footage provided by players in Desoraii quickly went live on Helen’s stream. Her viewer count skyrocketed to 40 million, unsurprising on a day filled with insane plot twists.
“One, two, three… yep, six of them! Led by a boss-level character! He’s wielding a massive axe. Whoa—its power rivals Haleos Draekar or Lux Veritas! That’s clearly a Divine-grade weapon. He led a party of six to conquer an entire fortress. The five behind him were all level 1 newbies, but they coordinated perfectly to level up rapidly. Of course, not as fast as Kai, but their individual skill is undeniable. They fought while looting too—gear was scattered all over, and they made full use of it.”
In the footage, a petite female figure approached the camera’s POV. Suddenly, a hailstorm of flying daggers filled the screen, followed by wild camera shakes trying to track her lightning-fast movements. Blood splattered the air as the hit count exploded in seconds.
“Too fast!”
“What the hell was that?!”
“It’s a Blade Dancer, but the speed is insane!”
“220 hits in 15 seconds? Is this even human or AI?”
“Even with cheats you couldn’t hit that number!”
“A level 20 character just used 220 hits in 15 seconds to send a level 80 to the respawn screen… am I dreaming?”
“Sara… her name is Sara…”
“Wait—is that the Korean prodigy Sara? She’s playing Valia now?”
“Looks like it.”
“And that character named Alex…”
“Is that ‘Emperor’ Alexander? The one who led Team Russia to Olympic gold?”
“Six years ago, yeah, their only victory over both Korea and China.”
“This squad is stacked…”
===
Rumors and discussions about the newly established nation of Despera spread across every social media platform at the speed of light. They instantly stole the spotlight and became the hottest topic of conversation.
Statistics showed that over 500,000 people, stirred by the event, immediately created accounts and joined Valia under the banner of Despera. That number continued to rise at an astonishing rate.
"Has there ever been a more successful debut? These Despera guys just dropped a nuclear bomb on the media world," Helen thought to herself.
On Despera’s livestream, the black flag with a lion insignia grew larger and larger until it filled the screen, then unfurled to reveal a majestic figure seated on the throne in the grand hall of Desoraii.
His hair was slightly curly, shoulder-length. He wore black armor adorned with a white lion’s mane. His posture was relaxed, bordering on arrogant, and in his hand was a mighty axe—one side a sharp blade, the other shaped like a cross.
“I am Liam Despera, Commander of Despera. A young nation, as you can see—but we do not fear. There is no greater shame than cowering before tyranny and strength. In this sacred moment, I declare the founding of the Principality of Despera, a nation of resolve and effort. We are a force that defies all reason, norms, and order imposed by others. I hereby declare war on the Empire of Zephrania, the strongest power on this continent!"
“Declaring war on the very day of founding?” Helen thought. Then again, Valia was a video game—conflicts between factions were almost a given. But did they really need to declare war that boldly in front of billions of viewers? What exactly were Despera and the powers behind it planning?
“And of course,” Liam continued, “to stand against such a powerful enemy, we sincerely express our desire to form an alliance with Estapha.”
===
“We should retreat, Drarkarr.”
“I can’t accept this!”
“Desoraii is lost, and surely the nearby cities Astrixal and Norath will be in danger as well. But if you don’t go back now, we could lose even more—perhaps the entire Eastern front. Staying calm and minimizing losses is also the mark of a true Emperor.”
“Grurghh... but it’s clearly unfair. We should have won!”
“We did win, Drarkarr. Don’t concern yourself with absurdity and injustice. We are the mightiest empire in Valia—and we’ll win again, to prove our power to the world.”
Ignis Flamma’s soothing words seemed to calm Drarkarr’s fury. He locked his gaze on the novice who had once again ruined his glorious victory, then clenched his teeth.
“You only get Lafieii’s protection once. Next time we meet, you’ll be nothing but a corpse!”
With that, he let himself fall from the great hall. The dragon Nyxerion circled once to catch him, then spread its massive wings and soared into the sky.
===
“Hey, you’re just gonna let him leave like that?”
That sharp voice again echoed in his ears.
“What?”
“That insufferable bastard. I want to teach him a lesson!”
“I’d love to too. But how?”
“You agreed to our pact, didn’t you? Activate it.”
“Activate?”
As soon as he said the word, a pitch-black stone with a soft purple glow appeared before him. The in-game character, Kai, reached out and touched it—and instantly, his Mana bar dropped by a quarter.
“Quad Summon Relic?”
The stone suddenly transformed… into a bat? No, a round monster with a single huge eye in the center of its body and four bat wings flapping wildly.
“What are you waiting for? Go!”
The creature turned its gaze toward Drarkarr, now flying further away on his dragon. At that range, only Snipers with extreme range could hit.
He suddenly understood—why the case carried 20 Zearth’Kai arrows, and what this mysterious steel shaft truly was.
Kai placed his right foot on the monster’s back, causing it to screech. Then he raised his leg high, launching himself and the creature toward the fleeing enemy.
His right hand held the Zearth’Kai and placed it atop the creature’s head. From its four wings, four glowing purple strings extended and connected to the shaft.
He leaned back, pulling with all his strength. The Zearth’Kai extended to its full length—2.5 meters.
“Devil Eye!”
The screen displayed the name of the unique skill of a Quad Summoned God. The creature widened its single eye and locked onto Drarkarr. From Kai’s perspective, he saw a floating purple dot in midair. He aimed his arrow right at it.
“This is to send a message”, said Kai.
Before billions of viewers, he let go. The massive arrow shot into the sky, passed through a purple acceleration gate, and flew at terrifying speed.
Thunkkk!!!
The steel arrow crossed a kilometer and struck Drarkarr straight in the chest. The damage wasn’t much—but the system’s judgment from the strike was enough to make the mighty Emperor stagger and nearly fall from his dragon.
“ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!”
Drarkarr howled in rage, the sound echoing across the sky like the person behind the character was also feeling the excruciating pain of that arrow lodged in his chest.
