"The heck? He's dead already?" Kuzon slapped his face as soon as he and Maya entered the Throneroom.
The place was grand as well as huge, with pillars supporting the massive ceiling that hing above their heads.
Chandeliers hung above, and many statues decorated the hall. The clear golden grounds were clear as glass, and the carpets and drapes that added a posh vibe to the place seemed very extravagant.
The Throneroom also semed large enough to contain hundreds of thousands of people, accounting for it's size alone.
Unfortunately, none of the two parties who arrived there were concerned with any of those details.
They had been looking forward to an epic final fight, so it was incredibly underwhelming that the Last Boss was dead.
"Since when was the Midas Emperor so shameless? Tsk tsk." Kuzon stepped forward, Maya sighing beside him.
She also clearly wanted to vent out her anger on the Midas Emperor—at the very least, for what he did to her people.
"Maybe I could revive him, and we can have our final fight?" She smiled, almost devilishly.
"He's lost his will to fight. That's why he killed himself. Do you think you could force him to fight for his life?" Kuzon asked his brows raised.
The moment he said this, Maya's countenance fell, and the brilliant look she had dissipated into thin air.
"I could perhaps solve the issue with my [The Absolute Emperor] or [Marionette Worms], but no. At this point, I've lost interest."
Besides, there was probably no more time. He had done what he could here, and he also enjoyed himself while doing it.
'It's time to leave.' Kuzon smiled, glancing at Maya.
"I guess I should first release your people from my Enperor's Domain."
*
*
*
As easily as it was to place all of the commoners into his alternate dimension, all of them popped back out in their thousands.
The dazed expression on their faces, graduating into the look of positive shock, caused the atmosphere to be rife with loud murmurs and noises.
It took some time for Kuzon to calm them down and explain the situation. It was difficult to restrain the excitement of the crowd, though.
Why?
"We bow to and hail the mighty one, Absolute Holy One and One True Emperor, Kuzon."
"HAIL!"
"HAIL!"
"HAIL!!!"
The whole crowd worshipped him as they knelt and bowed their heads to him in reverence.
"E-eh...?"
Apparently, the time they spent in the Emperor's Domain had granted them a far grander perspective of Kuzon.
In the pocket dimension, he ensured to feed them as much as they wanted, grant them warmth, and showed them so much glory and beauty that they thought they were in paradise.
Perhaps that was why they weren't too fazed about the Royal Midas Throneroom that Kuzon transported them in.
The beauty of the Emperor's Domain far outranked it. And so did Kuzon, who was the source of all that grandeur.
"I am not an Absolute Mighty one or whatever. And I am not a God! I am a Midas—a privileged race known for talent and a special connection with the energy of the world, but a far cry from being almighty!" Kuzon's voice echoed in the hall, silencing the zealots who were already enthusiastic about serving a new master.
"I'll be leaving you all now. Maya here will ensure you people are properly taken care of. Right, Maya?" Kuzon glanced in her direction, flashing a smile.
"You don't have to tell me that. It was always my plan. Hmph!" She pouted a little, causing Kuzon far more confusion than he bargained for.
"In any case, you guy, just stay here for the time being." Kuzon wasn't very good with public speeches, so he strung a few other words together before bidding them farewell and teleporting out of the hall.
"That idiot..." Maya whispered, sighing and following after him.
*
*
*
Kuzon and Maya, now standing on the roof a long tower that nearly touched the clouds, feasted their eyes on the landscape around them.
They witnessed the chaos they had caused, and the carnage that had occured thanks to their actions.
It was reminiscent of bittersweet memories for Maya, who had a heavy burden in her heart as she alternated glances between the vast world around her and Kuzon.
"So... what will you do now?" He finally spoke, his voice as smooth as it was hesitant.
The breeze lightly filled the atmosphere with coolness, causing Maya's dark hair to dance a little as she smiled softly.
"I think I'll lead my people down the right path and teach them Magic. I'll start by restructuring the Midas Empire so that both the commoners from the slums and the Midas people can live together. It'll be an experiment. If I succeed, I want to take it global."
In short, she was aiming for equality and a world where everyone could live in relative peace irrespective of their dispositions and ethnic backgrounds.
'That's easier said than done, though...' Kuzon knew Maya wasn't so naive that she would think that such a thing was a readily achievable task.
'The people in this world have been oppressed by the Midas Race for a long time. If released from their oppression, sure they'll be grateful for some time, but soon their suppressed desires will begin to emerge.'
Anger and rage would eventually take over, and every Race would see the Midas Empire as their enemy, considering the dark past.
'Besides, didn't they say this world was in a constant state of war in the past? In order to avoid that repeating itself, she'll need to be very careful.' Kuzon's thoughts echoed seriously.
'Still...' He smiled as he looked at her. 'I know she can do it.'
"I know you're going to do well." Kuzon moved closer to her and used on of his hands to pinch her cheek.
"Ow! Ow! So mean..." She cried out, her voice echoing across the vast Midas lands.
Despite the setting sun, and the carnage, it seemed even friends could have fun.
