Star Iron, conquer the world from Omphalos

The change of power was a heavy price paid by Ohema for this alone.

Although she knew that this was an inevitable result, as the two major political factions of Ohma, if the Golden Race and the Senate could not reach an agreement on the decision, there would be no talk of saving the world.

The internal disputes alone are enough to give people a headache, so how can they have the energy to take care of other things?

"Aglaia is a real jerk. She was the one who created the communication for the Messenger Stone and even held a vote. Didn't the backend administrator say it should be fair?" Ash curled his lips. "But the Senate won't die so easily. They still have some roots in Ohma. It's just that after what happened, it's going to be hard to fight back... Never mind. This is none of our business."

If possible, he would prefer to fight in Ohma for a while longer, preferably until Shurima has completed its development, and then push Ohma down in one wave.

However, this woman, Aglaya, will not give him this opportunity. I'm afraid that once Ohma stabilizes, she will start to set her sights on Shurima.

"What about Xuanfeng City?" he asked.

Xiadie said, "There's been no movement in Xuanfeng City for the time being. Wandi went there three days ago and has been keeping an eye on Xuanfeng's movements."

"It seems that King Olipon is also afraid. The old immortal suffered heavy losses this time. If Nicardoli did not take action, they would not have taken the initiative to attack."

Ash rubbed his chin.

Nicardoli's condition doesn't seem to be very good, or rather, Titan's condition isn't very good either. It's just that the former had previously encountered a failed experiment in divine bearing and was dealt a heavy blow by the Xuanfeng people. I'm afraid he's been recuperating during this period.

Otherwise, when the Scourge Legion attacked, Nicardoli would not have just shot a few cold arrows and stopped.

Without Nicardoli taking the lead, King Olipon dared not say a word. After all, the power in Ohma was now in the hands of the Golden People. If Xuanfeng City dared to move, Aglaya would not miss any opportunity to destroy them.

What's the point of three thousand dead Ohma soldiers? The Holy City has plenty of people, and their foundation is far better than Shurima.

Right now, Ohma needs to consolidate its regime and not act recklessly, Xuanfeng City needs to wait for Nicadori to recover, and Shurima also needs time to settle down and develop. The three powers are in a tripod to divide Omphalos, and no one dares to act rashly.

On the surface, Shurima is the weakest side, but because it had previously defeated the armies of Xuanfeng and Ohma at the same time, most people know that Shurima's strength cannot be judged by appearance alone.

The sun hung high, the golden gods descended, these were the reasons that drew others to Shurima.

This can be seen from the recent increase in the number of outsiders in the city. Whether they choose to join Shurima or come to visit, it is enough to illustrate Shurima's current status.

According to recent records, the population of Shurima has almost reached 20,000. This is an explosive breakthrough brought about by the reputation effect. The appearance of the sun god has made many people willing to believe that the appearance of God is obviously more capable of saving the world than the illusory oracle.

However, most people don’t care whether the world is saved or not. They just want to live a stable life.

And this is something that Shurima today can offer, at least in the short term.

The population has exploded, but it will take time to build up the size of the army. After all, these people were not brought back by Ash and his team themselves. It cannot be said that they have ulterior motives, but it is inevitable that there are some unevenness.

There is no problem in letting them live in the royal city, but joining the army and holding positions requires careful consideration.

Of course, you can't live there for free. Most tribes have their own skills, and if that doesn't work, they can also do hard labor. Using creativity and labor to exchange for food for survival is the rule set by Ash.

As for taxes, let’s forget about them for now. Right now, even survival is a problem, so how can we afford to pay taxes?

After dealing with some matters in the city, Ash returned to the temple and called Julius in.

Looking at the Tilkas warriors who had followed him in the beginning, he said, "Now there is a chance for you to become stronger, but if you fail, you may die. Are you willing to try?"

The selection of the Ascendants needs to be carefully considered. This will be the foundation of Shurima in the future, and their loyalty is 100%.

The Tilkas tribe, for example, has such faith in Ash, and Julius, as the best among them, satisfies Ash in both his will and character.

The only thing he lacks is strength. This guy has been injured in several wars. If he had been less lucky, he would be lying on Senatos's ship by now.

Hearing Ash's words, Julius knelt on one knee and said firmly, "King Ash, no matter what the trial is, I am always ready!"

"Very good, Julius. You are one of the people I trust most. This power is bestowed upon you. Hold on. If you can succeed, you will be the first Ascended Warrior of the Shurima Empire!"

Julius nodded heavily. Even though he had no idea what the word "Ascendant" meant, he still had no doubts.

Loyalty! For King Ash, the people of Tilkas only have loyalty in their hearts!

"Stand over there. No matter what happens next, don't panic. Just remember to persevere until the ceremony is over."

Ash asked Julius to go to the center of the palace, where the sun disk was pointing vertically downward, and then told the guards outside the temple not to come in and disturb him.

He didn't know the true Shurima Ascension ritual, but that didn't matter. As long as he controlled the Sun Disc, it was all he needed. Ascension was essentially a leap in life's levels, a chance to gain greater power. As long as the core remained unchanged, the other details weren't a problem.

"Old Dragon King, please bless me and Shurima."

Muttering something in his mind, Ash connected his mental power to the sun disc, drawing the power inside down.

When the golden beam of light fell, it was like an energy strike from the sky hitting Julius, knocking him to the ground.

boom!

Huge energy is released!

Even if Ash tried to control it deliberately, this power was not as gentle as the power he absorbed from the sun. After all, in a sense, the sun disc belonged to him, and now Julius wanted to take on the power of the sun, but there was no change in power from small to large to adapt to it.

That's why Ash felt dangerous.

But this danger has been greatly reduced compared to the real ascension ceremony.

"Julius, bear it, and then transform."

Ash said in a deep voice.

The good news was that Julius wasn't instantly burned to ashes by this power. At least it was a good start. He looked at Julius in the beam of light, who gritted his teeth, enduring the pain of the power pouring into his body.

Then, he slowly supported his body.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

The low growl like a wild beast released Julius's indomitable will. When he stood up completely, Ash knew that the ritual was successful.

There were no surprises afterwards. Although the burning effect of the sun's power still existed, it no longer caused any harm to Julius. Instead, after he gradually adapted to the pain, the power that entered his body began to continuously strengthen his body.

From the internal organs to the bones, muscles and skin, all aspects are strengthened from the inside out!

Strengthen and transform, gradually transforming from an ordinary human into an ascended warrior.

Until the light column completely dissipated and the entire transformation process was successfully completed, Julius clenched his fists, feeling the power in his body about to burst out, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"King Ash, is this... a miracle? Have I become a Golden Descendant?"

The Golden Descendants are what the people of Ompharos call those who possess extraordinary powers.

"You can call it a miracle, but unfortunately, Julius, you are not of the Golden Blood." Yasuo said calmly, "Perhaps it may seem so to outsiders, but please remember, from now on, you will be an Ascended warrior, fighting for Shurima."

"The Ascender..."

Julius murmured something.

"How does it feel? Try to see if you can transform." Ash asked.

"Transform?" Julius was bewildered. "Transform... into what?"

"Hmm... It's okay. It seems that it is still a little bit worse."

It was pretty much as Ash expected. Right now, he had only transformed his life level. If he wanted to truly reach the level of an ascender, the power of his authority was still a little lacking.

Level 3, or even higher, but the current quasi-ascendant form is enough.

"Let's wait until my power is increased... I wonder if I can summon those ascended beings later."

Ash thought with anticipation.

...

With Julius' success, Ash selected a group of people from the original Tilkas tribe to receive the power of the sun.

However, these latter individuals were far less successful than Julius. Aside from a few who were able to withstand the sun's power, most others failed. While they didn't die immediately after their failure, some suffered varying degrees of serious injuries, such as severed limbs. And those who succeeded were far less powerful than Julius.

This made Ash realize that taking on the power of the sun also requires "qualifications".

Although the sun disc is under his control, the power itself is very destructive and requires a high level of quality from the recipient.

Considering the high risk of failure, Ash decided to conduct a round of screening first, selecting people from the Shurima people to join the Guard. Then, those who stood out from the Guard would form the Sun Guard. After that, those from the Sun Guard would be selected to undergo the test of the power of the sun. Those who successfully gained the power would form the Custodes, directly under Ash's command.

The Imperial Guard is not open to the public. All Shurima warriors are proud to join the Sun Guard. Only those who are "chosen" are eligible to undergo trials and become Imperial Guards.

After such a series of screening, we can ensure the quality of the imperial guards and their loyalty. If there really is a traitor who can pass the triple test, then Ash will have nothing to say.

You've worked so hard to get to me, wouldn't it be unreasonable for me not to show you some respect? — Come on, drag you out and behead you!

Ultimately, the formation of the Custodes was a restructuring of the Shurima army, and there was no need to worry about arousing suspicion. Even if he advertised the expansion of the army, others would simply see Shurima as accelerating its development in preparation for the battle against the Blades and Ohma.

The effect is quite obvious.

When Ash announced that the garrison was recruiting, a group of people rushed forward to express their willingness to sign up and contribute every drop of their blood and every bit of their strength to the conquest of Shurima.

Among them are boy scouts as young as eleven or twelve years old, as well as senior scouts in their sixties and seventies.

There are pregnant women who are about to give birth, as well as eighteen-year-old girls.

In a word, when His Majesty the Emperor gives an order, all Shurima must be loyal!

Regarding this scene, Ash didn't know what to say, he could only say that he was very relieved.

However, enthusiasm alone cannot accomplish great things, and the screening requirements for the garrison cannot be lowered. Two days later, Wan Di returned from Xuan Feng, and Yaxiu immediately appointed him as the captain of the Sun Guard Battalion. This appointment directly raised two question marks over Wan Di's head.

"Sun Guard? What is that? Speaking of which, I just saw Julius. He... seems to have become very powerful. Is this power you gave him?"

Wan Di was curious about Julius's sudden strength, and he even challenged him briefly. Although he won, it was not easy.

Ash didn't answer his question, but instead asked, "How does his strength compare to the Scourge?"

"It's much stronger than the average one, but compared to the Vanguard of the Scourge... it's very difficult. It depends on how far his willpower can reach." Wan Di crossed his arms and said after thinking for a moment.

Ash chuckled: "When did you learn to be so tactful? If you can't win, then you can't win."

"Humph~"

Wan Di remained silent.

After all, the Vanguard of Heaven's Punishment is a follower with the blood of Nicardoli flowing in his body. How can he be so easy to deal with?

But Ash wasn't worried. Given Julius's condition, absorbing the power of the sun once more should be enough to suppress the Vanguard of the Scourge. However, this would require him to further unlock his powers, reaching at least the third level.

So far, the strongest Ascendant warrior transformed by the Sun Disc is at the level of Julius, and the difference above that is not much.

Wan Di had no objection to serving as the commander of the Sun Guard. He received another important piece of news from Xuan Feng.

"King Olypon seems to be planning to seize Oronis' power."

"What do they want with Oronis?"

Ash was a little puzzled. The Xuanfeng people only believed in Nicardoli and were basically hostile to other Titans.

Wan Di shook his head. "After what happened last time, Olipon has become even more cautious. I'm afraid no one, aside from the most important people in Xuanfeng City, knows Olipon's purpose in seeking out Oronis... But I think it might have something to do with Nicardori. He was injured last time by the shattered sword, and it's probably quite serious."

The biggest reliance of Xuanfeng City is Nicardoli, especially after they were defeated by Shurima in the frontal battle, they are even more anxious to stabilize the situation.

Naturally, 90% of Xuanfeng City’s actions will revolve around Nicardoli. After all, only if Nicardoli takes action can they gain an advantage on the front battlefield.

It's just that Wan Di didn't have much information. This time when he led his men to evacuate from Xuanfeng City, he had basically used up all his "informants" and was unable to access any deeper clues.

"Olonius..."

When it comes to the Time Titan, Ash definitely can't sit idly by.

However, Shurima couldn't afford to be disturbed right now, so he could only have Wandi keep an eye on that area and act accordingly. If the Xuanfeng Army truly intended to attack the Triumvirate Temple of Fate, he would go there and see if he could get Oronis out.

As a result, not long after Wan Di set out, Ash received another piece of news - Ohma's army also took action.

Ash's first reaction was that Aglaia was going to deal with them, but he soon discovered that Ohma's army was heading towards Xuanfeng City.

Because of Ohma's military action, the Xuanfeng Army, which was originally advancing slowly towards the Abyss of Destiny, had to stop to prevent Ohma's attack.

But as soon as they stopped, Ohema's army also stopped.

They continued, and so did Ohema.

When they returned, Ohema retreated.

Ash, who had been sending people to keep an eye on the movements of both parties, couldn't help but frown. What was going on?

Just when he was wondering, Julius suddenly came to report that the messenger from Ohma had arrived.

The person who came was none other than Tibao, whom I had met last time.

"King Ash, Aya asked 'us' to come here. She wants to see you. Can you meet her?"

......

Keep going!!!

Omphalos's Journey: Chapter 49: No Reconciliation! A Glimpse from the Star God [7000]

In a forest north of the Shurima royal city.