Dancing on the golden ashes

"What is this?" Lee Seo-Yeon asked, a note of uncertainty in her voice as she eyed the rift I had just created. Kim Min-Jae and Park Ji-Hoon shared her apprehension, their expressions mirroring her doubt. Then, without hesitation, Malrang was the first to leap in. She never questioned my orders—she trusted me above all else. One by one, the other three followed, offering me apologetic glances before disappearing into the portal. With my current skill level, I could traverse thousands of kilometers, but I insisted on traveling only to places I had visited before, places where I felt at home.

"Ma-Master, do you want me to..." Han Seungho began, his voice soft and pleading, his eyes wide and puppy-like. I nearly wanted to slap him to death on the spot.

"I have no time for you," I snapped, stepping toward the portal. "Stay here and don't you dare cause any trouble for me." I paused, turning back to him with a final, stern warning. "And if I catch you with Seo-Yeon again, I'll cut your little thing off. So you better behave." I couldn't fathom what that girl saw in this idiot, but I wasn't about to tolerate their reckless antics—not when things were this serious.

His eyes widened, and he immediately slammed his head into the ground in apology. I couldn't waste another moment here, so I rushed into the portal. In the blink of an eye, I found myself standing beside my throne.

"Big sis!" Kim Seong-Hoon shouted, clearly excited to see me. For some reason, though, I couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes.

"Tell me the full situation—fast," I commanded, exhaling deeply as I sat down on my throne. Crossing my legs and resting my head on my hand, I felt the weariness of my damn life weigh on me. It never gave me a moment to lay low and rest...

"Yes, Empress!" Choi Min-Jeong replied with great respect. "We have dispatched scouts to verify the claims made by the people who witnessed the monster, and it appears to be 100% true. That creature is something out of this world—no one as strong as it exists, and it is slowly heading toward our capital city. If my calculations are correct, it should arrive within the next five or six days, assuming nothing goes wrong..." Her voice trembled as she delivered the news. Discover hidden content at My Virtual Library Empire

I wanted to curse—what was I supposed to do here?

"Thank you, Min-Jeong..." I muttered, my temples blazing with pain. The seven of them, along with the fox, stood before me, all waiting for my decision. The pressure was immense; not only was my life in danger, but so were the lives of all the people who had built their existence in this city.

"Seong-Hoon, what are your thoughts? You are the commander of war, after all. Do you think we have a chance at victory?" I asked, my voice steady despite the turmoil within.

His eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting me to seek his counsel after everything that had transpired lately. But then, as if a switch had been flipped, his eyes turned serious—a look I knew all too well when he was in his most determined state.

"Honestly, we should probably retreat and abandon the city," he said. I didn't expect this battle-crazed fool to suggest such a thing. "I'm not saying this because I don't believe in your strength, Empress, but to be frank, our chances are slim. We can't be certain that we can be of any real help in this battle."

He clenched his fists so tightly I could see his inner conflict. I knew he hated the thought of retreating—he would never willingly run from battle. And yet, his words echoed the grim reality of our situation.

The entire hall fell silent. I couldn't blame them—after all, facing a level 200 creature was daunting. Who could possibly fight something like that? Even I wasn't sure I could even damage such a being. I hadn't even known levels could reach that high, and now we had only five or so days left. Even if I fought tooth and nail and slayed every remaining beast in the world, it was unlikely I'd ever reach that level. A creature of that magnitude would undoubtedly have enormous stat boosts—and perhaps, this was the creator's way of exacting revenge on me. I couldn't shake the thought that it was his doing. After all, why else would it head directly for my capital?

"Brother Seong-Hoon is right," I finally admitted. "We have no chance at this, so let's relocate the people somewhere safe. Later, we can rebuild the city. Besides, the monster might just pass through; if there's nobody there, it might not even be tempted to trample over the place." Eun-Woo suddenly spoke up, and he had a point. But another issue remained: relocating everyone.

"And where do you think we should head?" I asked, trying to devise a solution. "Relocating so many people at once is going to be challenging. We don't know if the monster won't follow us. What if it's not even targeting the city, but rather the large settlements or the people themselves?" I continued, my mind racing to find a way out of this dire situation.

"How did you know?" Eun-Woo suddenly asked, his tone laced with astonishment. Everyone seemed surprised—this was my first time hearing any details about this monster. Soon he continued, "The monster has already destroyed at least five large cities and countless smaller ones. It travels from one major city to another, and those unlucky enough to be caught become locked in by a mysterious power, unable to flee... Do you think it will follow if we run?" I could see the unease etched on their faces.

"If what you say is true, then it is highly likely," I replied, rising to my feet. I walked over to the window and gazed out at my empire—my city. I cared deeply about this place; I couldn't bear the thought of the monster destroying everything the people had worked so hard to build, nor the other settlements. It was my duty as Empress to defend this land. After all... this is my home. I will not let anyone take it away from me!