BUILDING MY OWN EMPIRE - My Journey from Nothing to Overwhelming Power-Chapter 77 – Ascending to the Third Rank

"Try to block my final strike," the Second-Rank Lord whispered. He was still on the ground, exhausted.

The princess did not answer. She simply stood there, waiting for him to carry out his threat.

He stood up... swaying.

Then he moved. His steps were slow and heavy.

At a distance of twenty meters...

He stopped.

Suddenly—

A powerful aura began to surround his body.

The spring wind behind them began to intensify, as if calling for aid... or warning of an approaching catastrophe.

The princess narrowed her eyes.

One step... then she stopped.

For just a moment, instinct urged her to attack him.

But she held back.

"I will not win through treachery," she murmured.

Yet a different feeling began to grow within her... a sense of impending danger.

The energy continued to gather around the lord.

The girl, Galja, retreated several meters farther away from him.

Then—

The wind suddenly calmed.

The intense aura receded.

The Second-Rank Lord appeared again.

No.

He appeared again—

As a Third-Rank Lord.

"His aura has grown tremendously..." the princess murmured. "Could it be...?"

Her eyes widened in astonishment.

"Did you ascend to the third rank?" she asked.

She was no ordinary fairy from the Forgotten Moon people.

She was a princess.

Her knowledge surpassed that of anyone within the domain. Her vast understanding and sharp intellect allowed her to realize immediately that such a sudden surge in power—and the change in the aura’s scale—could only mean one thing:

Advancement to a higher rank.

"Finally," the newly-ascended lord said, the words slipping from his lips.

He stretched his arms.

His body was filled with immense energy—dense, concentrated power.

"Finally... I have become a Third-Rank Lord. Hahaha! I will become a commander within the sect. And with the rewards I will gain here... my share of resources and status will be enormous."

He spread both arms at once, summoning his book and spear again.

"Excellent," he whispered internally.

"My ancient weapon... Twin of Power. It always consumed a huge amount of accumulation just to use it... but now the cost is almost negligible."

He raised the book high.

Suddenly—

More than a thousand blue points burst from within the book and scattered across the sky.

He lifted the spear with his other hand.

Then—

More than a thousand massive wind turbines began to appear.

Monali’s eyes lifted.

Her face showed little expression, but she noticed the difference immediately.

The previous turbines had been nothing more than child’s play compared to what was happening now.

On the other side—

The massive black armors began forming again.

More than three hundred black spears quickly took shape.

"You had your chance," the Third-Rank Lord sneered arrogantly.

"But now your chance is gone."

Just moments ago, his expression had nearly begged for mercy.

Now his arrogance rivaled the sky itself.

"What foolishness," Monali whispered.

A faint smile briefly crossed her face.

Then it vanished, replaced by cold eyes that lifted toward the three hundred spears above.

The spears began to hum.

Then they moved.

Suddenly—

The thousand wind turbines shifted, rising above the spears.

Then they roared violently.

Violent wind currents struck the spears from behind.

In an instant—

The spears became far faster than before.

All at once, thirteen spears shot toward the princess.

Step... step...

She moved.

She did not block them—she chose to evade.

"Hahaha," the lord mocked.

"It seems your armor can no longer withstand such a massive number of spears."

Behind him, Galja watched the situation.

She saw dozens of massive spears rushing toward the princess like guided meteors.

Each one alone could shatter a huge concrete wall.

And there were three hundred of them.

"She truly has become strong," Galja murmured.

"But... facing a Third-Rank Lord is impossible for her."

Her thoughts abruptly stopped.

Her eyes turned toward the falling spears.

They were descending at terrifying speed, their sharp tips spinning through the air, producing a piercing whistle that tore through the silence.

Below— 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Princess Monali stood.

Then—

She moved.

Her steps exploded against the ground.

She dashed forward, her body bending and twisting with astonishing agility as the first spear crashed down behind her.

BOOM!

It struck the ground with tremendous force, stones and dirt exploding outward like a miniature storm.

But Monali did not stop.

She jumped sideways.

Another spear fell before her.

She slid beneath it.

A third tore through the air above her head.

The spears fell one after another...

As if the sky itself were raining death.

Her movements accelerated.

Her body flowed like a dancing shadow between storms.

But each spear that struck the ground sent violent shockwaves through the air.

And with every impact—

Monali was pushed slightly backward.

The shockwaves struck her body like invisible waves.

She jumped.

Rolled.

Slid between two spears that landed only a moment apart.

Then suddenly—

A spear cut across her path.

There was no time.

It struck her directly.

She fell to the ground.

But—

There was no blood.

The moment the spear touched her body—

The golden armor ignited.

A transparent beam of energy surrounded her body like a faint solar halo.

The spear struck the shield.

Then—

It shattered.

The massive metal cracked like glass, fragments scattering through the air before raining down around her.

Monali spun quickly.

She rose again.

Her eyes lifted toward the sky.

But the spears...

Had not stopped.

Another volley descended.

Dozens of spears rained down once more.

Monali moved again.

Step... turn... quick leap.

She dodged one spear.

Then another.

Then a third.

But the pressure was increasing.

The sky was no longer only throwing spears.

High above, more than a thousand massive wind turbines spun violently, driving air downward.

The combined currents became a descending storm.

And the spears—

Became faster.

Heavier.

More violent.

They surged like iron meteors.

Monali jumped aside.

But another spear slammed into the ground near her—

BOOM!

The shockwave hurled her away.

Another spear cut across her path.

It struck the shield.

It shattered.

But the force threw her to the ground.

She stood again.

Ran.

Dodged.

But the spears no longer left her space to breathe.

One struck the shield—

It shattered.

Another followed immediately—

It cracked apart.

Then a third—

Struck even harder.

Sometimes she dodged them...

Sometimes she was struck.

And with every impact—

The golden armor flared for a moment... then dimmed slightly.

As time passed—

Monali’s body began to grow heavier.

Her steps, once swift as lightning flashes...

Began to slow.

Her jumps grew shorter.

Her breathing heavier.

Amid the iron storm—

The golden shield surrounding her like a transparent beam of energy...

Was fading.

Its brilliance was no longer as radiant as before.

Its glow had weakened.

Grown pale.

And as the spears continued falling from the sky—

The golden light around Princess Monali slowly faded...

Like a dying sun trapped inside a storm of iron.

From afar, the lord’s smile remained.

He watched the princess weakening.

His eyes turned upward.

His spears were still numerous.

And he had many more remaining.

In that moment, he could clearly read the situation.

"If you have no hidden cards..." he murmured,

"then this is already the end for her."

Another volley of spears launched.

Suddenly—

The princess’s movements became fast again.

The lord focused his gaze.

"You!" the princess shouted from afar.

"Have you learned nothing from before?"

She dodged another spear.

"What do you mean?" the lord asked.

He had no idea what she meant, but his attention was fixed on the fact that her speed had suddenly returned.

BOOM!

Despite her incredible speed—

She was struck again.

The golden armor protected her once more.

"The color is still faint," the Third-Rank Lord muttered.

"That means her regained speed is merely a trick."

Monali stood again as if nothing had happened.

She rushed forward once more.

This time—

She was not fleeing the spears.

This time—

She dashed straight toward the lord.

Several spears slammed into the ground violently.

One after another she avoided them with skill.

Then—

She was in front of him.

To her right—

A radiant golden light emerged, concentrating and extending.

A sword of pure light, without a hilt, formed in the princess’s right hand.

She raised her arm.

BOOM!

She delivered a powerful strike.

"Good attempt," the lord said, stopping the blow with his spear.

"Did you really think I had no defense?"

He slowly raised his spear.

The movement was calm... yet carried a strange weight.

Then—

He struck.

The spear shot toward Princess Monali like a straight bolt of lightning, crossing the distance between them in an instant.

But Monali was ready.

Her sword of light rose swiftly, a glowing golden beam extending from her hand.

CLANG!

The spear collided with the sword.

Sparks of light scattered into the air, and the ground trembled beneath their feet.

Monali stepped back half a step—

But steadied herself.

Before she could catch her breath—

The lord moved again.

This time he did not raise the spear slowly.

His body surged forward, the spear curving in a sharp arc before descending in a second strike.

The speed...

Was different.

Faster.

Sharper.

Monali’s eyes widened for a moment.

She had expected her opponent to be merely a lord who relied on long-range attacks and magic.

But what stood before her now was something entirely different.

His movements—

Were those of a close-combat master.

A fighter seasoned in direct battle.

Monali slid a step sideways, raising her light sword to block the second strike.

But the third came immediately.

Then the fourth.

Then the fifth.

The long spear moved in the lord’s hands like a natural extension of his arm.

A straight thrust.

A sweeping strike.

A swift twist.

Then an upward blow toward her shoulder.

There were no gaps between the attacks.

Each motion flowed seamlessly into the next with deadly precision.

Monali stepped back.

Then another step.

Then a third.

She tried to reorganize her stance.

But the lord gave her no opportunity.

A heavy strike—

His spear slammed against her sword.

Her arm trembled from the force.

Then a quick thrust toward her waist.

She twisted aside with difficulty.

But the spearhead passed close to her body.

It struck the golden armor.

The light around her flashed briefly.

Monali stepped back again.

But the assault did not stop.

The spear spun through the air, then descended in a vertical strike.

She raised her sword.

CLANG!

The ground shook beneath her feet.

Her foot slid backward.

The pressure was increasing.

His strikes—

Were solid and powerful.

Each blow carried tremendous weight, like a falling mountain.

And with every block—

Monali was forced another step back.

The space behind her was shrinking.

The lord pushed her relentlessly.

Thrust.

Strike.

Spin.

Then another attack from a different angle.

His speed was not only in strength—

But in variety.

He never repeated the same strike twice.

Each attack came from a new direction.

Suddenly—

His spear broke through her defense.

It did not reach her body directly...

But the spearhead struck her shoulder.

The golden armor flared for a moment.

Monali was thrown backward.

Before she could recover—

Another thrust hit her side.

Then a sweeping strike hit her stomach.

The golden armor flashed again.

Several times—

The lord managed to hit her body.

The spear struck from different angles, relentlessly testing her defense.

And every time—

The golden light ignited briefly, protecting her body from being pierced.

But the force still reached her.

She retreated further.

Her breathing grew heavier.

If not for that golden shield surrounding her like a transparent beam of energy—

Princess Monali would have fallen long ago.

Yet even so—

It was clear the pressure was increasing.

And the lord before her...

Did not even appear tired.