Sword God in a World of Magic

The Lightning Emperor listened to Shang's description and his troubles.

"And you're sure this mystical Concept of yours exists?" the Lightning Emperor asked. "I've never heard of a Concept like this, and I am also unsure what that could even be."

"It exists," Shang said. "The God confirmed it over 3,000 years ago."

Silence.

"The God confirmed it?" the Lightning Emperor asked.

"Yes," Shang said. "Back then, I was searching for a way to combine my four styles into one, and I wanted to know if it was possible to combine Fire, Ice, Light, and Darkness. That was when the God said that the Concept existed and that it needed the Concepts of Temperature, Twilight, Addition, and Subtraction."

"And all four of them lead into one Concept?" the Lightning Emperor asked.

"Yes," Shang answered.

"A Concept that needs four other Concepts on a similar level to be comprehended. These kinds of Concepts exist, but they are very rare. Additionally, these kinds of Concepts are usually just very advanced fusions of two Affinities."

"I've never heard of a Concept that needs four Concepts from four Affinities."

Silence.

"However, I can also see why I've never heard of something like this," the Lightning Emperor said. ""Comprehending something like that requires you to learn several Concepts that are not even that useful to you, and you would need to blindly try without any assurance for success."

"I'm pretty sure that there are many, many more Concepts out there that still remain hidden since trying to comprehend them essentially requires you to bet your life on comprehending them."

"Fire, Ice, Light, and Darkness," the Lightning Emperor mused. "Lucius knew a lot about these Affinities."

"Shang, I might not know about this Concept, but Lucius might," the Lightning Emperor said.

"Lucius is dead," Shang said.

The Lightning Emperor sighed. "I know, but part of him still exists, but in a very different form."

elaborate?"

of Want," the

of Want?" Shang

he left. The thing he left me was the Trial of Want, which was

them in furthering their own powers, but I was the only one that got something that

Trial of Want is very important and might save the world one day. He was quite adamant that I didn't inspect it or

you might think. Yes, it helps everyone grow stronger by guiding them on the right path, but a Mage's path to power is

"Fire, Ice, Light, Darkness..."

that combines all

trial for

that might save the

had a

have a sixfold

seem to be quite connected to Lucius, Shang," the Lightning Emperor said. "Is there something you

Silence.

naturally quite conflicted about this

just learned that there was something that could

of Want was actually left behind by Lucius for his eventual successor. After all, Lucius had

seemed to have

he had prepared so many things in case he

know that

what of the Lightning

was very different from how Shang believed him

Emperor seemed to have been very close friends with Lucius, to the degree that he

Child of Calamity was beyond

killing the Emperors and some Mage Kings, but Shang couldn't imagine the Lightning Emperor being fine with destroying the

Calamity meant supporting the end

the mere title of Child of Calamity induced caution and fear in

if, after destroying the world, Shang destroyed the Lightning

was

Abomination, and Abominations destroyed everything that

were the manifestation