Lord Shadow -1 Prologue:

On the day of the fall, the continents of the world convened, creating earthquakes of unimaginable magnitudes, as if returning to when the world began.

THREE YEARS AFTER THE FALL

Earth was transformed that day. The old world is now one continent covering a surprisingly small portion of the earth while the oceans fill the rest.

With the exception of strange landma.s.ses that rose (like pimples) quite suddenly and with no apparent cause.

Three years after the Fall, the old world order is no longer following the old more. Life now proceeds as Right by Strength.

That day, every single world power, the USA, China, The Middle Eastern States, Russia, and Europe, every nation was attacked by inexplicable forces.

First there was the mutant beast. Then there were the humans who were bitten by the mutated beasts, who became mindless killing machine. And not long after, the beasts evolved.

Heroes and Kings arose from the dust to fight back the tides. A majority of the former USA is ruled by Raymond the Earth King and his brothers while the remaining states all have their own Kings.

Texas has its own King, so does what was once Florida (though most of Florida was destroyed around the eastern seaboard when the Fall first happen).

In Eastern China, the Martial Lord, Yue Xing, fights for supremacy against warlords in Shandong, Jiangnan, and Hebei.

To the West, Feng Jing, the Mad Tiger, controls what once used to be the Northern Chinese Plains.

In Former Russia, when Moscow was decimated by the Fall, a young recruit rose to the occasion and thus was born Bear King Boris Ivanov who then proclaimed himself the Tsar of New Russia.

All over Russia there sprouted warlords and militant groups, and mercenaries. Some followed Boris, the rest were less than accommodating towards the new regime.

In Former Turkey, Usman the Scimitar, rules while contending with the still extant tribes.

Former Germany is controlled by a group of Neon.a.z.is (who knows how they gained power), persecuting whomever they can. Their leader goes by the t.i.tle Fuhrer Bradheim, the One Eyed King, and the only opposition he faces is David, the Iron Lord.

There are no longer any clear cut borders or even nations, the only order left is enforced by the nearest army.

For example Yue Xing has established his own dynasty called the Yue dynasty in his domain after he conquered a few cities, while Feng Jing establishes his own dynasty of Wei.

Former j.a.pan has Houtarou Oreki the Swift Dragon and Hikigaya the Lazy Tiger. Both of those men have great armies, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, and are evenly matched resulting in matching, stable, spheres of influence.

Imagine the world when all these powers have gathered on one continent, all these heroes and villains.

Government?

They all crumbled that day. Human Rights? If you have power, you are practically a G.o.d.

Weapons like bullets and bombs have no effect on people who followed the World Orb System.

But after three years when some stability has been found even, the age of war has begun: these warlords have begun to expand their power.

After all, not all these Kings are good natured people. Since the Fall, in order to survive, how terrible the things they seen, how terrible the things they have done to get to where they are now.

If not for luck and some powerful skillbooks, would they be as powerful as they are today. Some Kings, before the Fall, were office workers, blue collar workers, some lived even lower lives--criminals.

Before the Fall, they had nothing, no prestige, no strength, no fame, living in routine every day but now they live like Kings.

All of them are many things now. Some are killers, some are rapists, some are ruthless, some are compa.s.sionate, but they are, all of them, brave. If not they would not reach where they are now.

But even all these Kings, all these heroes under heaven fear one thing.

An army? They could fight armies. But him? They do not dare.

His power is mysterious and deadly. He is Lord Shadow.

He fears no King, fears no armies. He go where he pleases does what he likes. He is like the wind. He is unpredictable.

If he wants to take anything no one could stop him from doing so. If he doesn't want to do something, nothing could force him.

Some people hate him, some people adore him, some people fear him, and some people respect him.

He has no armies or cities or even Kingdoms but no King dare offend him.

Who doesn't know the stories of 20 Kings fighting Lord Shadow at the Stone Gates? Lord Shadow decapitated people's heads like paddy stalks, drenching the gate red.

Or what about the Battle at the Dragon Cliff where Lord Shadow appear out of nowhere and stole in front of all the world the Skill book, Dragon Palm, driving the Ice Queen Katarina to swear a blood oath that she would kill Lord Shadow should they ever meet.

Or how about him slaying the Seven Generals to Save a Friend? Lord Shadow, to save his sworn brother from an execution, killing countless heroes under heaven, and after he saved his brother, he even dared to return and loot all the belonging of the Generals.

Lord Shadow is one man, yet he dares contend with the whole world by himself. Such power cannot help but be admired.

Some Kings want to recruit him; others have put bounties on him. Yet, if Lord Shadow appears no Kings have the power to contend with him.

Of course, like all stories, his story begins with humble beginnings.

This is his story of how a man working in a dead end job grew to become one of the most famous men in the world, feared and revered.

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