Mummy Evolution-Chapter 17: An Emperor must act before the Heavens!

Sett only smirked and gestured for them to follow. Now that he was closer, he could see the camp more clearly—through the flapping entrance of a tent, a group of men in turbans and cotton robes lay sprawled in napping positions.

Zainah and Zarah tensed. They were the people who had almost chased them to their deaths.

Sett ignored them and strode toward the camels, stopping beside the healthiest one.

The ground here was firmer, not just endless dunes, allowing sparse desert vegetation to take root. The camel lazily chewed on the hardy plants, its large eyes blinking with disinterest.

He reached out, rubbing its chin.

"You will be the one," he said.

The creature huffed.

"Oi, oi, what's going on?" A rough, cold voice said from beside one of the camels. "Can't a man even take a nap here?"

Zainah and Zarah were immediately terrified and both of them hid behind Sett by instinct.

A tall, unkempt man draped in black robes rose to his feet, cracking his neck as he cast a glare at Sett and his companions. His wild beard framed a face weathered by the harsh desert, his lips cracked from thirst. His presence was imposing, it was no wonder the girls were so intimidated. He was clearly also a Tomb Raider, evident due to the status screen floating above his head.

But Sett needed only one glance to see him for what he was. He was indeed a Tomb Raider, but a very, very weak one. Even weaker than Zarah.

Sett calmly looked at the man and ordered, "Unhook the camels and pack me enough rations for three days. Make sure the camel is well fed."

"..."

Zainah and Zarah froze.

Silence.

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Zainah and Zarah froze, barely daring to breathe.

Sett's golden eyes, regal and cold, bore into the man. He released a subtle pressure through his legs. The ground beneath him groaned, desert vegetation snapping as a fine web of cracks spread outward.

"Didn't you hear me?"

The Tomb Raider hesitated for a split second before stumbling into motion, scrambling to obey. He had recognized the two girls—he knew they were the targets of this mission. But what did that matter? The man before him was leagues beyond anyone else in the camp.

Even Ale Bon, the royal Axiom Holder who had ventured into the Tomb days ago, paled in comparison. This wasn't just strength—it was the weight of absolute command. Someone who had reached the limit of Tier 1!

Why would he, a mere Low level Tier 1 Tomb Raider, dare to offend him?

Within moments, the camel was prepared, rations secured.

Sett climbed onto the beast with effortless grace, then extended a hand toward Zarah, ignoring Zainah completely. "Will you, milady?"

Face blushing, Zarah's eyes sparkled as she eagerly took his hand. Milady? A lady? No one had ever called her a lady. Was she a lady now that she had become a Tomb Raider?

Sett pulled her up to sit in front of him. She immediately leaned against his chest, exhaling in excitement.

With a cocky smile, Sett offered the same hand to Zainah.

Now emboldened, the elder sister took it, gripping him with a newfound enthusiasm.

He pulled her up, settling her behind him.

Satisfied, he patted the camel's side. "Let's go, buddy."

The beast trotted forward, carrying them away from the camp.

A small crowd of men gathered, watching them depart. Some shifted restlessly, clearly itching to make a move, but others held them back, murmuring in hushed tones. Their unease was palpable. As they passed the largest cluster of onlookers, Zarah cast a glance downward.

She saw the fear.

The obedience.

Clenching her fist, she smirked. "You're lucky I don't want revenge, that I am tired!"

Sett shook his head. No—they were unlucky.

Once they had put enough distance between themselves and the Tomb, he glanced back, his smile turning ice-cold.

The cracks he had made earlier, seemingly insignificant at the time, now began to spread. Like veins of destruction, they slithered beneath the camp, unnoticed at first. Then, without warning, the ground gave way.

Gasps of confusion turned into screams of horror.

The entire area collapsed as if consumed by an invisible force. The sand churned in a massive whirlpool, an extreme form of subkhas—far deadlier than ordinary quicksand. Within moments, the camp, the men, the camels—everything—was swallowed by the desert.

Gone.

Sett's expression softened into something almost serene.

He had noticed the subkhas the moment he arrived. All he had done was give it the push it needed to awaken.

Sett had killed a talented noble in the Tomb and that would bring attention, he was also seen by those people. If somehow the fact that he was a mummy ro something similar came out due to them, it would be far too deadly.

Now that he had killed them all, he didn't have to worry about any of that.

One had to act ruthlessly at times.

The one who rules above all, the emperors, smile, for he knows that mercy is a luxury and ruthlessness a necessity. To build, one must first destroy; to rule, one must first command fear before earning devotion.

A hesitant hand wavers, but a decisive one shapes the world. The path to power is paved with the broken wills of those who faltered, and only those who cut away weakness with a steady grip can stand unchallenged.

In this, ruthlessness is not cruelty—it is clarity, the firm hand that can help a man grasp destiny from the hands of heaven.

The world moves unpredictably and one can make enemies as easily as by breathing the wrong way. Conflict ran thick in all societies, what one can do is predict it preemptively and act before the world can act.

It was just a pity that he couldn't get all the Tomb Hearts of the Tomb Raiders there. He wouldn't have any use for D-Tier Tomb Hearts when it came to growing stronger anymore, but Zarah hadn't become a Tier 1 "Sacred" yet.

And Tomb Hearts were good currency!

What a pity, he thought, there were at least three Tomb Raiders in that camp.

The girls looked at the destruction in the distance with pale faces.

Sett heaved in relief, "We were lucky to have left early."

It was not a lie.

Cold sweat matted the girls' foreheads.

Zarah clutched Sett's hand.

He caressed the girl's hair, comforting her as the camel walked away towards the closest city.

The city of Burrhen, the girls' homeland.