"Ah!"
Aurelian suddenly sat upright and opened her eyes, jolting awake.
She took a couple of quick breaths, her forehead covered in cold sweat.
Looking down, she realized she was kneeling on a luxurious, soft carpet.
"Did I fall asleep..."
Holding her forehead, Aurelian felt a little dizzy.
Just now, she seemed to have heard something.
She gently pressed a hand to her chest, feeling her racing heartbeat. Her brows furrowed as a trace of unease rose in her heart.
She wanted to know what had happened outside.
But she remembered her father Emperor's instructions.
No matter what happened outside, she had to stay here.
Although Aurelian couldn't fully understand what her father, Aubrey, intended, since it was his order, she decided to obey it.
She could always ask him about it afterward.
Only then did she stand up and look around the silent surroundings.
This was the underground level of the imperial palace.
When Father Emperor had brought her here, he had told her that only each generation's heir was allowed to enter this place.
At first, she hadn't paid much attention to this underground chamber.
Now that she was awake, she could finally look around as she pleased.
The floor of the chamber was covered entirely with hard black stone, with only faint candlelight illuminating the cavern.
She slowly raised her head and looked toward the front of the cavern.
On both sides stood seven towering statues.
Each statue rested upon a pedestal supporting an enormous stone body.
Atop each body was a solemn, dignified face carved in stone.
Filled with curiosity and reverence, Aurelian walked toward the seven statues.
Her footsteps were light, yet they echoed clearly throughout the cavern.
Seven names were engraved on the pedestals.
Her gaze fell upon the statue on the far left.
Sol I.
She looked up at the imposing stone face, its features weathered by the marks of time.
She clearly remembered that this emperor was the founder of the Kallencia Empire, the first ruler ever to bear the title of "Emperor."
Her gaze swept across the other statues before finally stopping in front of the last one.
It depicted an old man in a long robe, his face covered with wrinkles.
The pedestal beneath him identified him as Sol VII.
This was the grandfather Aurelian had never met.
Behind the old man's statue, in the empty space deeper inside the cavern, stood another statue that was only half completed.
Its magnificent stone body was covered in a layer of golden armor.
Although the head had yet to be finished, the completed golden helmet had already been placed upon its shoulders.
The gleaming golden armor looked rather similar to that of her eldest brother, Albany.
But Aurelian knew very well who this solemn statue was truly being built for.
After passing the magnificent statues, Aurelian turned around once more.
With fresh curiosity and reverence in her eyes, she looked toward the raised platform.
At the center of the platform rested a crown flowing with a holy golden radiance.
The crown looked brand new, its dazzling brilliance suggesting it had only recently come into being.
Pearl-like gemstones of different colors were set into its shimmering surface, as though mysterious starlight flowed between them.
Looking at the magnificent yet mysterious crown before her, Aurelian suddenly remembered something from the past.
She had once asked Father Emperor why she had to inherit the throne.
———
"After I'm gone, only you are qualified to inherit this position."
In a garden filled with the cheerful songs of birds, Aubrey reclined on a cushioned lounge chair, gently rocking back and forth.
Watching flower petals drift through the air, he spoke softly.
In his hand, he gently held a sapphire-blue pendant whose crystal-clear glow resembled a quiet teardrop.
He carefully gazed at the pendant, his long fingers brushing lightly along its edge.
His deep, weathered eyes were filled with endless longing.
Once, Aurelian couldn't understand Father's deep love for Mother.
But at that moment, that warmth flowing from his feelings gave her every answer.
The love between them had long surpassed words, existing only in the silent understanding of their hearts.
A love that had crossed time and space still shone proudly in their memories.
She stood frozen in place, unable to find the right words to express what she felt.
Meanwhile, Aubrey continued gently stroking the pendant in his hand as he softly said to her, "I've told you before, child."
"You possess a gift that no one else can match."
He held the pendant out to Aurelian once again.
Those words seemed to ride the wind into her heart, echoing over and over.
Looking at the pendant in her hand, Aurelian also remembered everything she had seen in the Kingdom of Kant.
Then another thought crossed her mind.
This was Mother's keepsake. Perhaps Father Emperor cherished it even more than she did.
Just as she was about to say something, Aubrey had already seen through her thoughts.
"This is the gift your mother left for you."
"Let me see you put it on with my own eyes."
Aurelian stared deeply at the sapphire pendant being offered to her, but didn't reach out to take it right away.
Her lips pressed together with a hint of hesitation.
But in the end, she raised her head, nodded firmly to Aubrey, and accepted the pendant.
She unclasped the necklace, slipped it around her neck, then reached both hands behind her back and slowly fastened it.
After finishing, Aurelian gently lowered her hands. The sapphire pendant resting against her chest shimmered softly beneath the sunlight.
It was as though a gentle blue stream flowed within it, giving it an unfathomable sense of mystery.
Aubrey nodded in deep satisfaction, his eyes filled with remembrance and tender affection.
But even more than that, they were filled with solemn expectation.
"The golden crown sets you above everyone else."
"So when disaster descends, you must also rise above everyone else."
"Become that golden hope that stands before the people and shields them from every hardship."
Hearing this, Aurelian was moved.
Golden sunlight fell upon her face, illuminating her youthful features.
"Child, I place great hopes in you."
"I firmly believe your arrival will bring new glory to the Empire."
———
A deafening, piercing roar tore across the sky as the space above the royal capital seemed to shatter apart.
The torn air swept across the land, creating violent tremors that threw everything into chaos.
The terrifying force of rupture spread for hundreds of li, sending dust soaring into the heavens.
Carrying endless power, it crashed into the descending beam of blazing light.
An invisible force field seemed to rip space apart, swallowing everything. Dark nothingness was laid bare as fragments rained down from above.
The swelling, cracking air seemed to have been compressed to its limit, erupting completely at the instant it shattered and sweeping through the entire space.
Everything happening above the royal capital was enough to remain etched in the memories of everyone present for the rest of their lives.
Layer upon layer of pale fractures mixed with the void reflected in their eyes, and the terrifying power shook everyone to the core.
Explosions erupted one after another.
Yet not a single sound could be heard.
The ruptured air had cut off even the transmission of sound itself.
The silent explosion tore through the sky above the royal capital and stretched into the clouds.
Hermes watched the pale cracks spread across everything, ripping the heavens apart.
The countless airships floating beneath the clouds were torn apart like withered leaves.
Reduced to scattered steel fragments, they were ripped to pieces again and again in midair.
Without the support of those airships, the sky that had carried everyone's hope shattered in an instant.
In that instant, the sky above the royal capital fell apart.
Boundless light swallowed everything, and all things returned to ruin.
———
The thick cloud of dust that rose into the air formed an impenetrable curtain, blotting out much of the sky.
Even the blazing sun high above was hidden behind the brown haze.
Ruins all around collapsed in waves. Rubble scattered on the wind, some of it embedding itself into shattered walls nearby.
The powerful shockwave shook the land in every direction across the royal capital, and even the ruined districts at the edge of the imperial palace were not spared.
Like a savage beast, the blast swept across countless ruins, slicing them apart and blasting them into countless grains of dust in the blink of an eye.
The sight of space shattering and steel collapsing was branded deep into Levi's eyes like a painting of destruction.
Only after the light reaching into the sky gradually faded did Levi come back to his senses and see the dark, hazy sky through the dust.
His eyes trembled slightly. Recalling the terrifying power that had swept across the royal capital moments ago, he couldn't help but sigh.
"What incredible destructive power."
"Hiss... Yeah."
A different voice came from beside him.
Standing next to Levi, Vladimir wore the same look of amazement.
After the two fell silent for a while, Vladimir suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, I couldn't beat him back then. Now I'm old and retired."
"But he's even fiercer than before."
"Sigh."
Vladimir let out a sigh. Seeing Levi wearing the same expression, the two looked at each other and couldn't help smiling in relief.
As if, so long as this Emperor made his move, no matter how great the obstacle, it could be easily overcome in everyone else's eyes.
———
Meanwhile, far away in the northern district, Claudia stood atop a pile of ruined bricks.
She looked up at the sky, now covered in countless spatial distortions.
Watching the sun hidden behind the brown haze and the countless pieces of steel falling from the heavens, a faint sense of nostalgia welled up within her.
'Such terrifying power...'
Thinking back on it now, when she had infiltrated the imperial palace and was discovered, Aubrey had still held back against her.
At last, the light in Claudia's crimson eyes gradually faded. Looking at the sky, she murmured with mixed feelings, "Aubrey."
"You will always be the greatest Emperor."