Chương 434: Chapter 421 - A New Sovereign (Arc VII - End)

The star-filled expanse above began to drift downward, a silent tide of darkness flowing across the plaza like cosmic dust carried on an unseen current. The sensation passed through the gathered masses like a gentle breeze, brushing against cloaks and armor, stirring loose strands of hair, and raising faint shivers along exposed skin. Leonie felt it sweep past her. Ayu stood beside her with her gaze lifted toward the sky, a slow smile forming across her lips as the realization settled in.

Across the platform the Crimson Priests raised their heads, confusion spreading beneath the shadow of their hoods as the strange starlight washed across the square. Far above, on the distant tower roof, Lukas and the others held their positions beside the anchored rifles, each of them frozen in place as the moment stretched longer than it should have. At the base of the platform the Holy Knight shifted.

His hand moved smoothly toward the hilt of his sword, steel sliding free with a quiet metallic ring that cut through the heavy silence of the square. Then the night sky moved. Something descended through the starlit veil with a grace that defied the eye's ability to follow it. A long dark cloak drifted downward through the air and settled softly upon the platform. A heartbeat later the chains binding Chiara burst apart. Iron links shattered and crashed across the timber in a storm of ringing metal.

The impact arrived a fraction of a second later. The bodies of the priests and Judgment Crusaders folded where they stood as their heads struck the wooden platform with heavy thuds. Blood spread across the boards in widening arcs while the gathered citizens remained untouched, the invisible path of the strike passing through the square with impossible precision. The plaza fell into stunned silence. Where the stake had stood moments earlier, a single figure now occupied the platform.

Alonso stood there with Chiara resting securely in his arms, the shattered remains of her restraints sliding from her body as the severed iron helmet rolled across the boards and came to a stop near the edge of the platform. His cloak stirred behind him in the faint wind that lingered from his arrival. Across the square the Holy Knight raised his sword and shield, his eyes narrowing as he studied the man standing before him. Alonso's gaze settled calmly upon him.

"I heard you were looking for me." The words fell calmly across the plaza, cutting through the stunned silence like a blade through still water. Before the Holy Knight could respond, Ayu broke from the crowd and rushed toward the platform, Leonie only a step behind her. A moment later Imani emerged as well, his towering frame parting the gathering masses as a large shield and war hammer materialized from his Storage Bag with a flash of spatial distortion.

Alonso offered them a small smile and sent each of them a brief private pulse. Then he gently placed Chiara into Ayu's arms. Ayu adjusted her grip around Chiara's broken frame, her eyes quickly scanning the injuries. Her jaw tightened in anger when she noticed the many bruises and dried blood, and most of all the unnatural emptiness in Chiara's gaze. Yet Alonso sent her a reassuring pulse." She will be fine. Don't worry." Ayu stared at him for a moment, then nodded.

With her free hand, she produced the two red orbs she had been guarding. Alonso caught them. The spheres dissolved into light the moment they touched his palm. Power surged through him. Stage 1 – 42. 342% ➤ 48. 000% The pressure in the air deepened. The faint shimmer of his Will expanded for a moment before settling again around his body like an invisible mantle." Thanks."

Leonie stood frozen. Her eyes drifted slowly across the scattered bodies lying upon the blood-soaked timber. The entire exchange had lasted less than a breath, and her mind still struggled to piece together what had just happened. The night sky. Motion. A flicker of starlight. Then silence. Where a moment ago the Church's execution guard had stood… there were only bodies now. Even the smell of blood seemed delayed, slowly spreading across the square as reality caught up with what had just unfolded.

Her gaze slowly shifted toward him. Alonso stood before the Holy Knight with calm composure, his posture relaxed, one hand resting loosely on the hilt of his still-sheathed blades while his cloak moved softly in the afternoon wind. Something about him felt different. The tension that had filled the plaza moments earlier seemed to fold inward around his presence, as though the world itself had adjusted its balance to account for him. Leonie swallowed. Just… what level have you reached?

High above, on the distant rooftop, Lukas' eyes widened. Relief struck first when he recognized the unmistakable signature of Alonso's Will Manifest. Then confusion followed. He had been preparing to coordinate the sniper shots with Leonie— Yet… there was nothing left to shoot. They were all dead. Seven Crusaders. Two Crimson Priests. All of them cut down within a single breath. The realization felt unreal.

Yet when his eyes shifted and found Chiara safely out of the chains, cradled in Ayu's arms, the tension that had been crushing his chest finally released. A long breath escaped him, his shoulders lowering as the weight of the last hours lifted from his body. Slowly, a smile spread across his face. The first he had shown in days. He sent Alonso a single pulse." Good to have you back."

Alonso stared calmly at the Holy Knight, who had not moved since he arrived. Behind them, gasps rippled through the crowd as people finally reacted to what had happened. Panic spread quickly, and within seconds many began fleeing the square in fear. It was better that way. Given the location, any clash between them could easily spill outward and claim innocent lives. So Alonso allowed the moment to settle into a brief stalemate. The question was… why was the Knight doing the same?

Did he also care about the lives of the townspeople? Alonso doubted it. There was something else. While the man tried to maintain a composed posture, Alonso could feel it. His Will wavered slightly, subtle fluctuations running through the field around him. The grip on his sword lacked full stability, and a thin bead of sweat rolled slowly down the side of his neck. The Holy Knight… was afraid. But why? Alonso could easily tell that the man before him was powerful.

In terms of raw strength, he was perhaps the most formidable opponent Alonso had faced so far. A clear gap existed between them. And yet the signs remained undeniable. This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. This powerhouse feared him. Feared him enough to avoid taking a single step forward, remaining in a guarded stance. Was it the opening strike? Alonso had certainly unleashed everything in that instant, using Will Manifest: Path of Shards without hesitation.

Combined with his boosted Power of Will, and the control granted by his new Combat Realm, the technique had reached a threshold where most opponents simply could not react in time. If he decided someone would die… they would fall before they even realised what had happened, whether they stood below him or even somewhat above him in raw stats. Still… Such an attack alone could not explain the fear in the Knight's eyes. So… what was it? In any case, they could not allow the moment to stretch much longer.

Church reinforcements were bound to arrive soon. He was about to step forward when the Knight finally spoke.

"Who are you?" The voice carried across the plaza, steady, though something restrained lingered beneath it. Alonso frowned slightly as he studied the man behind the visor.

"I am the one who slew Morvethra, the Dream Hag." The reaction came immediately. The Knight flinched. The movement lasted only a fraction of a second, yet every trained fighter present could see it. His posture tightened, shoulders drawing slightly inward as his grip on the sword shifted. A faint swallow followed beneath the helm. Then, to the astonishment of everyone watching, the blade slowly lowered.

"I see," the Knight said, his voice carefully measured now.

"Then the matter stands clarified." His gaze lingered on Alonso for a long moment before he continued.

"As a sworn member of the Order of the Holy Knights, I will record your feat and report it to the higher authorities of the Church." He then inclined his head slightly.

"We appreciate your assistance in cleansing the evils from these lands." A murmur rippled across the plaza. Leonie, Ayu, Imani, and everyone present, along with those watching from windows and balconies overlooking the square, stared in disbelief as their jaws slowly dropped. Alonso's eyes almost widened, though he forced the reaction down before it showed on his face. What the hell was happening? The Church… was willing to step back? Because of him? Did they believe he stood far beyond what he truly was?

Was it the Hag? His Fourth Combat Realm? Something else? The thought felt absurd. He had just killed several members of the clergy in the middle of a crowded plaza, in full public view! And the Church's response… was to let the matter settle? Was this a tactic to stall for reinforcements? Yet the thought rang hollow. The man before him was powerful. Powerful enough to hold his ground against all of them for a time, or withdraw if he chose to. Someone like that did not need to rely on petty delays.

Alonso remained silent for a moment, weighing the situation. Should he press the attack regardless? If Chiara had been treated properly, if this had been a mere arrest or interrogation, he might have not cared much. But the state he had found her in still burned in the back of his mind. The bruises. The restraints. The iron helmet hammered into her skull. His pride demanded blood. Yet another part of him held back.

If the Knight truly believed him to be something far greater than he was, then forcing a fight now would shatter that illusion. And once that happened, the entire Order would come down on them with full force. That was something they could neither face nor outrun at their current level. He remained silent for a moment longer before locking his gaze with the Knight, his expression steady and cold.

"Take this as a warning," he said, his blade gesturing toward the scattered corpses.

"Should the Church ever raise its hand against one of mine again… I will not stop with those standing on this platform." Then, without waiting for a response, Alonso turned his back on the Knight. Shortly after, he and the rest of the Climbers left Westmarch swiftly, their figures blurring through the air like passing shadows.

The Holy Knight remained where he stood, motionless. Only after a full minute had passed did he finally release the breath that had been trapped inside his chest. The realization settled slowly. He was alive. Yet he knew the only reason his head still rested on his shoulders was the crest engraved upon his chestguard. The sigil of the Order of the Holy Knights and the authority of the Church behind it had served as a deterrent. Even a Sovereign would think twice before openly crossing blades with the Church. Still…

He knew how close he had come to death. The man who had stood before him carried that unmistakable presence. That natural authority only a handful of beings in the entire world possessed, one he had glimpsed only a few times in his entire life. Domain-realm experts. Or, as they were better known: Sovereigns. Existences who not only stood at the very summit of power, the Seventh Mark and ceiling of the Fifth State, but had also reached a realm beyond the highest mastery of combat.

Figures whose authority surpassed kings and emperors alike. Against them, armies meant nothing. Numbers meant nothing. Entire kingdoms had fallen to their wrath. When such a being moved, the world itself seemed to shift around them. Only another of their kind could truly stand against them. And yet… the man he had faced today had been unknown. An unregistered Sovereign. The thought alone felt absurd. A pulse suddenly reached him from headquarters." What's the current situation?" He exhaled slowly."

A domain-realm expert appeared." Silence followed. Several seconds passed before the response returned." Which one?"" An unregistered one." A longer pause." You are saying a new domain-realm expert appeared before you, out of nowhere… there in Westmarch?"" Yes."" … Where is he now?"" He left. He showed little interest in pursuing further conflict, likely because the person he came to save was still alive."" Understood. Return to base immediately and send visuals of everything that occurred."

The Holy Knight complied. Less than a second after transmitting the recording, another signal arrived." Remain in Westmarch for the time being. Prevent any resident from leaving the settlement. We will enact Protocol Black March." The Knight's eyes widened. He understood perfectly what that meant. Every witness would disappear. The entire town would be erased from existence.

The Church would later attribute the destruction to a powerful daemon, claiming that the Order had arrived too late and had only vanquished the creature after a fierce battle. The official record would thus remain spotless. He exhaled slowly. The decision sat heavily on his chest. Yet orders from above allowed no hesitation. When his gaze shifted and he noticed several residents already moving toward the outer roads of the town, his eyes closed briefly. A moment later he vanished— And his blade drew blood.

It did not even take a full day for the first waves of news to ripple through the highest powers of the world. Through long-range transmissions and sealed communication channels, the Church's strongest branches across the Southern and Eastern Kingdoms received the alert. The message carried little information, yet its implications were enough to stir entire halls of power. A new Sovereign had appeared.

Across distant cathedrals, fortified monasteries, and hidden command chambers, Cardinals and Holy Knight Commanders studied the same classified report. The entry was short.

Name: Alonso Shemson (identity not verified) Origin: Unknown Affiliation: Unknown Threat Classification: Domain-level entity Engagement Protocol: Avoid confrontation unless authorized by the High Synod Known Feats: Slayer of the High-Daemon Morvethra, the Dream Hag Additional Information: Believed to have operated in western Brithelm while disguised as a Silver-rank Adventurer under the name Alonso Shemson. Presence in the region confirmed for two weeks.

Likely conducted a targeted search and hunt for the Dream Hag he ultimately slew. Motive unknown. Last Seen: Westmarch, Brithelm.

A faint projection hovered above the long and luxurious marble table, the final moments of the recording repeating in silence. A single woman remained seated, watching it with focused attention. Radiant white armour covered her form, the crest of a faceless angel resting over her chest. Her long golden hair fell neatly across her shoulders while calm green eyes studied the projection without a word. After a long while she spoke.

"Is that all we have on him?" The lone Arc-Bishop standing at the entrance swallowed. Despite being a Fifth Mark expert himself, the pressure in the room felt suffocating beneath the presence before him, even though she was intentionally restraining her aura. After all, her name alone could send ripples across the world and silence kings. One of the most powerful existences of the Church, and part of its ultimate force: The Seven Saints. The Herald of the Sacred Light. The Spear of Divine Judgment.

Saint Aurelia Markin. He nodded, trying to keep himself steady.

"Yes, Lady Aurelia." The woman's gaze did not change for a moment before she turned toward the priest and offered him a composed smile.

"You may leave," she said calmly.

"Thank you for your service." The priest bowed immediately and left. She remained alone in the chamber, her eyes narrowing slightly. An ill omen lingered in her thoughts regarding this new Sovereign. Was he working with the Daemons? Or perhaps tied to The Covenant… or The Black Mantle? After a moment she rose. In any case— She would find out for herself. A moment later, without the slightest fluctuation in the air, the room stood empty.

Perched atop the branch of a tall yet unremarkable tree, she watched in quiet amusement as the wind stirred the dark strands of her hair. A faint smile touched her red lips.

"You really are interesting, aren't you… Alonso." [End of Arc VII - The First Contender]