Chương 69: Chapter 67: The Lotus Sovereign

The Kingdom of Ayanor was changing. Not for the better. Dark clouds covered the capital. Soldiers filled the streets. Refugees arrived daily. The atmosphere felt suffocating. Like a storm waiting to erupt. Inside the royal palace— King Dasrath Ashvar stood before a massive war map. Red markers covered nearly half the continent. Each marker represented a fallen city. A conquered territory. A massacre. The Veil's influence spread faster than anyone predicted. The king clenched his fists. Three weeks.

Only three weeks had passed since the Divine Gate opened. And already the world stood at the edge of collapse. Suddenly— The doors burst open. A royal knight rushed inside. His face was pale. Terrified.

"Your Majesty!" The king turned.

"What happened?" The knight swallowed hard.

"The Eastern Kingdom has fallen." Silence. The room froze. Several generals stood up instantly. Impossible. The Eastern Kingdom was one of the Five Great Kingdoms. Its defenses were legendary. Its army numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Yet now— It had fallen. The knight's voice trembled.

"A single enemy breached their capital." No one spoke. No one understood. One enemy? A joke. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. It had to be. Then the knight revealed the truth.

"It was an Archon." The room became silent. Absolute silence. The Celestial Court had entered the war. And humanity was losing. Deep beneath the capital. Far below the palace. Far below the city itself. A hidden chamber glowed with golden light. Lotus flowers bloomed everywhere. Thousands of them. Ancient symbols covered the walls. At the center of the chamber— Siena sat cross-legged. Her silver hair floated around her. Golden lotus petals revolved around her body. A powerful aura filled the room. Ancient.

Beautiful. Terrifying. Before her stood the spirit of the First Lotus Sovereign. The founder of the Lotus lineage. The woman who once fought beside Arkan himself. The spirit slowly smiled.

"You've grown." Siena opened her eyes. Golden light flashed within them. The young woman looked completely different now. Stronger. More confident. More dangerous. The Lotus Sovereign nodded approvingly.

"You are ready." Siena stood. The room trembled. A sea of lotus flowers erupted around her. The spirit continued.

"The world is entering its darkest age." The smile disappeared.

"The Second Celestial War has begun." Siena lowered her head. She already knew. The Lotus flowers had shown her everything. Cities burning. Kingdoms collapsing. Millions dying. And standing at the center of the storm— Rayan. Always Rayan. The Lotus Sovereign noticed her expression. A faint smile returned.

"You care about him." Siena immediately looked away. The ancient spirit laughed.

"You really do." The young woman sighed.

"Can we focus on the apocalypse?" The spirit laughed even harder. Far away. At the ruins of Elysion. A black gate continued growing. The Origin Gate. The gate Arkan sacrificed himself to stop. Dark energy poured endlessly from its depths. Reality warped around it. Monsters emerged. Not Hollows. Not Celestials. Something worse. Ancient creatures from before recorded history. Creatures that should not exist. One of them opened its eyes. A gigantic beast. Its body larger than mountains. Its eyes burned crimson.

And its voice echoed across dimensions.

"The seal weakens." More eyes opened. Thousands of them. Watching. Waiting. Hungry. Meanwhile. Rayan and Cassian continued their journey west. The road was crowded. Refugees traveled everywhere. Fear spread through every settlement. Every city. Every kingdom. The world felt broken. Then— A rider appeared. The horse was exhausted. Its armor bore the symbol of Ayanor. The rider nearly fell from his saddle. When he saw Rayan— His eyes widened. Relief flooded his face.

"Prince Rayan!" The young man immediately dismounted. Rayan frowned.

"What's wrong?" The messenger handed over a sealed scroll. Royal seal. Emergency classification. The highest possible priority. The prince opened it. And froze. The message was short. Only a few lines. Yet they changed everything. === To Rayan Ashvar, The Continental Alliance has been formed. All surviving kingdoms have agreed to gather. The future of humanity will be decided. Your presence is required. Immediately. —King Dasrath Ashvar === Cassian read over his shoulder. Then whistled.

"Well." Rayan sighed.

"I know." The Spear Saint grinned.

"Looks like you're becoming important." Rayan immediately regretted bringing him along. That night. The stars shone brightly overhead. Yet none of them noticed. Far above the heavens— The Queen of Heaven sat upon her throne. Watching. Waiting. Planning. Seraphina gazed toward the mortal world. Toward Ayanor. Toward Rayan. Her silver eyes narrowed. The Dharma Heir had survived. Again. A troublesome development. Then one of her servants knelt.

"My Queen." She didn't look away.

"Speak."

"The Continental Alliance has gathered." A smile slowly appeared. Cold. Beautiful. Terrifying.

"Excellent." The servant hesitated.

"My Queen?" Seraphina's smile widened.

"Gather the Archons." The heavens trembled. The servant lowered his head. Immediately understanding. The Queen planned to strike. Not tomorrow. Not next month. Now. And her target— Was the gathering that would decide humanity's future. The Continental Alliance. The trap had been set. To Be Continue....