It was a dim dawn.

A faint light seeped across the ruined city.

The wounded groaned as they were carried upon stretchers, while the citizens struck by the mental wave still crawled across the ground, twisting their bodies.

Crown Prince Valherios walked toward the center as though bewitched.

“Your Highness, it is dangerous!”

The sworn warriors tried forcefully to restrain him, yet he continued forward without wavering.

“You will remain behind me. The place I must go lies there.”

His gaze was fixed upon only one place.

The corpse of the mutant demonic beast emerging through the steam, and beyond it, the man standing with the dawn light at his back.

With every step he took, the other Elector Princes came into view.

All of them were steeped in subtle exhaustion.

In truth, it could not even be called a desperate battle.

No matter how powerful the fused invasive entities created from the Hall of Purity’s doctoral candidates were, they were not strong enough to defeat the direct-line purebloods of the great houses and their escorts in direct combat.

However, the exhaustion born from an unforeseen disaster, along with the burden of contemplating all the consequences this incident would bring, had been more than enough to drain them mentally.

Valherios was no different.

I do not know how far these repercussions will spread.

No one spoke the words aloud, yet all feared the same thing.

The Hall of Purity.

A force that could no longer be concealed.

Traitors who had dared unleash mental waves against the Elector Princes of the Empire of Stars.

Men bold enough to reveal themselves before the absolute rulers who had dominated the world for thousands of years through contracts with the constellations.

A true absolute ruler was never challenged.

The moment even a single challenger appeared, the absolute ruler fell from the heavens to the earth below.

Therefore, regardless of victory or defeat, the six great houses, the royal family, and the Myriad Star Church had lost authority.

“How utterly miserable. This beautiful city reduced to such ruin, and the dignity of the Elector Princes Council trampled so thoroughly.”

Valherios clenched his teeth.

He swallowed the words he truly wished to say.

Therefore from this moment onward, the new victor shall not be the one who restores that dignity, but the one who establishes a new dignity.

He looked toward Kyrie once more.

The man whose eyes still blazed sharply even amid all this exhaustion.

“Your Highness.”

“My lord.”

“Are you unharmed?”

The man who stood surrounded by countless Blue Knights, knights, retainers, and attendants.

Even Valherios himself had been left with only a handful of sworn warriors because of the mental wave.

Yet Kyrie stood surrounded by a warrior host numbering well over a hundred.

Those people.

Valherios recognized it.

Because they endured, Kyrie’s army did not scatter.

The structure of superhuman knights, knights, retainers, attendants, and soldiers.

No matter how supreme Astreos’s Blue Knights may be in personal combat, they cannot continue fighting for long without the aid of knights, retainers, and attendants.

While every other house’s structure collapsed, the backbone of Kyrie’s army endured.

The same applies no matter how skilled a knight may be at command or swordsmanship. Without attendants to act as hands and feet, even the finest command becomes empty theory. Without retainers supporting them with javelins and nets, knights alone cannot hunt monsters.

That difference had changed many things.

He succeeded.

Valherios narrowed his eyes.

In the end, the elixir of sacred radiance saved us. A single vial changed the fate of everyone tonight.

He held both admiration and cynicism at once.

And it was worthy of cynicism.

The Elector Princes of the Empire of Stars.

Families that had ruled the world for thousands of years through powers inherited from contracts with guardian stars.

If a crisis arose in a gathering of all six such houses, then naturally it should have been resolved through the power of the constellations.

But that had not happened.

Therefore, they had no choice but to acknowledge the elixir of sacred radiance.

What authority can they possibly speak of now? They have already shown it to the world.

Valherios swallowed a bitter laugh.

At this point, words like heresy mean nothing anymore. The elixir of sacred radiance has now become the weapon that saved the Empire.

He repeated the phrase inwardly as though chewing upon it.

Has become.

Valherios was not the only one who thought so.

“There is no longer any need to verify the elixir of sacred radiance.”

Saint Sirius entered the plaza, squeezing his eyes shut before opening them once more.

His vestments glittered beneath the dawn light, while beside him stood Saint Deneb in silent escort, clad in thick plate armor.

He looked enormously dignified, yet a strange emptiness lingered within his voice.

“Let all who possess eyes behold those knights. Behold those retainers, and those attendants as well. They did not yield before the evil spirits’ mental waves, but instead shattered them.”

Saint Sirius raised a hand toward the knights, retainers, and attendants surrounding Kyrie.

“I believed such a feat impossible without faith beloved enough to earn divine favor. Yet the Myriad Star at times grants blessings in forms even His most cherished servants cannot comprehend. It would seem that today, the will of the Myriad Star descended upon the alchemists of Astreos.”

His voice was steeped in exhaustion, yet still carried the weight of cathedral bells.

It was the duty of one possessing authority strong enough to prevent a war that could consume millions of lives over the next hundred years.

“I, Sirius, as a servant beloved by the heavens, hereby declare. In the name of the Blue Martial Star Commander of the Papal See, I declare once more. That is not the product of heresy, but the crystallization of human knowledge, and the grace of the Myriad Star. The foresight of Archbishop Saint Deimos of Astreos was truly correct.”

His declaration echoed across the plaza.

The square stirred.

“So it has finally been proven.”

Andromeda smiled with satisfaction.

“Only naturally.”

Erica gave a low laugh and nodded.

You drift further away once again.

Valherios swallowed the sensation of a blade descending upon his throat amidst all the agreement.

Once again, it slips farther away.

The elixir of sacred radiance no longer belonged solely to the royal family.

Now is the moment. No, this is the only moment.

Andromeda narrowed her eyes.

The battlefield still reeked of blood, yet the opportunity existed only now.

She exchanged glances one after another with the three figures beside her.

Erica lifted her chin haughtily.

Vicher and Vichera likewise nodded heavily behind their leather masks.

Now that matters have come to this, a grand extermination campaign against the Hall of Purity is inevitable. And the supreme commander of that campaign must be one of the five of us. Yet at the same time, it absolutely cannot be one of us.

In truth, the four of them possessed far less substance than their reputations suggested.

Andromeda needed to fill the void left behind by Patriarch Peleus, who had received the stigma, while Erica had merely seized control of the capital; her reach across the Empire remained weak.

Vicher and Vichera were in an even worse position.

They had killed the minor house head through rebellion and had not received formal approval from the Patriarch, leaving them standing here only as guardians and regents rather than true bloodline rulers.

Even focusing solely upon internal affairs would already be overwhelming.

The supreme command of the extermination campaign against a public enemy of the Empire was a burning burden.

The moment one accepted it, military forces and wealth would be drained dry by the responsibility, while the power barely grasped would be uprooted entirely.

Therefore it cannot be one of the five of us, but rather a name raised by the five of us. A colossal figure acknowledged by all, one who can become the symbol of our alliance, and who personally possesses passion for the task.

Andromeda turned her head toward Kyrie.

You earned Father’s recognition. As much as I did—perhaps even more. That is why we could have truly competed for the position of minor house head. Not a struggle to tear one another down, but a competition over who could accomplish greater things for the house. A splendid contest where the victor gained glory and the defeated retained honor.

Her eyes held not merely ambition, but relief as well—as though all things were finally returning to their proper order.

But the reason you earned recognition was because you abandoned it. Father acknowledged that clear image of you casting aside the position of minor house head that stood right before you in order to protect your bond with me and your own dreams.

Even now, Andromeda did not know whether she wished to laugh or cry.

One fact alone was certain: Andromeda believed she owed Kyrie a debt.

And a Blue Knight always repaid debts.

Therefore at the very least, I will raise you to a position higher than even the minor house head of Astreos.

Step.

Andromeda walked forward.

Her black ponytail swayed as though drawing all eyes toward her.

“Everyone here saw it.”

Her gaze was sharp as lightning, and her voice arrogant as thunder.

“When chaos erupted last night, you all saw how utterly pathetic we were. And you saw who stopped it. You saw who prevented the disgraceful situation where the Elector Princes Council would be shattered by nameless fools the world had never even heard of—a humiliation worthy of drowning face-first in a basin of water. Therefore I recommend him here and now. Kyrie alone should become supreme commander of the grand extermination campaign.”

The plaza stirred at Andromeda’s declaration.

A recommendation from one’s own blood relative was shameless enough already.

To begin with, publicly glorifying one’s younger brother’s achievements so magnificently was itself an act devoid of conscience.

But Andromeda possessed no conscience.

Indeed, she was even proud of that fact.

And today, no one could condemn her for it.

Because Kyrie stood there with the steam pouring from the mutant demonic beast behind him.

“There is no room for doubt.”

Erica arrogantly raised her chin.

“This victory tonight would have been impossible without Duke Kyrie. The reason the knights, retainers, and attendants endured the mental waves and restored order to the city was all thanks to his preparations. This queen also agrees.”

She, too, rivaled Andromeda in shamelessness.

The sight of her golden hair entirely untouched thanks to Wind King Armor, combined with her standing as Kyrie’s wife, only emphasized that brazenness further.

Thus her words, like Andromeda’s, could not be refuted.

“When the one who kindled the flame and the one who gathered the firewood are one and the same, how could we not praise him?”

“We pray he will also kindle the flames of the grand extermination campaign magnificently.”

Vicher and Vichera nodded theatrically.

“At first, I considered it an insult. When Duke Kyrie sent holy water to my Black Knights, I believed he was looking down upon me. Yet because of that holy water, my knights and soldiers endured the mental-wave mutations. I have incurred a debt. And it seems this debt can only be repaid by contributing to victory.”

Tyren let out a low sigh.

“I believe it only fitting that Duke Kyrie become supreme commander of the grand extermination campaign.”

It seemed the sigh alone would not suffice.

“I speak honestly only now—I should have participated in the regular extermination campaigns of the corpse-waste plains as well. Yet Duke Kyrie, together with the two guardians of Flammerios standing here, slew the skeletal sovereign Lord of Flies. Thank you for filling the void I left behind.”

Severic agreed openly.

“Rivers do not reject the sea. When many currents gather in one place, the answer already lies at the end. I shall pursue that secret and submit myself to it.”

Narji whispered mysteriously.

“Inquisitor Saint Deneb granted you the title Defender of the Faith. It seems now that it was truly foresight.”

Saint Sirius raised one hand.

“Will you lead us against those enemies of the faith?”

He outright asked him.

Impossible.

Valherios shut his eyes tightly.

At this rate, we may lose the elixir of sacred radiance completely!

The sun had already risen.

Morning light covered the plaza.

“Imperator Kyrie!”

Andromeda shouted first.

“Imperator Kyrie!”

Erica, the twins, Tyren, Severic, and Narji shouted after her.

The cries spread through the armies, through the soldiers, and at last through the citizens themselves.

“Kyrie! Kyrie! Kyrie!”

Kyrie silently raised his sword.

The starlight of the western sky and the sunlight of the eastern sky both struck the blade’s tip and scattered upward into the heavens.

“Kyrie! Kyrie! Kyrie!”

“Imperator Kyrie!”

The cheers calling my name echoed endlessly. My ears nearly rang deaf from it.

It felt like only yesterday that I had become the Imperator of Spiramentaon.

The title did not mean emperor, but supreme commander of the entire army—a triumphant general.

Yet within the Ancient Empire of Evil, it had also been one of the titles of the Dragon Emperor.

Now I heard that name across the entire Empire.

Some thirst within me slowly began to settle.

It did not feel entirely bad.

No. Admit it.

In truth, I was extremely proud.

【“You have done it.”】

I felt the presence of the constellation beside my ear.

This is only the beginning.

I answered inwardly by applying Telephone Conversation.

【“Are you trying to discern my heart?”】

The thunderous star muttered as though dumbfounded.

Hehehe.

I tried to protest that I had not intended such a thing, yet the constellation burst into childlike laughter.

【Hero’s Journey, Stage 12】

【Stage 6: Military Exploit】

【Detailed Objective 1: Elector Prince】

【Receive personal recognition from the Elector Princes】

【Reward upon success 1: Thunderbolt Body +100%】

【Reward upon success 2: Electromagnetic Railgun cooldown reduced by one day】

【Punishment upon failure: Thunderbolt Body -100%】

A string of text surfaced upon my stigma.

【“You worked hard, didn’t you?”】

Another line appeared.

【Due to the influence of the Basic Perk ‘True Energy Guidance,’ the usage time of ‘Telephone Conversation’ increases.】

【+5:00】

【+5:00】

【+5:00】

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Chapter 218

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