The tips of his toes left the wooden deck of the boat.
In the very next second, Ethan Hayes' figure appeared in midair—
right between the two clashing forces.
A crushing aura descended from the heavens,
an overwhelming will of heaven and earth itself—
[First Stage of the Great Domain]!
BOOM!
It was as if both Noelle and Gaja had been struck head-on by a giant hammer.
Their bodies instinctively faltered, the magical clash between Thunder Judgment from the Skies and Roar of the Sea Dragon shattering instantly.
Though it wasn't as overwhelming as the Witch Queen's Triple Great Domain,
this was still the might of heaven and earth itself.
Everything that existed beneath the heavens was bound to its influence—
the difference lay only in degree.
"Not bad… the power is acceptable."
Ethan nodded in satisfaction.
Though he had only mastered the First Stage of the Great Domain,
this one alone was the fusion of more than ten magical attributes.
Far stronger than a single-attribute Domain.
Neither Gaja nor Noelle had any grasp of heaven and earth's Domain.
No matter how powerful their spells were, they could not resist.
"Stand down… Gaja. You have no objections, do you?"
At Ethan's words, Gaja gave a solemn nod, withdrawing his grimoire and magic.
Noelle, however, looked dissatisfied.
Her eyes burned with indignation.
"Brother Ethan, he captured Asta! Facing the enemy, you don't help me, and you even stopped me—why!?"
…Well.
So now he was being blamed.
Ethan rubbed his nose, looking a little awkward.
This wasn't something he could explain beforehand, was it?
If he had told her, it would've ruined the whole effect.
"My apologies, everyone," Gaja said earnestly, his tone brimming with sincerity.
"In order to gauge your true strength, I had no choice but to test you in battle…"
His genuine words left Noelle momentarily at a loss, unsure whether to attack or argue further.
"If you wanted to see our strength, you could have just told us! Why did you have to capture Asta!?"
She puffed her cheeks in indignation, clearly unhappy.
Even if what he said was true, this was no excuse.
It was like punching someone in the face, and then saying "Oops, my mistake."
What sense did that make?
"Alright, Noelle, this is my fault. I should've told you beforehand."
Ethan gave an apologetic smile, reaching out to ruffle her silver hair.
In an instant, Noelle's face flushed scarlet, burning like a ripe apple.
"Th-then… I'll let it go this time. But next time, you have to tell me first! Don't make me worry!"
With a huff, she smacked away Ethan's "evil" hand and turned aside,
her expression the very picture of a tsundere princess.
But anyone with half a brain could tell what she was truly feeling inside.
Retracting his sinful right hand, Ethan looked toward Gaja.
"Now then, can you take us to meet your queen?"
"Of course, Lord Ethan."
Gaja nodded, though his eyes lingered on Ethan with deep respect.
This man… truly unfathomable.
They entered the royal palace.
"This is the queen's palace? It's so plain compared to ours…"
Noelle muttered with dissatisfaction, clearly still sulking from earlier.
And in truth, the Heart Kingdom's palace was indeed quite simple.
Its size was respectable, but compared to the dazzling, golden halls of the Clover Kingdom,
this place looked almost like the gathering hall of commoners.
Inside the hall, there was only a single stone throne.
"Ethan Hayes, age 18. Born and raised in Hage Village, a border town of the Clover Kingdom.
At 16, during the grimoire acceptance ceremony, you received not one, but two grimoires—a Fire-attribute and a Wind-attribute four-leaf grimoire.
Later, you made your name in the kingdom's Royal Knight Selection Tournament,
and became the captain of the newly formed Tenth Squad: the Dawn Brigade."
The voice came from the throne, calm and all-knowing, as if reciting something seen with her very eyes.
She laid out Ethan's entire life story, crystal clear.
"Oh? What is this, the census bureau? You investigated my household registration that thoroughly?"
Ethan frowned, displeased.
Though none of this was secret information, nobody liked having their entire past laid bare so easily.
"I don't know what this 'census bureau' is you speak of," the voice replied lightly.
"But Ethan Hayes, your growth in these two years is simply beyond belief."
From the throne rose a figure—
the queen herself, holding her scepter as she descended the stone steps.
Hearing this, Noelle and the others were taken aback.
To be honest, they had never carefully thought about it before.
But now that someone had laid Ethan's journey bare,
they couldn't help but feel awed.
Two years.
What could someone accomplish in two years?
Two years wasn't enough for a low-ranking official to get a single promotion.
It wasn't even enough to graduate from basic schooling.
But Ethan, in just two short years,
had achieved what most people couldn't in a lifetime—
and even surpassed it.
The speed of it was terrifying.
"So, what exactly are you implying?" Ethan asked evenly.
"Nothing much," the queen smiled faintly.
"I simply wish to apologize for my earlier test. After all, your rapid growth is… unnatural. If something is so extraordinary, one cannot rule out the possibility of demonic possession."
Suspicion, huh? Can't blame her…
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lolopechka, the current queen of the Heart Kingdom. Oh, and as for your friend…"
Clap! Clap!
She clapped her hands.
Ripples shimmered in the air, and from the void emerged Asta—
still yelling and thrashing with boundless energy.
"Ah—choo! What the—? Huh? Ethan! Noelle!"
He blinked rapidly, glancing around in confusion,
his brain—full of muscles as always—not quite processing the situation.
But Ethan's gaze wasn't on Asta.
Behind Queen Lolopechka emerged a majestic figure—
a colossal spirit, elegant and overflowing with dense magical power.
"The Water Spirit… and it looks like a Complete Form."
Ethan's eyes sharpened.
The elegant posture, the immense body,
the ocean-deep mana it radiated…
Among the four great natural spirits, none were considered weaker or stronger.
But just like twins, some grew faster, some slower.
Their strength was determined by growth stages—
Infant, Growth, Mature, Complete, and Ultimate.
His own Fire Spirit and Wind Spirit were still in the Growth stage,
a long way from reaching Mature.
But this one—this Water Spirit—
was already at the Complete Form.
It was like the big sister towering over his two younger ones.
And most importantly…
Ethan's eyes locked on the queen herself,
her scepter in hand as she approached step by step.
Even without trying, her aura was impossible to ignore.
Noble, beautiful, yet immeasurable.
"So dignified… so beautiful… and that mana—it's fathomless."
"So strong. Hard to believe she's about the same age as me."
"So this is the queen of the Heart Kingdom…"
Her mana was restrained, yet what little leaked was enough to shake hearts.
Her presence seemed to merge naturally into the very fabric of the world,
as if she belonged to the heavens and earth themselves.
Ethan's conclusion was immediate.
"No doubt about it—
Domain Zero. And she even possesses a Great Domain…"
-------------------------
Support me so I can keep bringing you more chapters! Your comments, reviews, and power stones mean a lot.
To get complete access to the novel collection, head over to Patreon:
patreon .com / Samorash
~~Do leave a comment!