The blood-red dawn broke across the Iron Barrens as the light glinted off shattered metal and scorched stone. Kaelen stood atop the highest tower of the newly claimed Steelspire, the seat of his expanding territory. Beneath him, his army trained, evolved, and rebuilt — but they didn't have the luxury of rest.
Because the Empire had noticed.
A surge of golden light pulsed from Kaelen's interface.
System Notice: You are among the Top 500 Lords of Earth-Origin.Invitation Received: The Tournament of Lords – Eastern Empire Proclamation.Location: Empire Colosseum, Grand Dominion Zone.Time Remaining: 5 DaysRewards: Advanced Territory Upgrade Kit | Exclusive Class Tokens | Hero-Ranked Allies | Divine-Class Summoning Crystal (Top 10 Only)
Kaelen scrolled through the details, eyes narrowing.
"Looks like the real competition begins now," he muttered.
Selene appeared at his side, her robes embroidered with mana runes, her long silver hair fluttering in the dry wind.
"This Tournament," she said, "is more than just a power display. It's recruitment. The Empire's trying to assemble a force to resist whatever's coming."
Kaelen turned to her. "You think they know more about the System than we do?"
She nodded. "They're natives to this realm, yes — but they've also survived past cycles. You, me, all the Lords from Earth… we're just the newest round of their global survival experiment."
The arena wasn't close. The Grand Dominion Zone was over 3,000 kilometers away, cutting through corrupted lands, beast dens, and unclaimed border zones. Only top-tier Lords had enough power to march through it — or the means to teleport.
Luckily, Kaelen had both.
He brought his council together: Reina, Lyra, Selene, and his youngest sister, Aria, whose magical affinity and summoning class had grown immensely since their arrival.
Aria's Starcaller Class had evolved again after the last battle.
Starcaller → Astral EmissaryNew Ability Unlocked: Celestial Pact – Bind one summoned beast to a soul-link, allowing fusion skills with another summoner.
Her bonded creature — the Twilight Seraph-Wyvern — had sprouted iridescent wings that shimmered with constellations.
Kaelen smiled at her. "You've come a long way."
Aria beamed. "I want to be strong too, nii-san. Not just for myself… but for the people who depend on us."
Beside her stood Eren, the reserved, stoic young summoner boy who had become Aria's match in the battlefield — and, increasingly, in spirit. His summoned beast, Aetherclaw Lion, roared quietly as if in answer.
Before leaving Steelspire, Kaelen activated the Molten Forge Blueprint obtained from Lord Arkaron.
Structure Unlocked: Molten Forge Tier IIIEffect: Increases troop weapon tier by one level. Grants access to unique Ironclad Units.
His soldiers now marched in burnished steel, wielding enhanced halberds and storm-charged ballistas. At the core of his legion were:
Stormguard Veterans
Tempest Paladins
Ironclad Ravagers
Celestial Archers (Aria's joint summon support)
Each had its own evolution tree, and Kaelen had studied them all, plotting branches with future evolutions like Mythic Warborn, Skyborne Commanders, and even Eclipse Warlords.
They set off by warp-gate relay, Kaelen having used one of his earned Dimensional Keys to cut a ten-day march into hours.
The Empire Colosseum was a sight to behold.
A floating structure held by ancient gravity runes, it drifted over the Grand Dominion like a hovering crown of divine metal. Great towers of jade and gold speared into the sky, and banners of thousands of Lords flapped in the wind.
System Notification: Tournament Begins in 48 Hours.Registered Lords: 486 (From Earth-Origin)Note: You may form temporary Alliances.Top 50 Lords will be granted dominion rights over border realms.
As Kaelen's group arrived, many eyes turned their way. Word of his victories — defeating Trial Lords, uniting his sister's summon evolutions, and evolving rare troops — had already spread.
One particularly curious gaze belonged to a woman clad in obsidian armor with glacial-blue eyes — Isolde, the Frost Valkyrie, known as the strongest female Lord in the tournament.
"Kaelen of Stormrift," she said, stepping forward. "I've been looking forward to seeing if the rumors were true."
Reina stepped up beside Kaelen with a smile that said, Not another one.
"Careful," Reina whispered. "She has a reputation… and I don't share."
The arena structure buzzed, and the system announced the first phase: Scaled Combat Trials.
Round 1 Match: Kaelen (Stormrift Domain) vs. Corvax (Venomspire Domain)Victory Condition: Annihilate Enemy Forces or Force Lord Surrender.Arena: Toxic Mire Terrain.
Kaelen frowned. "Venom-type Lord. Poison and corrosion tactics."
Selene nodded. "We need resistance layers. I'll modify our spell barriers."
Aria added, "My Celestial Seraph-Wyvern can neutralize toxins over a radius with starlight cleanse."
Eren simply said, "I'll handle the flanks. Leave the midline to Kaelen."
Reina cracked her knuckles. "Let's make a statement."
As night fell, Kaelen stood with his team beneath the silver twin moons. His harem — Selene, Lyra, and Reina — each represented strength from a different path: magic, stealth, and storm. Yet their bonds went beyond the battlefield.
And his sister, Aria, was no longer a child trailing behind. With Eren by her side and the might of the Celestial Summoner class at her command, she was a growing legend.
Kaelen summoned his Lord's Crest, a radiant emblem representing his dominion.
"Tomorrow, we don't just fight for rank," he said, voice low but firm. "We fight to carve a place in this world. For our people. For our summons. For each other."