Immediately, the moment the giant lion ignited the sky, the battlefield fell into absolute silence. The clash of steel, the screams, the explosions, all of it vanished as if the world itself had been muted.
Every single person within the Holy Lands knew what that sight meant. It was the sign of the Emperor's presence, a divine summons that overrode all conflict. When it appeared, everyone was to gather, without exception.
This was no longer a fight for money, no longer a reckless hunt driven by greed or desperation. Anyone who ignored that call would be branded a traitor, and treason was punished far more brutally than killing a Holy Knight ever was. Death would be the least of it.
And yet, it was not the Emperor who had done this.
It was Hera.
