Morning light spilled across Alina. The sun rose like a herald, gilding rooftops and banners, casting long shadows across the palace courtyard. Crowds surged through the avenues, cultivators and commoners alike, filling the square until it roared with voices. The summons of the emperor had drawn them here, and anticipation hung thick in the air.
For many, this was a day of relief. But for the original citizens of Alina—those Jalen had protected from the old emperor, those he had taught to defend themselves, those young and old cultivators who had grown stronger under his guidance—it was more than relief. It was vindication.
When they saw Jalen standing beside the young emperor in the sky above the palace, confidence in Alina soared. Cheers shook the city, echoing like thunder across the valley.
Ameer raised his hand, and the crowd quieted. His aura was faint but steady, his voice trembling yet resolute.
"My people," he began, his words carrying across the courtyard, "I stand before you humbled. I know the pain you have endured. I know the hunger, the fear, the humiliation. I know the silence of nights when you wondered if Ron would ever rise again."
The crowd murmured, voices rippling like waves.
"I was weak," Ameer continued, his tone heavy. "I failed you. I lost the throne that was entrusted to me. I allowed enemies to divide our land, to oppress our families, to bleed our merchants dry. I hid while you suffered. For that, I am sorry."
A woman near the front shouted, "It wasn't your fault!"
Others echoed her words. "You were betrayed!" "We still believe in you!"
Ameer's eyes glistened. He raised his hand again, steadying himself.
"I thank you for your kindness," he said softly. "But kindness alone cannot restore our state. I promise you this: I will not falter again. I will be a better emperor. I will protect Ron. I will protect you. Give me another chance, and I will make sure your suffering was not in vain."
The crowd erupted, voices rising in unison. "Long live Emperor Ameer!" "Ron will rise again!" "We believe!"
For the first time in months, the people believed their suffering had not been in vain.
But then, as the cheers reached their peak, qi rained down upon the palace. Dozens of powerful auras descended—fifty Peak Sage Realm experts, dispatched by Yellen from neighboring cities and towns. Their killing intent pressed upon the square like a storm, silencing the crowd in an instant.
The six royal guards stood ready to fight. Blades gleamed, and qi flared. Mothers clutched children, merchants ducked behind stalls, and cultivators braced themselves for slaughter. The courtyard was a heartbeat away from chaos.
But before blades could clash, Jalen stepped forward. Luminal Edge gleamed in his hand. His aura did not flare—it folded inward, silent, lethal.
He shifted into Light Flicker (Light Art Technique #19). In less than a breath, he moved like chess pieces across the board to his targets. Fifty Peak Sage Realm experts fell—heads severed, bodies consumed by flame qi, their remains exploding in the sky. The slaughter was so swift that none had time to retaliate.
He did not need to do this. His spirit sense alone could have erased them in silence. But this was not about efficiency—it was a demonstration. A show to strengthen the people's faith, to remind them that Ron was not broken, that their emperor was not alone.
Below, the people were shielded by the palace formation—a five‑mile radius barrier that absorbed the shockwaves. They saw only the brilliance of Jalen's light, the fall of their enemies, and the safety of their emperor.
Confidence in Alina did not merely rise. It soared.
But Jalen did not stop in Alina.
That same day, he appeared in other cities and towns across the Ron State—numbering in the thousands—strongholds seized by Yellen, Tulsa, and Tibet. Each was ruled by enemy commanders, their garrisons swollen with soldiers who had oppressed the people for months. Among them were those who had once sworn loyalty under Jalen's shackles; freed from his bonds, their true hearts were revealed, and they bent the knee to foreign masters.
Jalen moved like a storm. He gave no quarter to invaders or to those who chose betrayal after the chains fell. Some he cut down personally, Luminal Edge flashing with merciless precision. Others fell to his spirit sense—silenced in a heartbeat. Hundreds froze mid‑stride, bodies crystallized and shattered into dust beneath his Blizzard Coil technique.
Yet not all were slain. Those who had endured under coercion—the scattered Ron soldiers who had obeyed only to protect families or survive—fell to their knees, begging forgiveness. Jalen spared them, but his warning was absolute: there would be no second chance.
By dusk, all cities, towns, and villages had been liberated. Loyal soldiers stood guard, formations were raised, and banners of Ron flew once more. The people cheered, their confidence in Emperor Ameer soaring higher than ever
And still Jalen did not stop there.
He entered the state of Yellen. No formation or fortified border could keep him out. In an instant, he was at the Yellen royal family palace. And the rest was history.
No one truly knew what happened. Witnesses spoke only of darkness engulfing the palace, a silence so deep it smothered even the cries of guards. Minutes later, the royal family was gone. The emperor, his descendants to the tenth generation, and every elder above a hundred years of age were slaughtered. The royal guard fell beside them, their weapons shattered, their bodies erased.
As for the six half‑step Transcendent cultivators of Yellen, Jalen hunted them down one by one shortly after destroying the royal family. Striking with his High Voltage Technique, each fell in a single blow, their bodies erased by his #9 technique, Heaven's Fang Descent, before they could even comprehend their death.
By the next day, news of the Yellen royal family's destruction spread across the continent. Shock rippled through every state. Fear followed.
Tulsa's court trembled, wondering what weapon Ron State possessed that could wipe out a near‑peer state's entire top brass overnight. Terrified, they prepared for enemy strikes, even pulling back their forces from Ron to regroup. Tibet's emperor and elders gathered in secret to discuss what had taken place, deciding to fortify their borders and palace. They did not know if it would be enough against whatever force they faced, but they had to prepare.
Even distant states—Lithia, Rican, and the proud empires of the Erias continent—felt the tremor. If Yellen, with its six half‑step Transcendents and fortified capital, could fall overnight, then no throne was safe.