Mo Han's training grounds rang with the clash of steel and demon roars. Mortal commanders—farmers once, now scarred captains—sparred against Hellfire elites. A baker's son blocked a flaming halberd, qi flaring desperately. Beside him, a refugee girl parried Mo Han's lieutenant, sweat mixing with grit.
"Again!" Mo Han bellowed, voice shaking with dirt. "Demons don't yield. Mortals don't break!"
Prejudice faded slowly at first. Whispers lingered: fire-skinned monsters. But weeks of shared drills changed it. A demon pulled a fallen captain up. "Good block, human." The man nodded back. Race blurred. Loyalty unified.
I watched from the ridge, Eternal Sovereign's Fang at my hip. "They fight as one now," I said to Yue Zhilan.
She nodded, spear gleaming. "North binds not by blood, but by bond. Mortals lead legions. Demons salute them."
Lin Dao tallied nearby. "Unified command: 85% mortal officers. Prejudice gone. Loyalty is absolute."
The golden age peaked flawlessly—trade wagons endless, academies birthing geniuses, foreign kings kneeling in tribute. But stars hungered.
It descended at midnight, the sky ripping open. A fallen star—a blazing comet trailing void fire—crashed into northern peaks. Shockwaves flattened forests. The ground split glowing. From the crater rose a figure: tall as towers, with skin of star-metal and eyes like twin black holes. Wings of cosmic dust beat slowly, air screaming.
Fallen Star God—Aetheron. Peak Celestial Sovereign Realm. Qi warped reality around him—time slowing, space folding. He scanned valleys, gaze locking on Shadow Gorge.
"Your power rises," his voice boomed, shaking mountains. "Mortals wielding gods, demons bowing to men. I claim it. Kneel, or your paradise burns."
Envoys panicked. Foreign kings fled south. Caravans halted. Refugees huddled in academies.
I stood on the throne steps, commanders flanking. Mo Han knelt first—demons behind. Mortals followed, unified. Yue Zhilan rose spear. "He seeks what you've built."
Aetheron laughed, starlight lancing down. "Child playing sovereign. Your summons are mine."
War horns blared. The mortal army surged—farmers with Vulcan steel, academy mages weaving arrays. Hellfire Legion charged flanks, flames meeting starfire. Silver Drake dove shrieking, lightning.
I led centre, blade drawn. Eternal Sovereign's Fang hummed a fate song. Unified ranks clashed with celestial might—mortals holding lines, demons flanked, loyalty steel stronger than blood.
Aetheron swept his hand. Void wave crumbled a hill. Mo Han roared in counterattack, the hellfire wall absorbing. "For the Sovereign!"
Yue Zhilan blurred forward, spear weaving moonlight chains. The star god shattered them, but slowed. Vulcan hurled reforged meteors from forges. Lin Dao directed mortal arrays—qi nets binding wings.
Meiyin's Moon Shadows struck unseen—twenty thousand daggers from the void, piercing cosmic flesh. Aetheron bled star-ichor, roaring in pain.
Mortals pressed. A farmer-captain led the charge, spear piercing armour gap. "For our homes!"
I leapt ridge-high, blade glowing. Unified roars shook the heavens. Fang slashed true—fate-edge, severing wing-root. Aetheron staggered.
"You... mortals unified?" He gasped, wide-eyed.
"By loyalty," I said, plunging deep.
The star god exploded into light, then crumbled into dust. Crater quieted. Sky healed.
Dawn broke golden. Casualties were low—loyalty minimised loss. Mo Han clasped the farmer-captain's hand. "You lead the next drill."
Yue Zhilan sheathed her spear. "Celestial threat broken. Unity proved."
Lin Dao smiled at Maps. "Foreign kings return doubled tribute. Fealty eternal now."
Refugees cheered the wounded home. Demons shared ale with mortals. Prejudice dust.
The system chimed triumphantly.
"Ding! Celestial Invasion Repelled. Unity maxed. Mortal-Divine Bond Forged. Reward: Heavenly Mandate—North recognised the sovereign realm eternally. New Summon Pool: Celestial Tier Unlocked."
I sheathed the blade, gazing at the rebuilding valleys. Trade resumed richer. Academies swelled prouder.
Aetheron sought power. Found unbreakable wills instead.
The north stood—not by gods alone, but mortals, demons, and shadows side-by-side. Unified by loyalty transcending race.
Paradise endured. Stronger for trials.
Fallen stars broke on Unity's shield.