Chapter 2: The Lion's Wrath and the Path to the Sanctuary
The Chamberlain walked forward and found Emperor Iskander standing in his path.
Emperor Iskander: "Chamberlain, did I not tell you never to leave the palace unguarded?"
Emperor of the North (laughing): "Haha, Chamberlain, may you live long enough to defy your master's command!"
Emperor of the East: "Why don't you leave this bloodthirsty man and serve me instead?"
The Chamberlain stood paralyzed with fear before the most powerful creatures in the universe, then said: "With all respect to the Rulers of the Central Planet... My Lord (Iskander), there is a grave matter. You must come to the ship; the situation exceeds the scale of war."
Each Emperor boarded his own vessel with his respective Chamberlain. The Central Chamberlain whispered: "My Lord, you must remain calm. The news is heavy... I am sorry to be the one to deliver it."
Emperor Iskander: "Speak. Do not waste words like a common slave."
Chamberlain: "Five days ago, the Seventh Prince arrived wounded. Masked assassins attacked him, causing internal injuries and poisoning him with a toxin that left even our best physicians baffled."
Emperor: "Go on! Why do you stammer like a slave?"
Chamberlain (taking a deep breath, thinking to himself: This is the last day of my life): "The Prince said: 'Save my mother, she is under attack.'"
Emperor Iskander stiffened the moment the name 'Nadia' was mentioned. The Chamberlain continued, trembling: "We went there, but... look at what I found." The Emperor watched the video, and his killing intent began to suffocate the very "Land of Knowledge," forcing even the Demon Emperor to sense it and raise his defenses.
Chamberlain: "My Lord, everyone will perish from the sheer force of your killing intent. Please, calm down... I did not find her body."
Emperor Iskander: "Chamberlain, be silent... and take me to the Planet of Solitude!"
Before departing, the Chamberlain found the other Emperors waiting before the ship, and Iskander ordered them to be brought aboard.
Emperor of the North: "My friend, we are brothers in war; we will investigate this with you. She was my son-in-law's mother and my dear friend."
Emperor of the East: "She is my cousin, of my own blood. I will investigate this with you."
Emperor Iskander: "Yes, yes, I know... just be quiet."
The Chamberlain ordered the Generals to clear the battlefield and commanded the Captain to open a gateway to the "Planet of Solitude"... a journey that would take two days.
A funeral silence shrouded the "Planet of Solitude." It was not the planet Emperor Iskander remembered; the pristine seas that were his wife Nadia's pride had evaporated, and the lush islands had turned to ash scattered by the wind. The Imperial ship landed amidst the wreckage of "Nadia's Tower." Iskander (The Lion of the Center) stepped out first, followed by Ned Storm-heart (Ruler of the Northern Spear) and Li Wang (Emperor of the East). The earth still trembled, and the remnants of Nadia's dark mana collided violently with the traces of the brutal "Qi" left behind by the mercenary leader.
Ned Storm-heart stood, gripping his long icy spear, his eyes overflowing with bitterness. Nadia was his "in-law," the mother of Edward who had married his daughter, the bond that linked the blood of the North to the heart of the Center. Li Wang looked up at the burning sky—he, her cousin who had grown up alongside her—and recited a mournful poem that echoed through the wreckage:
> "The light has faded, leaving a sieve in the void... The tower mourns, for fate has betrayed its halls."
> "O light of Nadia, is there a glimmer left in the distance? ... Or is the tear of the earth weeping in the depths of eternity?"
>
Iskander did not respond; instead, he knelt and picked up a charred pendant. They found no body, no trace of her blood; only a terrifying cosmic void. Did she die? Or did she vanish into dimensions known only to the Divine? This question tore at the Lion's heart. Suddenly, Iskander's eyes turned into glowing gold, and he inhaled, tracking the scent like a predator. He roared, shaking the very pillars of the planet:
— "The tainted 'Qi' of that giant is still clinging to the fabric of space! They have not fled far... they are in the Mercenary Galaxy cluster!"
Iskander turned to Ned and the Central Chamberlain, speaking with grim resolve:
— "Ned... Ruler of the North, take the Chamberlain and return immediately to the Central Planet. My son Edward (your daughter's husband) is drowning in his own blood there, and traitors surround him. Go and protect him; the palace has become a nest of vipers!"
Ned: "But Iskander! Will you go alone to face the mercenary armies?"
Iskander (his eyes flashing with terrifying golden light): "I will go alone. I will turn their bones into a bridge upon which I shall walk to the truth. Go, Ned, for Edward is our only remaining hope!"
Ned and the Central Chamberlain departed on a fast ship toward the Central Planet to save Prince Edward. As for Iskander, he ordered his Captain to set course for the mercenary stronghold, followed by Li Wang, who refused to miss this epic clash. Upon arriving at the borders of the mercenary galaxies, they found thousands of warships and soldiers lining up to defend. But Iskander did not wait for his fleets; he stepped out of his ship, standing alone in the cosmic void, wearing no armor but his pride.
The "Lion's Golden Qi" aura began to swell until it eclipsed the neighboring stars. The "Sovereign's Sword" (The Sun-Blade) shone like a star in space—a coming cataclysm. Iskander advanced step by step through the vacuum; each step crushed nearby ships under the sheer pressure of his solar aura. He let out a roar that shook the seven galaxies:
— "I am Iskander... the Lion of the Central Continent! Where is that dog who dared touch my wife's robes? Today, I shall erase the mercenary race from the records of existence!"
The slaughter began; one Emperor against armies of mercenaries, tearing fleets apart with his bare hands, while Li Wang watched from afar, realizing that the universe had not witnessed such rage in thousands of years.