Across the entire Aris Continent, the local stations operated by the Celestial Army suddenly activated ergency broadcasts directed toward every major empire and city-state.
These stations existed only within capital cities and economically significant regions, but that alone was sufficient for their intended purpose.
Originally, the Celestial Army had established these facilities as precautionary asures against demonic invasions. Each station contained massive communication arrays and broadcast crystals capable of transmitting urgent information across vast distances in an instant.
Under normal circumstances, the stations remained inactive for years at a ti.
Today, however, every one of them had beco crowded to the point of suffocation.
Journalists, noble representatives, rchant officials, guild executives, military officers, and ordinary civilians had gathered around the stations for hours after hearing rumors that the Celestial Army was preparing an ergency announcent.
The words "ergency broadcast" alone were enough to ignite fear throughout the continent.
The Celestial Army involved itself publicly only during large-scale crises, and most people associated such announcents with a single possibility.
Demons.
Panic spread rapidly through cities as speculation spiraled out of control. Even emperors and high nobles activated their private broadcast crystals within palaces and estates, unwilling to risk missing whatever news was important enough to mobilize the Celestial Army itself.
Similar scenes unfolded everywhere across Aris.
Within the Sylvaris Empire...
Deep inside the royal palace, tension hung heavily in the air.
Seraphine sat inside one of the palace chambers alongside Katherine, Leila, and Kara Babylon. Every one of them wore expressions filled with concern, but among them all, Seraphine appeared the worst.
Her hands trembled faintly despite her attempts to stay composed.
Unlike most people, by coincidence, she had personally witnessed the Founder’s Festival of the Holy Sun through the previous broadcast. She had seen William standing amidst the chaos. She had seen his confrontation with the Pope.
And most importantly.
She had learned his true identity as the heir of a fallen empire. Although Sera cared more about William than his identity, this was still a shocking matter since now William was stuck in a ss of his new identity, according to Seraphine.
The revelation had shaken every girl present in the room, but shock had quickly been replaced by worry for William’s safety.
Seraphine had barely slept throughout the night.
Dark black-and-green runes were now spread across much of her body, extending over her arms, hands, and even parts of her forehead. They pulsed faintly beneath her skin, carrying an eerie yet beautiful glow; she looked even more enchanting and beautiful in a way of its own.
Her aura was gentler and calr than before.
The awakening of her special physique was nearing completion. According to the elven scholars, she would likely awaken the full physique within two weeks.
Normally, such progress would have filled her with excitent as she would get to return to the academy and spend ti with her Will, but now it seed far from possible.
And now her thoughts remained consud entirely by William.
She had missed him terribly these past few days, and the recent developnt made her panic so much that she had eventually decided to enter the Domain of Infinity simply to see him or at least speak with his subordinates and get an idea of how he was doing from afar.
Yesterday, the mont the previous broadcast ended, panic had overtaken her almost instantly. Every instinct within her wanted to rush to his side.
But reason stopped her.
She knew she would probably beco a burden in the middle of such chaos. Furthermore, her mother, the elven queen, had apparently gone to assist William personally for reasons Seraphine still did not fully understand.
The only thing she knew was that Katherine had inford her that White Raven, who had saved her earlier, had secretly appeared within the palace a day before the incident.
The mory still made Seraphine’s heart race.
Could it have been William himself?
Or perhaps one of his servants?
She did not know.
But if she had been inford earlier, she would have run through the entire palace searching for that White Raven in hopes of seeing him.
Anxiety churned relentlessly inside her mind, making calm thought nearly impossible.
This morning, before sunrise and before the strange flashes of light illuminated the distant horizon coming from the direction of the Holy Sun Empire, Seraphine had finally decided to enter the Domain of Infinity regardless of the risks, as she had felt her instincts ring as if William were in danger.
Yet the mont she attempted to enter, an unknown force had forcibly denied her access. That single developnt frightened her more than anything else.
While Seraphine was drowning in her own thoughts, the rest of the girls were carrying different expressions.
"Man... if I had known he was actually a prince, I never would’ve ssed with him like that," Katherine muttered nervously while grinding her teeth together.
Her usual confidence had disappeared entirely, replaced by awkward panic as she cursed quietly under her breath.
Kara turned toward her in confusion.
"What exactly happened between you two?"
Before Katherine could answer, Leila, who had been speaking with a maid near the doorway, stepped aside and allowed several attendants carrying new broadcast crystals into the room.
"Huh?" Kara blinked. "Why are they bringing another crystal? Didn’t the previous broadcast already end yesterday?"
The servants quickly began installing the crystal while Leila answered.
"The Celestial Army announced another ergency transmission for the entire continent," she explained. "Considering everything that happened yesterday, they probably want to address the chaos directly."
Her words imdiately caused the atmosphere in the room to tense further.
By the ti Leila finished speaking, Seraphine’s expression had already turned pale again.
anwhile, Katherine rubbed her chin uneasily before saying, "Doesn’t the Celestial Army only interfere publicly when demons are involved?"
Kara’s eyes widened.
"If they’re holding another ergency broadcast this soon... then sothing really serious must have happened."
Leila slowly nodded.
"Maybe demons were involved in yesterday’s conflict, too," she murmured. "I just hope William is alright."
The mont the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake.
A bead of sweat ford on her forehead as she noticed Seraphine’s already anxious expression worsen even further.
The other two girls understood imdiately and fell silent.
No one spoke after that.
They simply waited for the broadcast to begin.
Several tense minutes passed before the crystal suddenly erupted with radiant light.
The transmission started.
Across the entire continent, millions of people witnessed the sa scene appear before them.
The grand Colosseum that had hosted the Founder’s Festival of the Holy Sun only yesterday now looked like a battlefield drenched in blood and ruin.
Broken stone, shattered pillars, and crimson stains covered the once-glorious arena.
Standing throughout the destroyed colosseum were organized military formations belonging to multiple powers.
Soldiers of the Celestial Army stood in disciplined ranks.
Beside them were warriors of the Elven Empire, special warriors of the Titan race, and mbers of the Long clan of dragons.
The sheer gathering of forces alone was enough to leave countless spectators speechless. Before they could digest the scale, their eyes wandered to the center of the broadcast screens as the footage zood in on the pulvinar.
William appeared at the center of the screen, surprising everyone who had already considered William dead in their minds after yesterday’s broadcast.
He stood atop the central pulpit with an expression so cold and composed that it sent chills through those watching.
To his right stood five won, Tamasya, Anastasia, Samantha, Yue, and Andrea, alongside Derek, his cousin.
On his left stood influential figures carrying their overwhelming authority and stances that supported the young man standing in the center.
They were the White Raven from the Cult of Eternal Sovereignty (amorphous in shapeshifted form).
Elven empress Selena Sylvaris,
Titan emperor Rominus Skybreak.
General of the Celestial Army - Marcus.
Storm Dragon Yun Long.
The Long Clan Matriarch, Ming Long.
And Sword Saint Klaus.
The sight alone was enough to shake the political foundations of the continent.
William stepped forward slowly before beginning to address the whole continent of Aris.
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