Chapter 75 – The World Bows
The empire was not the only place affected. The moment Aetheria Nyx Lunaris Solis spoke, her voice carried through the fabric of the world, reaching every kingdom, every empire, every race, and every being.
From the grand cities to the smallest villages, from the noble palaces to the streets of commoners, the world stopped.
The air turned heavy, thick with an unfathomable power. It was as if the sky itself pressed down upon the land, forcing everything beneath it to submit.
And then—they bowed.
The kings and queens of mighty empires collapsed to their knees in their throne rooms, gasping for breath. Their royal guards, their advisors, even their personal knights fell with them, unable to resist the divine presence.
In the streets, merchants, blacksmiths, beggars, and nobles all dropped to the ground, eyes wide with terror. Some wept, some trembled, others prayed to their gods, yet none could rise.
The priests of the great temples, the devout who had spent their lives in worship, felt their divine blessings waver. Even they, who were chosen by the gods, were not spared from the crushing will of the Night's Queen.
In the Kingdom of Aurion, where the Sun God was worshiped above all, the grand cathedral trembled. The High Priest, who had guided the faithful for decades, found himself flat against the ground, his forehead pressed to the cold marble floor.
His voice trembled as he whispered, "The future goddess… she has awakened."
The Imperial Palace – The Emperor's Rage
Back in the empire, the throne room was frozen in stunned silence. The overwhelming power had vanished as quickly as it came, but the weight of her words remained.
Leonhardt Valerian Everhart is mine.
The emperor's fingers dug into the throne's armrest. His fury was cold, controlled, dangerous.
He had already declared Leonhardt a traitor, a disgrace to the empire—and now, he was claimed by a woman who was feared across the world?
His rage burned deeper than ever.
The nobles were still recovering, panting heavily as they tried to understand what had just happened. Some were horrified, others were in shock.
One of the ministers, his face pale, spoke carefully.
"Your Majesty… if this woman is truly the daughter of the Sun God, if she is truly destined to ascend as a goddess… can we afford to make an enemy of her?"
The emperor's gaze snapped toward him, cold and unforgiving.
"Are you suggesting we kneel?" he asked, his voice soft but carrying the weight of an executioner's blade.
The minister flinched, hurriedly shaking his head. "N-No, Your Majesty! But if Leonhardt is with her, then… then perhaps we should consider—"
CRACK!
A wine goblet shattered in the emperor's hand.
His golden eyes blazed with anger as he stood from his throne. "Leonhardt chose a woman over his empire, over his people! He is a traitor! Do not speak as if he is still one of us!"
The Grand Duke, silent until now, finally raised his head. His expression was unreadable, but his hands were clenched tightly.
"Your Majesty." His deep voice echoed in the hall. "Leonhardt is my son."
A suffocating silence followed.
The emperor's lips curled in disdain. "He was."
The Grand Duke's eyes darkened.
"Even if you declare him a traitor, even if you erase his name from the empire's history… you cannot erase what the world has witnessed today."
The emperor scowled, but the truth in those words could not be denied. The entire world had been forced to bow to the woman who had claimed Leonhardt.
And in the eyes of the world, a mere empire was nothing before the will of a future goddess.
The World's Reaction
In the Western Kingdoms – Ambassadors and rulers hurriedly rewrote their political strategies. What was once a simple war between two kingdoms had now shifted into a divine struggle. Some kings cursed the empire for provoking the Night's Queen. Others feared what this would mean for the balance of power.
In the Magic Tower – The elders of the tower sat in silence, their faces pale. The 9th-class magicians, the pinnacle of human magic, suddenly felt… small.
"She is beyond us," one of them whispered. "She is beyond even the strongest of us."
And worse—if Leonhardt had chosen her, then what did that mean for him?
In the Kingdom of Aurion – The royal court gathered in an emergency meeting. The king, a devout follower of the Sun God, could barely contain his emotions. His kingdom had been losing the war, but now…
Now, the daughter of the Sun God had spoken.
And she had promised protection.
His fists trembled, overwhelmed by gratitude and awe. He turned to his generals.
"This war is over," he declared. "We will not fight against her. We will fight for her."
The Women Who Once Desired Leonhardt
In various noble estates across the empire, many daughters of high-ranking families who once longed for Leonhardt felt their hearts break.
He had rejected them all.
He had abandoned everything.
And now, the woman he had chosen—his love, his life, his reason for leaving—was revealed.
A future goddess. A divine queen. A woman so powerful that the entire world was forced to kneel before her.
Many of them felt bitterness.
Some felt jealousy.
And a few… a few realized the truth.
They had never stood a chance.
The Next Move
As the empire struggled to recover, as the world adjusted to this new reality, one question loomed over them all.
What would Leonhardt do next?
He had been branded a traitor, his name stained, his ties to his family cut.
Yet, in the span of a single week, he had reached the pinnacle of magic, stepping into the 9th-class, an achievement so rare that only one other human had ever reached it—his mother.
And now, the whispers spread.
That Leonhardt Valerian Everhart was not just a 9th-class magician, but that he was surpassing even the strongest swordsmen in history.
That he was on the verge of becoming a Grand Swordmaster—a title that no human had ever achieved.
The world could only hold its breath.
Because the traitor prince of the empire was no longer a prince.
He was a man standing at the very peak of power, beside the most feared and revered woman in existence.
And now, they belonged to each other.