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From a long time ago, Emperor Lukas had viewed him as an eyesore and forbade Lilian to interact with him. It was only after Lilian moved to the eastern border and built up her own military force that she was finally freed from his influence.

At this critical turning point, which would determine humankind’s fate, Emperor Lukas once again emerged as Roel’s stumbling block, as he competed with him over Sia’s Scepter.

Unlike Roel, Emperor Lukas, despite being the ruler of the largest human country, wasn’t on humankind’s side. He had shown via his partnership with the Fallens that he would stoop however low he needed to go to attain longevity and unparalleled power. Someone as selfish as him would never use his powers for other people’s sake.

“Lukas only has one goal, and that’s to become a god. But even if he succeeds, he won’t stand up on humankind’s behalf to oppose the Savior. If he obtains the power inside Sia’s Scepter, it’ll spell the end of the final plan,” Paul explained.

“In other words, we have to get rid of him first,” Roel concluded. “However, does Lukas have the means to absorb the power inside Sia’s Scepter? That shouldn’t be easy to pull off, since Lukas isn’t a Fallen himself.”

Lukas must have known about the difficulties involved in absorbing the Savior’s mana, having sieved through Paul’s memories as Charles Ackermann. He would have known that his power as an Ackermann wasn’t enough. He needed an edge, like Roel’s Sia-fication.

This edge could have been his close ties with the Savior, but Lukas couldn’t be a Fallen, as he couldn’t possibly have concealed the Fallens’ conspicuous aura when he was often in the limelight. This meant that he couldn’t capitalize on this edge.

By this train of thought, Lukas wouldn’t be able to absorb much of the power inside Sia’s Scepter. However, Paul had an unexpected answer to that issue.

“Lukas is indeed not a Fallen, but I suspect he has a Fallen Brand.”

“A Fallen Brand? What’s that?”

“A Fallen Brand is a result of taboo research conducted in the Second Epoch, the era when the Savior’s worshipers ran amok. It involves a ritual that allows an individual to obtain the Savior’s powers without falling into depravity. However, this research ended in failure,” Paul explained.

Carolyn further elaborated on the story with a frown.

Humankind didn’t fear the Savior much prior to the Second Epoch’s Spirit Cataclysm of the Capital. Some even saw Him as a power to be tapped into, and the Ackermanns were extremely keen about exploring that possibility.

While the partnership between the Ackermanns and the Ardes had brought prosperity to the Ancient Austine Empire, over time, the Ackermanns started to fear the Ardes’ power, especially the emperor of each generation.

The Ackermanns’ tradition of ‘survival of the fittest’ tempered the successors for the future, but it also made them highly skeptical and distrustful. In the first place, it was normal for a ruler to fear potential threats to their rule, especially when the empire had stopped expanding.

That prompted the Ackermanns’ search for power, but the more they desired power, the further they spiraled down the rabbit hole. They even sought to partner with and exploit the Savior. That was the reason they took a back seat when the Savior’s worshipers attacked the Ardes.

“Their absurd skepticism cost the lives of many of our brethren, and it eventually culminated in unrest throughout the entire empire. How utterly foolish, don’t you think?” Carolyn spat.

“…It’s foolish indeed,” Paul consoled Carolyn while admitting his predecessors’ mistakes.

“What’s the use of a Fallen Brand, and why did it fail?” Roel dragged the topic back on track.

“Fallen Brand was one of the products arising from the Ackermanns’ pursuit of power. Think of it as a pass that grants one the identity of a Fallen and the right to tap into the Savior’s powers. However, it has the downside of affecting one’s mental state, which is why I suspect Lukas has dabbled in that research.”

“Mental state? How so?”

“It causes the user to lose their emotions.”

“!” Roel narrowed his eyes, as he immediately understood where Paul was coming from.

He had never met Emperor Lukas in person, but he had heard much about him through Lilian and other channels. In particular, the Genesis Goddess Church had a comprehensive profile of him.

It was often said that the person who knew one the best was one’s enemy, and this saying was true in the field of military intelligence. In Lukas’ record, there was a paragraph describing his traits and relevant deductions that left a strong impression on Roel.

Lukas had never displayed strong emotions in public settings, so the church deduced that he had used a spell to keep his emotions in check. From the looks of it now, that wasn’t a spell, but a spell’s side effect.

“Losing one’s emotions isn’t as bad as descending into lunacy, but a person who’s overly rational and unempathetic is to be feared as well. It isn’t a good thing for the ruling Ackermann. The downsides outweigh the benefits,” Paul said while shaking his head.

He had a low opinion of the Fallen Brand, and Roel agreed.

Unlike a general, what was more important to an emperor was his ability to govern rather than his martial prowess. An emperor who had lost his emotions would struggle to feel concern for his people, resulting in a rift between him and his people.

And that was indeed happening in the Austine Empire at the moment.

Roel could never understand why Lukas Ackermann, despite being the emperor, had gone for decades without a child. The Ascarts had been in a similar position, so he understood just how precarious a position that was.

Most nobles in that position would do everything they could to bear offspring, be it through marriage or extramarital affairs. Yet, Lukas paid no heed to it despite the huge repercussions if something happened to him.

In fact, it was only due to the immense pressure he faced from the nobles that he began to have children.

Looking back, Lukas might have avoided having children to ensure there were no threats to his dominant position. Even if nobles were opposed to him, they would hesitate to take any action, since no one could take his place. His position was cemented by the Pure Bloodline Theory.

But there was no way he could have maintained that position for long.

The empire had been fragmenting into numerous factions since the appearance of new imperial family members thirty years ago. Lukas was unable to have any close aides due to his inability to feel emotions, so it was hard for him to retain his monopoly on power.

That being said, the influence he had amassed over decades of dominance was still a tall hurdle to overcome.

With that, Roel finally understood the reason behind the Austine Empire’s chaos.

“I don’t know what Lukas’ exact plan is, but we should proceed with the notion that he has found a way to absorb the power inside Sia’s Scepter. He has planned this for a long time now, so we need to quickly take action,” Paul said.

“Interfering in a country’s politics is taboo, but we don’t have any other choice,” Roel grimly said. He stood up and slowly said, “Principal Antonio and I will liaise with the united army to mobilize all forces we have on hand to attack Lukas.”

…

Meanwhile, in the Austine Empire’s frontmost command center, Lilian Ackermann had also come to the decision to attack Lukas.

She looked at the fortress on the distant plains with a frown, while her army commanders were waiting for her in a tent not too far away.

Half a month had passed since she fell out with Lukas Ackermann.

There had been a constant stream of people escaping from that fortress in the meantime, providing her army with new intelligence. The united army had also sent reinforcements in hope of a quick resolution of this internal conflict.

Two reinforcement armies were stationed beside Lilian’s camp—one from the Saint Mesit Theocracy, and one from the Rosa Merchant Confederacy.

The army from the Saint Mesit Theocracy was led by Nora Xeclyde, the successor to the Genesis Goddess Church. They had been persuading enemy garrison troops to surrender, while reassuring them that those who had surrendered wouldn’t be persecuted.

The army from the Rosa Merchant Confederacy was led by Charlotte Sorofya. She, too, had been persuading the enemy garrison troops to surrender, but her choice of weapon was not faith but money. For instance, she had offered a reward of 100,000 gold coins for anyone who opened the fortress’ city gates.

As influential as religion was in the Sia Continent, the power of money was extraordinary too. Shortly after Charlotte started putting up rewards, the number of enemy deserters significantly decreased. Clearly, they had thought things through and decided to band together to strike it rich.

Nora was frustrated, as it hindered her efforts to get the enemy garrison troops to surrender, but she couldn’t ask Charlotte to leave, as the Rosaian army was here to aid in the siege too.

Rosa had the most advanced long-range siege magic tools in the Sia Continent.

They were known for their exceptional fortress defense prowess, having fended against the Austine Empire for a hundred years, but that experience ironically taught them the best ways to circumvent a fortress’s defense as well.

On top of that, unlike Lilian’s army, the Rosaians had no psychological barrier against killing Austinean soldiers. If anything, this was a chance for them to exact vengeance on the Austine Empire for the atrocities it had inflicted on them in the past.

It would appear that Lilian and the reinforcements had the advantage, in terms of both morale and military prowess. They were planning to launch their attack a few days later, but everything changed due to the Savior’s awakening.

That night, when the Savior’s madness swiftly engulfed the eastern border, Lilian snuck into Tark Prairie to investigate the situation.

Unlike other Race Sovereigns, she possessed an overwhelmingly powerful self-defense spell known as Ten Fortresses, so there was no worry about her safety. If worst came to worst, she could summon legendary armies from the Ancient Austine Empire to cover her retreat.

This gave her the confidence to venture deep into Tark Prairie alone.

She eventually stumbled upon a colossal city on the horizon, and it shook her up. She suddenly remembered Lukas’ nonchalant attitude as he revealed his pursuits—power and eternity.

It was rare to hear such words from Lukas, which was why she had a deep impression of them. She thought that she understood the meaning behind those words, but she realized she might have been mistaken when she stood alone and gazed at the colossal city towering over Tark Prairie.

The Savior’s awakening shortly after Lukas’ desertion of the Austine Empire, in her view, was too much to play off as a coincidence. The power and eternity Lukas pursued was unlikely to be anything simple.

Thus, Lilian quickly returned to her camp and observed Lukas’ movements. The result was unusual—there was no reaction from Lukas’ side at all.

Be it the suffusion of the Savior’s madness or the commotion with the Fallens, these shocking events should have drawn concern. Yet, Lukas didn’t dispatch a single scout to investigate the situation.

His choice to isolate himself at this juncture was baffling, as it wouldn’t save him from the upcoming crisis. Not even the thickest walls could keep away the corrupted mana. Furthermore, no one had stepped out of that fortress over the past day, not even a deserter.

Lukas, with his close ties with the Savior and the Fallens, could turn a blind eye to this crisis, but his soldiers were unlikely to remain as composed. If so, why weren’t they making a move?

Is something stopping them from leaving the fortress?

Such a doubt tortured Lilian’s mind. Ominous thoughts surfaced in her mind. After a prolonged dilemma, she understood that it was time for her to make a decision.

Looking at the unnaturally silent fortress, Lilian finally relayed her verdict: “We’ll attack.”

A commotion broke out inside the camp. The army commanders quickly returned to command their soldiers, who were already prepared and ready to set off at any moment. Her close aides quickly contacted the two reinforcement armies too.

After half a month of encirclement, Lilian, Nora, Charlotte, and their respective armies were eager to make a move, especially with the threat of the Fallens lurking now.

War horns shook the plain at daybreak.

Lilian’s summoned siege team took the lead, followed by her elite troops from Noyce Fortress. Behind them were Rosa’s long-ranged offensive divisions. The Saint Mesit Theocracy’s knights and magicians took the flanks and the back respectively.

All in all, they had over two hundred thousand soldiers.

It was a hybrid army structured in a way that best tapped the strengths of each country. Furthermore, Lilian, Nora, and Charlotte had no trouble cooperating with one another after their prior experience in the Battle of Scorched Earth.

Many thought that it would have been an easy battle, but as the army approached the fortress, the soldiers’ expressions started to change.

Two thousand meters out, the magicians in the rear channeled their mana into their raised staffs, ready to bombard the fortress walls. Yet, the enemy’s defensive magic tools showed no signs of activation.

Nora was perplexed.

One thousand meters out, the Rosaian army’s magic tools started to glow brilliantly, as they readied themselves to rain hell upon enemy soldiers. Yet, there were no targets to be seen on the ghastly silent fortress walls.

Charlotte frowned in incomprehension.

Five hundred meters out, the soldiers could now clearly see the weapons stationed on the fortress walls, but there was no one operating them at all.

“…”

It was already disadvantageous, by the standards of the Sia Continent’s soldiers, to allow an invading army to get within five hundred meters of their fortress walls, but there was still no enemy to be seen.

This inexplicable situation had the soldiers falling silent. A thought arose in Lilian’s mind, and she slowly widened her eyes. Without any hesitation, she ordered the army to launch a full-on attack.

The army immediately hastened its footsteps. Siege magic tools roared. Soldiers climbed up the fortress walls. Layton Seze charged forward and blasted open the unguarded fortress gates.

Boom!

Lilian was the first one to enter the fortress, and she witnessed a sight she would never forget.

Under the warm rays of the morning sun, soldiers were sprawled all over the ground of the deathly silent fortress, as if they were asleep. Most of them were still holding their weapons, but their bodies had long since turned cold.

Their depleted life force and mana were strongly resonating with something inside the fortress, as if a huge ritual had just been held. Lilian and the others quickly barged into the depths of the fortress, and they found themselves standing before the remnants of a large-scale spatial spell, as well as a slowly healing spatial crack.

In the spatial crack, they saw towering structures that were once majestic before they were callously battered over time. Silhouettes could be seen wandering the streets.

Lilian was no stranger to that place.

That city was once the heart of humankind, a place that countless had dreamed of for a millennium, but it had now become a place of nightmares—Imperial Capital Siaus.