Aeon was shocked to his absolute core as his eyes darted across the glowing interface of his true status.
’Wait, wait, wait. What is this?’ Aeon demanded internally, his mental voice laced with profound confusion. ’Why does my status say that I possess all three cultivation paths simultaneously?’
[DING]
[That is the natural consequence of your talent, Master. You are Infinite. Your comprehension, your ultimate potential, and your evolutionary boundaries are entirely limitless. You are not restricted by the primitive laws of a single path.]
Aeon nodded mentally, a wave of profound satisfaction washing away his confusion. It made perfect sense.
If his talent was truly boundless, the universe could not cage him into being just a Warrior or a Mage. But as his eyes drifted lower down the screen, another detail caught his attention.
’Then what about this Infinite-rank Special Talent?’ Aeon pressed, his eyes narrowing slightly. ’Did you secretly grant this to me without my knowledge?’
[DING]
[Negative, Master. That is a latent Special Talent that you awakened entirely on your own; the System did not provide it. In fact, even if you had been born with completely trash-tier talent, this single Special Talent would have allowed you to ascend. By gaining or absorbing high-level physiques, legendary bloodlines, or cosmic items, you would have evolved into a terrifying force of your own without any of my assistance.]
Aeon was stunned, a flicker of profound doubt crossing his gold-and-purple eyes.
Before he could question the system further about the terrifying implications of Infinite Evolution, a sudden wall of sound shattered his focus.
The colossal amphitheater below had descended into absolute madness. Nobles were frantically leaping from their seats, exchanging words of panic, terror, and pure disbelief.
"Another one?! Another person with a Divine-rank talent?!" a high-ranking noble shouted, his face turning completely pale as a cold sweat broke across his forehead.
"This is impossible!"
"This isn’t a good omen," an elderly marquis added, his voice trembling with a mixture of awe and deep dread.
"Birthing two Divine-rank talents in a single generation after centuries of silence. This either means a horrific calamity is fast approaching, or we are stepping into a terrifying Golden Age."
Up on the imperial dais, Emperor Drakon’s voice suddenly boomed over the rising chaos, carrying a tone of absolute grandeur.
"Fabulous! Truly, my Empire is heavily blessed by the cosmos! To witness the birth of two Divine-rank talents within a single generation. I am beyond happy!"
High up in the VIP lounge, the great ducal families stood completely frozen like statues. Their jaws had practically dropped to the floor.
Aldrich and Elisabeth were trembling visibly, their hearts bursting with pure excitement and unbridled joy.
There was no need for them to be confused about how their son had suddenly manifested a Divine-rank talent and a cascade of EX-rank attributes—the falsified status screen was perfect. Their son had done it.
He was destined to become a peerless warrior, respected and feared by the entire world.
Realizing that the crowded hall was no place to continue dissecting his true status window, Aeon closed the screen. He offered a flawless, respectful bow toward the Imperial Family before turning around to walk back up the grand staircase.
Smiling calmly, he glided past the stunned, staring nobles and returned to his designated seat in the VIP box.
Sophia was staring at him in absolute shock. But the moment Aeon locked eyes with her and offered a warm, playful smile, the young dragoness instantly grew flustered. A deep crimson flush crept up her cheeks, and she quickly looked down at her lap to hide her burning face.
"You..you did it too, Aeon," Sophia whispered softly, her eyes glued to her feet as a beautiful smile tugged at her lips. "I am so happy for you."
Aeon chuckled, reaching out to gently rub her soft red hair. "Thanks, Sophia. I was pretty dazzling out there, wasn’t I?"
Sophia didn’t answer. She froze entirely, her mind going completely blank the moment his warm hand touched her head. She could only offer a rigid, frantic nod in response.
"Yes! You were absolutely incredible, bro!" Alex chimed in from the side, intentionally shattering the emotional silence of the box and drawing amused glances from the surrounding parents.
Down in the box, Duke Ignis Solaris burst into his signature, booming laugh.
"Hahaha! This is absolutely fabulous! Your son is going to become an unprecedented monster on the battlefield, Aldrich, Elisabeth! I swear, I can’t wait to see how strong he becomes when he finally reaches my level. I’m practically itching to fight him right now!"
Smack!
"Shut up, you idiot! The only words that ever come out of your mouth involve fighting!"
Duchess Eleanor snapped, delivering a sharp, flawless strike to the back of her husband’s head.
Duke William Storm chuckled softly at the display. "Huhu, ’Eggnis’ is actually right for once. The boy is going to be a fine warrior."
Ignis, who had gone completely silent and sulked after his wife’s slap, instantly snapped his head toward William the moment he heard that specific nickname. His fiery red eyes practically flared with rage. "What did you just call me?! I told you a thousand times never to use that name!"
William completely ignored the raging red dragon, turning instead to Aldrich and Elisabeth with a warm, genuine smile.
"Congratulations, Al, Ellie. You have been blessed with a truly magnificent son."
The rest of the ducal members quickly joined in, showering the Astaraeas family with heartfelt congratulations.
Aldrich and Elisabeth beamed with pride, returning the compliments with polished words of gratitude.
As the joyous atmosphere continued to ripple through the VIP lounge for a few minutes, the announcer’s magically amplified voice boomed across the four-story hall once more, bringing an immediate hush to the crowd.
"Let us proceed to the final awakening. The last person. Her Highness, Princess Elysaria Drakonius."
Elysaria, who had been sitting gracefully beside the Empress, stood up smoothly. She possessed radiant golden hair and piercing golden eyes, her black dragon horns adorned with the intricate, shimmering gold dragon patterns of the imperial lineage. Dressed in her magnificent royal robes, she looked delicate yet dazzling.
She walked down the central aisle with absolute, unyielding royal grace. Upon reaching the center stage, she wasted no time, steps, or breath—she stepped straight up to the pedestal and pressed her palm firmly against the Awakening Crystal.
Whoosh!
For the third consecutive time that morning, a brilliant, blinding torrent of Golden Light detonated from the core of the orb, wrapping around her royal silhouette before punching a massive column of d
Cosmic energy straight through the palace ceiling into the high stratosphere.
The crowd of spectators didn’t even attempt to mutter or whisper this time. Instead, a deathly, terrifying realization washed over their faces.
Their expressions turned entirely pale, as if their minds had finally connected the dots to a horrifying, ancient truth.
After a few tense minutes, the roaring golden pillar slowly faded back into the crystal. Elysaria calmly withdrew her hand, reviewing her private status window while the primary system cast her public metrics into the open air.
< Name: Elysaria Drakonius >
< Talent: Divine >
< Special Talent: Chrono Dominion > [ EX ]
< Path: Arcane >
< Cultivation: Not yet cultivated >
< Physique: Runic Nexus Physique > [ SSS ]
< Bloodline: Astral Dragon Bloodline > [ EX ]
< Affinity/s: Astral > [ EX ]
The entire audience stared blankly at the massive hologram. No one cheered, or whispered. Their eyes remained entirely glued to the glowing golden text, their faces completely devoid of color.
Logically, they should have been ecstatic that their empire had just birthed three separate Divine-rank monsters in a single day. But every single adult in that hall knew exactly what this unnatural concentration of power meant.
A world-ending calamity was coming.
Before the Great Merge, the dragons, elves, dwarves, and other powerful races had existed entirely within their own isolated dimensions and separate worlds. Though most of them had successfully integrated with cosmic energy and mastered the arts of cultivation, their worlds were eventually shattered when the Voidborn first attacked.
The dragons, the dwarves, the elves, and another ancient human civilization had ruled their respective realm back then. Though no one knew where that specific human civilization had vanished to, their original world had been thoroughly plagued by the devastation of the Voidborn.
During those peaceful eras, a Divine-rank talent had never existed. It was only when exceptionally high-ranked, catastrophic Voidborn entities launched a full-scale invasion on their world, causing trillions of casualties that the very first Divine-rank talent was suddenly born from the universe’s survival instinct. Within a hundred years of that horrific war, five more Divine-rank users had suddenly awakened across the different races, mirroring what had occurred on the original Earth.
The universe only birthed Divine-rank counter-measures when it was preparing for total extinction.
Emperor Drakon slowly stood up from his golden throne, his massive, EX-rank imperial pressure washing over the entire amphitheater, instantly anchoring the trembling hearts of his subjects.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the Emperor spoke, his deep, resonant voice echoing with absolute authority. "Every single person in this hall understands the weight of what has transpired today. While we cannot be one hundred percent certain that our world is on the precipice of an immediate calamity, know this: this is undeniably a Golden Generation.
Our Valtthoros Empire has birthed three Divine-rank talents in a single generation. Let us celebrate this monumental strength, rather than allowing ourselves to become paranoid over what may or may not come in the near future."
He paused, his golden eyes narrowing into razor-sharp slits as his aura flared dangerously.
"Since the awakening process has officially concluded, everyone except the Great Ducal families must depart the palace immediately."
He then looked at them with serious expression, his voice dropping into a chilling, commanding tone. "And one more thing. No one outside of this room is to ever know who awakened these Divine-rank talents, or what specific attributes manifested during these last three ceremonies. Is that absolutely understood?"
The lesser nobles quickly glanced at one another, the unspoken threat of imperial execution hanging heavily over their heads. They stood up in perfect unison, bowing their heads deeply toward the throne.
"YES, YOUR MAJESTY!"
With frantic but disciplined movements, the counts, marquises, and their children slowly filed out of the massive amphitheater, leaving the grand hall completely hollowed out.
Up in the VIP lounge, the heads of the four Great Ducal families stood up.
Accompanied by their awakened children, they descended the grand staircases and assembled directly before the imperial throne.
The Guardian Duke’s family, House Crownshield, stepped forward as well, forming a tight, powerful circle of the empire’s ultimate powerhouses.
Empress Seraphina was the first to speak, her elegant voice entirely devoid of its previous warmth. "As you all witnessed, the golden pillars of light generated by these children shot directly into the upper stratosphere. With a phenomenon of that scale, it is completely impossible for the Voidbound Cult’s spies inside the capital to have missed it."
Emperor Drakon nodded grimly, his face dark. "No one is to speak a single word regarding which specific children hold the Divine talents. Security across all five ducal borders must be immediately quadrupled."
The dukes and duchesses stood in dead silence, waiting for their sovereign’s final command.
"Furthermore," the Emperor concluded, a lethal, bloodthirsty aura erupting from his body that made the very air crackle, "hunt down and execute every single member of the Voidbound Cult currently hiding within the capital. They have undoubtedly seen the light, and it is highly probable that they have already attempted to transmit this data to their higher-ups.
Since they wish to look at our sky, clear the imperial land of their pathetic plague entirely."
The Emperor fell silent, the absolute decree given.
The Dukes and Duchesses bowed their heads in perfect, synchronized military precision, their voices echoing off the empty walls.
"Yes, Your Majesties!"
.....