Duchy of Galay, Cougs, inside the Noble Assembly Hall.
"All of these promises shall be incorporated into the Code, recorded in explicit text, and I as well as future kings and queens shall abide by them equally, no different from any ordinary noble! And their implementation shall be overseen by the Arcane Magic Parliament!"
When the nobles heard Natasha's impassioned and stirring words, not a single one remained calm. But suddenly, with a deafening boom, the alchemical device broadcasting the "live feed" fell silent, leaving behind nothing but a crackling hiss of static—no more signal of any kind.
"What happened?"
"What's going on?"
"Could Nexer Palace have been destroyed by the aftershocks of the Legendary battle?"
"Is it the Church, or the Parliament?"
"Songsong of Twilight" Yousener stared uneasily toward the northwest, in the direction of Lontard City. The intuition of an Epic Knight conjured visions before his eyes—as though a white-hot, incandescent sun were radiating infinite brilliance from that spot, followed by a towering mushroom cloud rising lazily into the sky, announcing its existence to the world.
At that moment, Master Joachin, president of the Silver Moon Song Alliance, appeared at the doorway, his face barely containing his joy, and announced: "Electromagnetic signals are in disarray—that means our 'Eternal Blazing Sun' has successfully detonated!"
"Eternal Blazing Sun?" Yousener murmured the words in confusion. A Legendary spell of this magnitude?
But he knew that under the current circumstances, even Joachin couldn't have any further information—all communications outward from Lontard had surely been severed.
Joachin's joyous and confident demeanor spread to the nobles. Coupled with their recollection of Natasha's speech moments before, every one of them felt a surge of emotion, as though a flame were blazing within. Their gazes split in two directions—some looked toward the Grand Duke of Galay, while others turned to Yousener with pleading eyes.
Yousener let out a soft breath, hesitating no longer. He strode up to the Grand Duke of Galay and dropped to one knee. "Your Grace, the old era has ended. A new age dawns. Please issue the decree to expel the radical Southern Church and retain only the moderate sect as the state religion!"
With a leader to follow, every noble rose from their seats and knelt on one knee. "Your Grace, please issue the decree—embrace the new age!"
Their voices merged into a single roar, reverberating through the assembly hall. Like a surging, unstoppable tide, anyone who dared stand in its way would be swept under and buried as a relic of the old era.
The Grand Duke of Galay set aside his bitter smile. Once the shackles of the old era were shattered, all previous orders would be restructured. In times like these, those who rode the current of history would remain kings and grand dukes—while those who defied the collective will of the nobility would be exposed as dogs colluding with the Church, to be purged without mercy.
All authority rested upon formidable power and a rigid order. His own family had no Epic Knights. When the old order was being swept away, the only thing he could do was rise to his feet and declare in a ringing voice: "I, the current Grand Duke of Galay, hereby decree the expulsion of the Southern Church and the retention of the moderate sect!"
"I swear upon my soul and destiny to the Lord of Hell—I shall return power to all of you, just as the Holm Kingdom has done!"
Yousener and every noble smiled. "We shall follow Your Grace to the death!"
…………
Capital of Briana, Saliwar.
"The Void Hammer" Bedrenka and "Knight of Calamity" Bassol knelt on one knee before the King of Briana alongside every member of the Noble Assembly. "Your Majesty, this is an unstoppable shift of the times. Please make your decision quickly—if the Parliament wins this war on its own, what purpose will we even serve?"
…………
Kingdom of Collette.
"The Life Reaper"—a "young man" with light brown hair whose face was usually adorned with a warm, cheerful smile. But now his smile had faded as he knelt before the King of Collette alongside the nobles. "Your Majesty, the arrival of a new age cannot be stopped. We must prepare for it. Please issue your decree to assist the Arcane Magic Parliament without delay!"
…………
The Northern Coastal Corridor, capital of the City Alliance, Kexwek.
"The Burning Lady" herself was the lord of Kexwek, but Natasha's final speech had moved her just as deeply—for it had sparked an idea, giving her a way to bind the loosely held City Alliance more tightly together. Combined with the intelligence flowing back from Briana, Collette, and Galay, she rose with a smile as radiant as a red rose and addressed the other nobles in the assembly hall: "I smell the scent of a new era. Therefore, I shall assist the Arcane Magic Parliament and restructure the form of our City Alliance. Does anyone object?"
The nobles knelt with enigmatic smiles. "We shall follow the lord's command in all things."
Who would dare object at a time like this?
…………
The moment the Grand Duke of Galay issued his decree, "Songsong of Twilight" rose at once and flew toward the sky beyond the city walls where "Shapeshift Master" Erika and "Wisdom Angel" Terence were locked in combat, intending to strike Terence from behind and forge merit for the new age.
But before he even drew close, "Wisdom Angel" Terence dodged the Rainbow Dragon's breath in an instant, used Divine Arts to break the lock-on, and fled through a chaotic teleportation.
"How did he know I was coming to kill him and not to help him?" Yousener stood frozen in bewilderment.
Erika shifted back to human form. Seeing that Yousener had not attacked, she immediately understood his decision and smiled. "I was planning to run as well. Any approach under these circumstances demands caution. After getting clear, confirming which side someone is on before coming back—that works just as well."
Had it not been for her fear of being ambushed by "Songsong of Twilight," she was confident she could have held Terence in place for a time.
Yousener suddenly realized—for Terence, whether friend or foe, fleeing had been the best choice. If things had gone badly, he could always circle back and strike once Yousener and Erika started fighting each other.