Chapter 198: Sound
Every Royal Bloodline awakened.
Denzel felt it.
Not as a sound.
Not as a voice.
As a pulse.
It traveled through his body and continued outward, beyond the chamber, beyond the facility, beyond anything he could see.
For one brief moment, he felt thousands of presences.
Some weak.
Some powerful.
Some confused.
Some afraid.
Then they vanished.
Denzel staggered.
The older man caught his shoulder.
"Stay standing."
Denzel pushed him away.
"What just happened?"
The man didn’t answer.
Denzel looked toward the ceiling.
The transparent Crown above his head was no longer invisible.
Seven points of light surrounded it.
The seventh was still glowing.
"Why did everyone awaken?"
The older man’s expression remained grim.
"Because the Crown announced its master."
Denzel stared at him.
"To the entire world?"
"Yes."
"That’s inconvenient."
The older man gave him a strange look.
Denzel rubbed his temple.
"I assume there was supposed to be a less noticeable way."
"There was."
"Good."
"You failed it."
Denzel sighed.
"Of course I did."
A low rumble passed through the facility.
The younger version of Denzel was gone.
The corridor had returned to normal.
But something had changed.
The walls were no longer made of ordinary stone.
Thin silver lines covered them.
They formed the same seven-pointed pattern as the Crown above Denzel’s head.
The system appeared.
[Royal Crown Trial: First Trial Complete.]
[Confrontation acknowledged.]
[Host has demonstrated sufficient authority.]
[Second Trial unlocked.]
Denzel stared at the message.
"Already?"
The older man looked at him.
"What?"
"The second trial."
His expression changed.
"You shouldn’t have received that yet."
Denzel looked back at the system.
[Second Trial: The Seven Thrones.]
[Objective: Establish the Host’s authority over the Seven Royal Bloodlines.]
[Failure Condition: Death.]
Denzel’s expression flattened.
"That’s a little extreme."
The older man read the message over his shoulder.
His face became even paler.
"It’s worse than you think."
"That seems to be everyone’s favorite sentence."
"The Seven Thrones aren’t going to accept you."
Denzel looked at him.
"Why not?"
"Because every one of them has a ruler."
Denzel paused.
"Seven rulers?"
"Seven Royal Bloodlines."
"So I’m supposed to replace them?"
"No."
The older man shook his head.
"You’re supposed to make them recognize you."
Denzel looked at the Crown.
"What’s the difference?"
"If they submit willingly, you become their sovereign."
"And if they don’t?"
The older man hesitated.
Denzel already knew the answer.
"They die."
Denzel’s eyes narrowed.
"That’s not authority."
"No."
The older man looked toward the darkness.
"That’s conquest."
Denzel remained silent.
He didn’t like the sound of either option.
A sudden tremor interrupted them.
The floor split.
The older man immediately stepped back.
Denzel looked down.
A thin line of black energy was spreading through the silver patterns.
The same darkness from beneath the chamber.
"Is that supposed to happen?"
"No."
The older man raised his hand.
The Crown above him flickered.
"Something is coming."
Denzel looked toward the end of the corridor.
"From below?"
"No."
The man slowly turned his head.
"From above."
A sound shook the facility.
Something struck the ceiling.
Once.
Twice.
Then the entire upper structure exploded.
Stone and metal rained into the corridor.
Denzel raised his hand.
Royal Authority erupted around him.
The debris stopped.
Hundreds of pieces of stone hung motionless in the air.
The older man stared.
Denzel glanced at him.
"What?"
"You just used Authority without thinking."
Denzel looked at the floating debris.
He hadn’t even realized he had done it.
He closed his fingers.
Everything dropped.
A massive hole had opened above them.
Through it, Denzel could see the night sky.
And something else.
Figures.
Seven of them.
They descended through the opening.
Denzel’s expression hardened.
Each one wore a different Crown.
Gold.
Red.
Blue.
White.
Black.
Green.
Silver.
They landed around the ruined corridor.
None spoke.
The older man stepped backward.
"The Seven Royal Heads."
Denzel looked at them.
"Those are the rulers?"
"Yes."
One of them stepped forward.
A woman wearing a crimson Crown.
Her eyes remained fixed on Denzel.
"You."
Denzel raised an eyebrow.
"Me."
"You awakened the Crown."
"Apparently."
"You have no right."
Denzel looked around.
"I wasn’t aware I needed permission."
The woman narrowed her eyes.
"You’ve broken the order of the Royal Bloodlines."
Denzel glanced at the Crown above his head.
"Seems like the Crown disagrees."
The woman’s Crown flared.
Crimson energy filled the corridor.
The older man immediately moved between them.
"Don’t."
She looked at him.
"Keeper."
His expression hardened.
"You know the law."
"There is no law above the Seven."
The older man shook his head.
"There is now."
Silence.
The woman looked toward Denzel.
"Then let him prove it."
She raised her hand.
The crimson energy condensed into a spear.
Denzel watched it form.
The older man turned toward him.
"Don’t fight her."
Denzel glanced at him.
"Why?"
"Because that’s what she wants."
"Then what am I supposed to do?"
"Command her."
Denzel stared at him.
The woman launched the spear.
Denzel raised his hand.
"Stop."
The spear froze.
The woman froze.
Everyone froze.
Denzel stared.
The crimson spear hovered inches from his face.
He slowly looked toward the woman.
Her expression was one of pure disbelief.
Denzel lowered his hand.
The spear dropped.
"You were saying?"
The woman’s Crown began shaking.
"Impossible."
Denzel felt something change inside him.
His Authority reached outward.
He could feel her.
Not her thoughts.
Something deeper.
The connection between her and her Crown.
It was like a thread.
Thin.
But obvious.
Denzel realized he could touch it.
He could pull it.
He could sever it.
He could command it.
The system appeared.
[Royal Authority connection established.]
[Target: Crimson Royal Bloodline.]
[Recognition: 3%.]
Denzel frowned.
"Three percent?"
The woman looked horrified.
"What did you do?"
"Nothing."
Denzel glanced at the notification.
"Apparently."
The other six rulers reacted immediately.
The golden Crown flared.
Then the blue.
Then the black.
The corridor filled with energy.
The older man shouted.
"Denzel!"
Denzel turned.
"Move!"
He did.
Seven attacks struck simultaneously.
Denzel crossed his arms.
The Crown above him expanded.
A transparent barrier formed.
The attacks slammed into it.
The impact shook the entire facility.
Denzel’s feet slid backward.
His shoes dug into the stone.
He gritted his teeth.
"That’s more than seven people should be allowed to throw at someone."
The barrier cracked.
Denzel felt his Authority draining.
He needed another way.
The seven Crowns were connected.
He could feel it now.
Not just to their owners.
To each other.
A network.
Seven rulers.
Seven Crowns.
One system of authority.
Denzel smiled faintly.
"Got it."
The older man looked at him.
"Got what?"
Denzel raised one hand.
"You said Royal Authority is permission."
The man’s eyes widened.
"Don’t."
Denzel ignored him.
He reached for the network.
The seven Crowns reacted.
The rulers immediately felt it.
Their expressions changed.
Denzel spoke.
"Kneel."
The command spread through the chamber.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then—
The crimson ruler dropped to one knee.
Her eyes widened.
The blue ruler followed.
Then green.
White.
Gold.
Silver.
Black.
One after another, all seven Crowns lowered.
The facility went silent.
Denzel stared.
He hadn’t expected it to work.
The system appeared.
[Royal Bloodline Recognition: 17%.]
[Seven Royal Bloodlines temporarily acknowledged Host authority.]
[Second Trial Progress: 1%.]
Denzel looked at the notification.
"One percent?"
The older man stared at him.
"You just forced the Seven Heads to kneel."
"Apparently that wasn’t enough."
The older man almost laughed.
It was the first time Denzel had seen him look genuinely amused.
Then the man’s expression changed.
"Look behind you."
Denzel turned.
The darkness had returned.
It was spreading through the cracks in the floor.
But this time, it wasn’t coming upward.
It was moving toward him.
Denzel’s Crown reacted.
The seven points began glowing.
The darkness stopped.
Then it formed a shape.
A hand.
Denzel stared.
The hand reached toward him.
The seven Royal Heads immediately backed away.
The older man went pale.
"No."
Denzel looked at him.
"What?"
The hand touched the floor.
A figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
It was the older version of Denzel.
But different.
The face was the same.
The body was the same.
The eyes were not.
They were completely black.
Denzel stared.
"You again."
The figure looked at the seven kneeling rulers.
Then at the Crown above Denzel.
Finally, it looked at Denzel himself.
"You shouldn’t have taken it."
Denzel frowned.
"The Crown?"
"The authority."
Denzel’s expression hardened.
"Why?"
The figure stepped closer.
"Because now it knows where you are."
Denzel’s stomach tightened.
"Who?"
The figure smiled.
Something behind Denzel moved.
He turned.
Nothing.
Then the voice whispered beside his ear.
"The one beneath the world."
Denzel froze.
The older man looked toward him.
"You heard it too."
Denzel nodded slowly.
The figure continued.
"Every Royal Bloodline awakened because you called them."
Denzel looked at the seven rulers.
"And?"
"You didn’t awaken them."
The figure’s smile widened.
"You woke something else."
The facility trembled.
The seven Crowns flickered.
The system appeared.
[Warning.]
[Unknown Authority detected.]
[Royal Bloodline network compromised.]
Denzel’s expression changed.
"What does that mean?"
The figure looked toward the ceiling.
"Look."
Denzel followed his gaze.
The night sky had changed.
Seven enormous circles had appeared above the facility.
Each one was the same color as one of the Royal Crowns.
They were rotating.
Slowly.
The seven rulers stared upward.
The older man whispered something Denzel couldn’t hear.
"What?"
The man looked at him.
"The Thrones."
Denzel frowned.
"What about them?"
"They aren’t on Earth."
Denzel looked up.
"Then where are they?"
The man’s face went pale.
"They’re beneath it."
The ground shook.
Far below the facility, something enormous moved.
Denzel felt the movement through his Crown.
Then through his bones.
Then through his blood.
A voice echoed across the world.
Not loud.
But everyone heard it.
"I remember you."
Denzel’s eyes widened.
The seven rulers collapsed to their knees.
The older man lowered his head.
Even the strange figure stepped backward.
For the first time since Denzel had seen him—
He looked afraid.
The system appeared.
[Second Trial interrupted.]
[Emergency Event detected.]
[The Seven Thrones are awakening.]
Denzel stared at the sky.
The seven circles began descending.
The figure beside him whispered:
"Run."
Denzel looked at him.
"You said that already."
The figure’s black eyes met his.
"This time, I mean it."
The first circle touched the ground.
The world shook.
Then the second.
Then the third.
Denzel watched the remaining four descend.
And somewhere beneath his feet—
Something began climbing toward the surface.