CHAPTER 37: The Shadow over the Golden Capital
*ARC 5: THE SOVEREIGN EMPIRE & THE IMPERIAL CONVERGENCE*
The Solari Golden Capital—the heart of the Central Realm and the seat of the three-thousand-year-old Solari Dynasty—sprawled across a vast, golden basin surrounded by five divine mountain peaks.
Towering white marble ramparts, reinforced with anti-divination rune arrays and defended by over fifty thousand elite Imperial Royal Guards, encircled the city. High above the central district, floating golden pavilions held the administrative halls of the ruling noble houses, creating an illusion of untouchable, immortal prosperity.
Yet, on this gloomy afternoon, an unnatural silence hung over the crowded streets.
Ever since Third Prince Julian had been dragged back to the palace with his limbs shattered and his Dantian sealed—bearing Gabriel’s stern, world-shaking warning—the entire capital had been placed under strict military lockdown.
BZ—ZZZ-T!
Without any warning, the sunny sky directly above the Imperial Palace turned pitch-black!
A colossal, multi-mile spatial shadow cast by the Floating Cloud Island glided slowly through the cloud layer, coming to a dead stop directly over the central palace spires!
Down in the palace courtyards, thousands of Imperial Guards panicked, pointing upward with trembling hands.
"Look at the sky!" "It's... it's the floating island of House Sterling!" "They actually came to the Central Capital?!"
WHOOSH!
High in the clouds, three colossal Sovereign Shadow Gates—pulsing with deep violet spatial lightning—tore open in a triangular formation around the palace perimeter.
Out from the dark spatial rifts stepped fifty black-clad System assassins from the Shadow Assassin Hall, led by Viper and Ghost. They landed silently atop the palace watchtowers, instantly neutralizing the array operators before a single warning bell could ring!
Sitting in the central white-and-gold luxury carriage hovering at the front of the floating vanguard, Gabriel looked down at the sprawling Imperial Palace through his spatial mirror.
Beside him sat Evelyn, her hand resting gently in his, while Ethan and Elena stood near the open carriage door, their dark navy-and-silver House Sterling coats fluttering in the high-altitude wind.
"Gabriel," Evelyn whispered softly, looking at the familiar spires of the Central Realm where the noble duchies had once dictated her fate. "The Imperial Court has mobilized all their high-tier defense arrays."
Gabriel smiled faintly, patting her hand reassuringly. "Let them mobilize everything they have. Today, House Sterling settles every debt."
Down on the grand marble plaza in front of the Golden Dragon Gates...
A massive defensive line of twenty thousand elite Imperial Royal Guards, clad in gold-plated dragon armor, stood in tight formation.
At the front of the vanguard stood the Four Imperial Marshals—all Late-Stage Martial Scholars—holding giant golden war-banners, their faces pale but set with desperate determination.
Behind them, the grand ironwood doors of the palace opened.
Accompanied by a retinue of senior ministers, The Solari Emperor stepped out onto the high dragon balcony. Clad in multi-colored imperial robes, his face was dark, rigid, and twisted with cold, suppressed rage.
Standing on either side of the Emperor were two ancient, white-haired figures wrapped in golden dragon cloaks—the Two Martial King Ancestors of the Solari Household!
"Gabriel Sterling!" the Solari Emperor’s voice echoed across the entire capital, amplified by spatial sound-runes to sound like rolling thunder. "We recognized your authority over the Northern and Southern Realms! We sent diplomatic gifts of fifty million spirit stones to your palace! Why do you bring your shadow vanguard to the gates of the Imperial Capital?!"
FLASH!
A golden spatial rift tore open thirty feet above the center of the Imperial Plaza.
Gabriel stepped out, landing gently on the white marble floor. He didn't bring Lord Tyrion or General Ignatius to his side, standing alone before twenty thousand heavy-armored guards, four marshals, and the royal family.
Behind Gabriel, Ethan and Elena stepped down from the rift as well, their posture relaxed, Ethan resting his linen-wrapped spear over his shoulder.
Gabriel looked up at the Emperor on the high balcony, his gold-tinted dragon pupils shining with calm, unshakeable authority.
"Your diplomatic gifts were meant to buy time," Gabriel said smoothly, his voice carrying across the silent plaza like a sharp blade cutting through silk. "You thought by yielding the outer realms, House Sterling would stay quiet while your intelligence networks finalized something in the dark beneath your vault."
The Emperor’s heart skipped a beat, a flicker of genuine terror flashing deep within his eyes!
"Insolent upstart!" one of the Martial King Ancestors barked, stepping to the edge of the balcony, his terrifying Early-Stage Martial King aura erupting into a roaring golden tornado that made the marble floor crack! "You rely on a few spatial tricks and dare to act arrogantly before the Solari Dynasty?! Marshals! Execute the twins first and show House Sterling the price of treason!"
The Four Imperial Marshals drew their golden broadswords, their Late-Stage Martial Scholar Qi flaring into a blinding golden wave as they pointed their blades at Ethan and Elena!
"CHARGE!"
Twenty thousand elite Imperial Guards surged forward like an unstoppable golden tsunami, their heavy boots making the entire capital plaza tremble!
Gabriel didn't even raise his hand to block. He simply looked at Ethan and Elena.
"Ethan, Elena," Gabriel said softly. "The Golden Dragon Gates are in your way. Clear them."
Ethan grinned sharply, touching his linen-wrapped spear, while Elena’s azure blade hummed softly inside its sheath.
"Yes, Dad!"