Chapter 71—Shadows Over Aethelgard.
Chapter 71—Shadows Over Aethelgard.
The tension lingering in the Plaza of Ascension was so thick it felt like cold iron.
Commander Julian stood completely motionless as the black ash of the destroyed vassalage scroll settled over his pristine silver boots. Around him, the watching crowds of players, merchant lords, and guild scouts whispered in hushed, panicked tones.
Nobody on Floor 2—not even the leaders of the top ten guilds—had ever dared to humiliate an official diplomatic envoy of the Radiant Covenant so publicly, let alone burn their royal treaty to cinders in the middle of a designated neutral zone."Commander..." one of the golden-armored executioner guards stammered, his gauntleted hand trembling as he gripped his halberd.
"Should we... should we pursue them? Call the City Enforcement Knights to declare a public infraction?""Pursue them?" Julian turned his head slowly, his face drained of all color, his sharp eyes flashing with a dangerous mixture of humiliated fury and lingering dread.
"Did you not feel his aura when his domain flared? The System wards didn’t even register his pressure as an explicit hostile attack. If we draw steel against that monster in the open streets, our heads will roll before the city guards can even finish spawning."
Julian gritted his teeth, pulling a glowing, blood-red communication crystal from the inner pocket of his coat. He tapped the surface with his mana-infused thumb, activating an encrypted frequency.
"Connect me to the High Citadel immediately," Julian ordered, his voice cold and shaking with suppressed rage. "Inform High Lord Aurelius that ’Sovereign Kaelen’ has rejected our terms without hesitation. Tell him... to assemble the Sun-Forge Legion. We are taking Sector 0 by force."
Meanwhile, three avenues away from the main plaza, Kaelen’s group walked through the grand commercial district of Aethelgard.
The city was a sprawling marvel of ancient floating architecture. Glass-roofed bazaars lined the wide white marble streets, where high-level players from upper floors traded enchanted dragon-tier weapons, rare alchemical ingredients, and spatial blueprints.
Above them, massive sky-carriages pulled by majestic, winged gryphons glided smoothly between the floating islands, their silver reins gleaming under the twin suns.
"That felt incredible," Ignis laughed softly, resting his heavy claymore comfortably over his broad shoulder as he walked alongside Ren.
"Seeing that arrogant diplomat turn pale as a sheet was worth the trip up the Waystone alone! He thought his shiny guild badge made him untouchable."
"Don’t celebrate just yet, Ignis," Ren replied coldly, his eyes scanning the endless streams of holographic data projected from his wrist gauntlet.
"The Radiant Covenant isn’t just a combat guild; they’re an economic monopoly on Floor 2. They own sixty percent of the auction houses, the forge districts, and the residential estates. By rejecting them, we’ve essentially locked ourselves out of every official market in the upper city."
"Official markets are built for those who need permission to trade," Kaelen stated smoothly, his low velvet voice brimming with absolute confidence as he held Lyra close against his side. "We do not ask for market access from lesser guilds. We create our own."
Lyra looked up at Kaelen, her bright blue eyes filled with quiet admiration and warmth. She leaned her head gently against his arm as they walked.
"Where are we heading then, Kaelen? If the Covenant controls the main upper districts, where do we establish our base on Floor 2 without violating city regulations?"
"The Undercity," Tsubaki’s voice whispered softly from the shadows cast by a nearby marble pillar.
The shadow-shinobi materialized at Kaelen’s left flank, holding a dark leather map scroll he had gathered from the local informant network. His sharp eyes scanned the surrounding rooftops for trailing scouts before he unrolled the dark parchment.
"Aethelgard is divided into two distinct realms," Tsubaki explained, his voice crisp and sharp.
"The Upper Spire—where the Radiant Covenant and the elite ruling guilds reside—and the Obsidian Vaults beneath the floating marble foundations. It is a lawless, independent sector governed entirely by the Black Market Syndicate. The System security wards do not reach the lower vaults."
"An unmonitored zone," Kaelen purred smoothly, a dangerous, dark smile curving his lips. "A place where power speaks louder than written laws. Lead the way, Tsubaki."
Ten minutes later, the party descended a winding, dark obsidian staircase hidden behind a grand waterfall at the northern edge of the floating island.
As they crossed the threshold into the Obsidian Vaults, the pristine white marble and bright suns of Aethelgard faded away completely, replaced by the dark, mysterious glow of bioluminescent purple crystals embedded in the cavernous ceiling.
Massive subterranean markets stretched out before them, filled with rogue assassins, shadow merchants, and outlawed player factions trading illegal dark-class artifacts.
---
[ZONE ENTERED: The Obsidian Vaults (Floor 2 Sub-Level)]
SECURITY STATUS: UNRESTRICTED (System Wards Inactive)
FACTION INFLUENCE: Independent / Syndicate Controlled
HAZARD RATING: HIGH (Combat Permitted)
---
The moment Kaelen stepped into the lower vault, dozens of hooded figures lurking in the dim shadows turned their heads. Sharp, predatory eyes locked onto Kaelen’s dark coat and Lyra’s glowing silver armor. In a lawless zone where combat was unrestricted, a small squad carrying high-tier gear was an immediate prime target for rogue player PK (Player-Killer) squads.
"We’ve got eyes on us," Ignis grunted, his grip tightening on his claymore hilt as his eyes darted toward the high rafters. "At least four PK squads are tailing us from the shadows."
"Let them watch," Kaelen murmured softly, his voice echoing with calm indifference. "They will serve as our messengers once the blood starts flowing."
They stopped before a massive, four-story fortress carved directly into the black rock of the cavern wall—the Grand Shadow Exchange, the central bank and estate manager of the Undercity.
A plump, lavishly dressed goblin merchant wearing glowing golden rings on every finger waddled out from the heavy iron gates, flanked by four towering iron golems armed with warhammers. He bowed deeply, his sharp yellow eyes gleaming with intense greed as he evaluated Kaelen’s group.
"Welcome, welcome, powerful travelers!" the goblin rasped in a high-pitched, cunning voice. "I am Master Jax, broker of the Vaults! I smell the heavy, intoxicating scent of raw gold and high-tier mana on you! What brings the famous Sovereign Faction to my humble establishment?"
"We require an estate," Kaelen commanded smoothly, stopping directly before the broker. "The largest, most fortified private stronghold in the Obsidian Vaults."
Jax blinked his large green eyes in genuine surprise, then let out a raspy, greedy cackle.
"Ah! Ambitious! The Aethelgard Shadow Citadel at the center of the vault is available! It possesses automated defense matrices, private spatial portals, and direct access to the lower dungeon floors! But... the price is astronomical, My Lord. Fifty million gold coins, paid up front in liquid cash!"
Jax chuckled, fully expecting Kaelen to negotiate, complain, or back down from such an outrageous sum.
Kaelen didn’t blink. He didn’t even shift his footing. He simply flicked his wrist.
THUD!
A massive, glowing spatial storage chest materialized out of thin air, slamming into the stone floor before the stunned goblin.
The chest burst open under its weight, spilling mountains of pure, glittering gold coins and high-tier mana gems across the obsidian floor—the exact reward granted by the System for clearing Sector 0!
---
[TRANSACTION INITIATED!]
PAYMENT DEDUCTED: 50,000,000 Gold Coins!
PROPERTY ACQUIRED: The Shadow Citadel (Floor 2 Base)
FACTION TERRITORY REGISTERED!
---
Jax’s jaw dropped so low it nearly hit his golden rings. The surrounding rogue players and PK scouts watching from the rafters gasped in sheer, unadulterated shock.
Fifty million gold paid instantly without a single second of bargaining was a sum only the top three ruling guilds on the entire floor could muster!
"Is... is this sum sufficient for immediate transfer?" Kaelen purred, his dark violet eyes looking down at the trembling goblin.
"S-Sufficient?! It is magnificent, My Lord!" Jax squeaked in terror and joy, bowing so low his long nose scraped the dusty floor as he handed Kaelen a heavy, glowing obsidian key-crystal.
"The Shadow Citadel is officially yours! All guards, defensive portals, and subterranean arrays are transferred to your sovereign authority!"
As Kaelen took the key, the entire subterranean cavern shook with a soft, deep rumble.
Above the four-story fortress, a giant purple banner bearing Kaelen’s sovereign crest unfurled automatically, radiating a powerful, protective aura of dark spatial mana across the entire Undercity.
---
[WORLD SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT!]
Faction ’sovereign’ has established a headquarters.
LOCATION: Floor 2 — The Shadow Citadel
TERRITORY STATUS: ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNTY
---
Standing beside Kaelen on the high balcony of their new stronghold, Lyra reviewed out the glowing subterranean city, her hand tightly clasped in Kaelen’s.
"We have our foothold on Floor 2," Lyra said softly, her blue eyes reflecting the purple glow of the bioluminescent crystals.
"The Radiant Covenant won’t let this stand, Kaelen. By buying the Shadow Citadel, you’ve taken the heart of the lower market away from them."
"Let them come," Kaelen whispered smoothly, pulling her flush against his chest as his dark coat wrapped around them both to shield her from the cool cavern draft. "Aurelius built his empire on brittle marble and false light. I will dismantle it in the dark."
Behind them, Ren stepped up to the main tactical console of the Citadel, his fingers flying across the holographic screens as the fortress’s defense grid roared to life with blue lightning.
"Kaelen! I just intercepted an encrypted military communication from the Upper Spire!" Ren called out, his expression darkening.
"High Lord Aurelius has mobilized the Sun-Forge Legion—three hundred Level 140 elite knights! They are surrounding the main entrances to the Undercity right now. They intend to block our access to the Floor 2 World Boss and starve our faction out."
Kaelen turned his head slightly, his dark eyes flashing with lethal, dark amusement in the twilight shadow of the Citadel.
"Tsubaki," Kaelen commanded softly.
"My Lord," the shadow-shinobi appeared instantly at his side, his hand resting loose on his black katana.
"Gather the shadow sentinels," Kaelen murmured, his voice carrying an absolute, terrifying calm that chilled the room. "Tonight, we hunt the hunters."