Chapter 44: Chapter44-Elizabeth’s Will, The Empire’s Marshal

In the void, the battlefield that had been filled with the roars of battle now fell into an eerie silence.

The remnants of the Starsea Alliance fled in panic, their retreat resembling the receding tide, leaving behind countless burning wrecks and floating corpses that silently told the tale of the brutal skirmish.

Meanwhile, Dalton’s army—though suffering heavy casualties—remained in tight formation, like tempered steel radiating the iron-blooded aura of those who had survived countless battles.

All eyes were fixed on the special region of space at the center of the battlefield.

Twenty Astral Archmages from the Luminous Empire, accompanied by a venerable elder, were kneeling on one knee in the void, paying the highest form of tribute to Elizabeth, the commander of Dalton.

Elizabeth floated in the air, her golden military uniform fluttering slightly in the aftermath of the energy waves.

The Judgment Sword was still unsheathed in her hand, its blade exuding an intimidating edge that sent a shiver down the spine of anyone who dared look at it.

She gazed at the familiar yet unfamiliar imperial officials before her, especially the Astral Envoy elder, Camilius, the head of the Senate and a former mentor who had taught her swordsmanship.

“Elder Camilius, please rise.” Elizabeth’s voice was cold, breaking the silence with an air of detached authority. “The Empire’s fleet has come from afar. What guidance do you bring?”

Elder Camilius slowly stood, his platinum robes embroidered with intricate star patterns.

His eyes, full of wisdom and power borne of age, looked at Elizabeth with a complex gaze. In a deep voice, he spoke:

“Your Highness, the Emperor is… deeply concerned about you.”

“Since the great war, when you left without a word, His Majesty has been troubled day and night.”

“Now that we have received news of your whereabouts, His Majesty has spared no expense, crossing the Starsea to send word, commanding us to bring you back to the Empire.”

He paused, his tone carrying a subtle hint of urgency and concern.”The Empire is facing both internal and external strife. The Emperor’s health is failing, the throne is vacant, and various factions are stirring.”

“Your Highness, your bloodline is the purest of the royal family, and you carry the Judgment Sword Intent—you are an irreplaceable pillar of the Empire!”

“Your return now would stabilize the court and continue the Empire’s glory! How can this remote wilderness compare to the Empire’s brilliance and responsibilities? Please, Your Highness, think of the greater good and return with us to the capital.”

His words were sincere, clearly pointing out the Empire’s situation and the Emperor’s hopes, while subtly implying the immense power Elizabeth could wield upon her return.

The surrounding Imperial forces held their breath, waiting for the princess’s response.

To them, returning to the Empire to inherit the vast star systems was an unquestionable choice.

However, Elizabeth’s expression did not waver.

She slowly shook her head, her violet eyes filled only with resolve.

“Elder, I appreciate the Emperor’s concern and thank you for your efforts. But my decision is final.” Her gaze swept over the Dalton soldiers behind her, battered yet unwavering in their resolve, and then toward the miraculous city floating above Aresia’s sky.

“Here, in Dalton, is my true home. This is my battlefield. I am the captain of this ship—how could I abandon it?”

“Your Highness!” Elder Camilius’s expression darkened, his voice growing sterner. “Do you know what this means? It is defying the will of the Emperor!”

“It is betraying your responsibility as a member of the royal family! Do you understand the consequences of this decision?”

“The Empire’s responsibility, and the Emperor’s will, will be borne by the Empire’s laws and its many capable leaders.” Elizabeth’s voice suddenly sharpened, like the blade of a drawn sword.

“And my responsibility lies here—with Dalton, to live and die together!”

“If Elder insists on taking me back by force…”She flicked her wrist, and the Judgment Sword emitted a clear, resonating hum as its tip pointed forward.

A terrifying sword intent, capable of severing all bonds and deciding the fate of all, surged into the sky, shaking the surrounding space as it rippled through the laws of the void!

“Then let my sword decide whether that will happen!” Clang!

The sword intent exploded, making the very void tremble!

The overwhelming will was so decisive that Elder Camilius and the twenty Astral Archmages behind him all changed color in unison!

They could feel that Elizabeth was not bluffing—she was truly ready to go to war with the Empire itself!

Just as the atmosphere reached its breaking point—Vroom!!!

Two overwhelming and profound energies, seemingly originating from the very foundation of the universe, suddenly exploded in the sky above the Void Battlefield, colliding with a force that shook the cosmos!

One was the Holy Light Law of the Luminous Empire—pure and majestic, carrying an aura of supreme authority and iron-blooded order.

The other was the chilling and deathly Power of Annihilation, capable of erasing the very foundation of existence itself!

The intensity of these two energies far surpassed the Astral Archmage level, sending even Astral Envoy Camilius into a momentary state of unease!

“It’s Marshal Calvin!”

“The other energy… is it… the one who intercepted us? Are they still fighting?”

“It’s Aragis!”Everyone was stunned by the two energies colliding like stars in the void.

On the Dalton flagship, Koro pressed his face to the observation window, his eyes wide as he watched the distorted, flickering scene in the distance.

Although the exact details of the battle were unclear, the enormous, opposing forces of creation and destruction, colliding in the void, had already left a deep imprint on his soul.

His ring heated slightly.

“President… Is this what you meant by true cosmic power?”

“Is Aragis really fighting against such a monster?” The boy mumbled to himself, recalling how he had been chased by low-level demons in a pitiful state—compared to the forces shaking the stars now, it was like night and day.

His survival instinct and thirst for revenge were now fueled by a new intensity, burning brighter than ever.

“So this… is what power can achieve… To protect, one needs such strength!”

“I will become stronger, just like Aragis, just like President!”

“One day, I will have the power to protect everything I want to protect!”As he thought of Leo’s calm, yet commanding presence when he saved him, his sense of belonging to Dalton grew stronger.

Fiona, now in her Astral Ancient Dragon form, flew around Lilith’s squad, her molten gold-like dragon eyes filled with seriousness.

“The holy light is pure and vast, but the power of annihilation is even more ominous and tyrannical—how is it possible for it to counter the holy light law so effectively?”

“What other secrets does Dalton hide? And who exactly is the President?”She increasingly felt that her choice to follow Lilith was perhaps the best decision of her dragon life.

In the central control room of the star fleet, Magnar stood before dozens of holograms, monitoring the energy readings from the battlefield.

When the energies of Aragis and Calvin collided, the monitoring arrays went haywire, and the overloading alarms screamed!

“What is this?” Magnar pushed up his glasses, his normally calm face now filled with disbelief.

He stared at the energy spectrum—where the readings had far exceeded the normal limits for Astral Archmages, even touching on the Star Realm levels recorded in his database.

“The forces involved are so powerful that they can’t be confined to an independent space-time!”

“The Power of Annihilation is incredibly efficient at ’erasing’ the Holy Light Law… this is not just an energy clash—it’s a battle of rules themselves!”

“It seems my understanding of ’truth’ is still at a very shallow level…”

In the shadow of the void, Walter merged with the darkness itself.

In his “sight,” he could see the countless lines of energy and law surrounding Aragis and Calvin. Aragis seemed like a constantly expanding “void singularity,” breaking and consuming the laws in its path, while Calvin was like a burning star, attempting to weave those laws back together, only to be devoured by the singularity again.

“Astral Archmages… they can indeed interfere with and stabilize the trajectories of laws to some extent. But Aragis… he seems to be ’erasing’ laws themselves.”

“Any stealth or assassination skills of mine are meaningless in the face of this level of power. This is not something speed or hiding can resolve—this is a denial of existence itself.”

“It seems that ’Hat’s’ future training must extend beyond shadows… and start dealing with… rules.”Even Walter, usually indifferent, felt a chill deep in his soul and a strong desire for this higher-level power.

In the Crusader Command Center, King Thrain of the dwarves observed the battlefield through a special engineering automaton.

His thick beard trembled with excitement—not out of fear, but out of the fervor of discovering a rare treasure!

“By my forge and hammer! Did you see that? Did you see it?!”

He shouted to the dwarven craftsmen around him.

“Aragis’s armor! It has withstood so many attacks, and yet the main structure hasn’t deformed at all! Only the surface shows some energy etching!”

“And that spear! Each strike finds the weak points in the enemy’s energy structure! It’s not brute force—it’s structural disintegration! The material, the craftsmanship, the enchantment! It’s pure genius!”

“If I could get some of that armor’s scrap to study… no, even if I could just observe the runes on that spear closely…”

He was already thinking about how to approach Aragis after the battle, eager to discuss weapon forging, even though he knew it would be very difficult to get close to someone of that caliber!

On the edge of the star fleet, Elarielle stood still, her emerald eyes reflecting the ripples in the distant void.

She could clearly feel the Power of Annihilation emanating from Aragis, imbued with a sense of finality that would make any living being tremble.

Yet, at the same time, she felt the power was being controlled by an incredibly resilient will—one used for protection.

“Aragis could take such terrifying blows… Perhaps… my past sacrifices and persistence were limited when viewed from a larger perspective…”Her thoughts on power, on how to protect, shifted, opening her mind to new possibilities.

While Dalton’s forces stood in awe, some members of the Luminous Empire were nearly beside themselves with shock.

“Marshal Calvin, the ’Blade of Judgment,’ one of the Empire’s greatest pillars—his power ranks in the top three across the entire Empire!”

“He controls a star system more prosperous than hundreds of Aresia worlds! Yet here, in this remote star system, he struggles against an unknown foe?”

What was even more unacceptable was that the interceptor’s rank was lower than Calvin’s!

What a mockery of the fundamental laws of the cosmos!

The battle continued to rage as the two combatants—Aragis and Calvin—finally emerged from the Void Battlefield, both showing signs of fatigue.

Aragis’s blue armor had burned marks from the holy light, and his breathing was slightly labored.

Calvin’s platinum armor showed faint cracks, his once-perfect silver hair disheveled, his eyes full of solemnity and a hint of excitement from finding a worthy opponent.

They exchanged glances—no longer with animosity, but with a sense of mutual respect.

“Aragis.” Aragis spoke first, his voice still as calm as ever.

“Calvin Saint Yorns.”Calvin responded with equal formality, a greeting between worthy adversaries.

Then Calvin turned his gaze toward Elizabeth.

Seeing her standing with sword in hand, facing the Imperial officials, his heart knew the truth. With a slight bow, he approached her.

“Your Highness, long time no see.”

“Marshal Calvin,” Elizabeth replied, returning the bow. Though he had once been her superior and swordsmanship mentor, her position was unyielding. “I believe you already know my decision.”

Calvin raised a hand, signaling the elder Camilius to stay silent.

He looked at Elizabeth intently.

“This young lady, her resolve is stronger than ever. She will not easily abandon her convictions.”

“If she chooses to stay here, there must be a profound reason. For such a powerful figure as Aragis to be born in this world, what is the true source of this mana? ” His curiosity deepened.

He turned to Elizabeth.

“Your Highness, I understand your will. I will explain this to His Majesty.”

“But, if you don’t mind, may I be introduced to the one who would make the brightest star in the Empire stay here to protect?”

Elizabeth hesitated for a moment before mentally consulting Leo.

A moment later, she nodded.

“Since you wish, Marshal, please follow me into the city. The President of Dalton will meet with you.”

“It would be my honor.” Calvin’s eyes gleamed with interest, eager to accept the invitation.

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