The Emperor's body had fallen.
The golden aura was gone.
Only ashes remained—a kingdom's worth of it.
The silence was thick and brutal. Until—
"HOW DARE YOU KILL OUR FATHER!"
The voice roared through the wreckage like a storm.Shang had arrived.
[The Heir Confronts the Traitor]
His Spiritual Force crackled violently around him—gold and red flames danced with fury, searing the ground beneath his boots. He landed just a few feet from the scene, and in an instant, Vareon turned around, eyes wide.
The brothers locked eyes.
One consumed by guilt, blood, and ruin.The other—a blazing avatar of retribution.
Both were Body Refining Tier 5.But only one still had strength left to fight.
Vareon's breathing was erratic. Blood dripped from every limb. The black aura that once cloaked him now flickered and trembled.
He couldn't win.
Not now. Not against Shang at his peak.
And he knew it.
So he did the only thing he could.
He ran.
Without a word, Vareon vanished into the distance—his cloak billowing, leaving behind nothing but smoke, the fallen Emperor, and the remnants of betrayal.
[Why Shang Couldn't Chase]
Shang clenched his fists—but didn't follow.
He could have. He wanted to.
But...
The battlefield was already decimated.Entire regions of the empire were in ruins.And the only survivors now were the few who had been evacuated before the chaos erupted.
Shang had been with them—overseeing their movement out of the danger zones on direct orders from the Emperor.
And now… he was one of the last royal heirs left alive.
He turned, eyes burning, jaw clenched.
His father was dead.His brother had fallen to darkness.And his people…?
He looked across the field.
So many were gone.
[The Cry Among the Ruins]
A sound broke through the smoke.
A faint crying.
It was small, soft, but real. Human. Alive.
Shang turned instantly, sword still drawn.
From beneath a shattered stone arch, partially buried in debris, sat a young girl—her robes torn, her knees scraped, her arm limp.
Tears streamed down her dust-covered face.
Her hands trembled slightly, glowing with a faint violet hue. All around her, debris was floating mid-air—held back by invisible force.
Not by strength.
But by raw, instinctive Spiritual Telekinesis.
And Shang recognized her instantly.
"Isabela…"
A commoner girl.The only one in her generation to awaken a Celestial Spirit—a miracle almost unheard of for those outside noble bloodlines.
Even among royalty, it was rare.
And yet, despite that, she had survived the cataclysm not through combat—but through sheer will and gifted instinct.
She had shielded herself from falling debris using her power. Her arms trembled. She was injured. But she was alive.
[Shang's Decision]
Shang sheathed his sword.
He knelt beside her, eyes softening.
"You did well, Isabela. You survived."
She looked up at him, barely able to hold her voice steady.
"T-They're all gone… everyone…"
Her words cracked.
Shang didn't speak.
Because he didn't have the heart to lie.
He lifted her gently into his arms, whispering as his gaze drifted toward the skies—
"I promise… the chaos ends here. And you—You'll help rebuild what we've lost."