Albert instantly went inside his room. He was excited.

A grand era was about to begin by his own hands, so he wanted to it perfectly to impress the emperor.

So he planned to announce this news with a grand manner too.

He reached into his spatial ring and pulled out a crystal ball.

It was weathered and etched with ancient, swirling runes that seemed to move when one looked away.

This was the artifact that had allowed him to build an empire, a relic that whispered the secrets of the Law of Command.

"My friend, it is time for you to work again," Albert said with a soft smile.

He channeled his newly restored energy into the crystal.

The artifact hummed, vibrating against his palm.

Suddenly, a strange, shimmering energy poured out of his body.

It coalesced behind him, forming a perfect duplicate made of pure, translucent light.

The clone began to grow.

It expanded past the spire, rising higher than the palace roof.

It did not stop until it was a colossal being of energy, standing one kilometer tall in the sky, visible for hundreds of miles.

Albert closed his eyes, connecting his consciousness to the giant.

Using his 50% mastery of the Law of Command, he projected his voice.

It was not just a sound.

It was an echo that vibrated through the fabric of space itself, bypassing distances that light would take years to travel.

"I am Albert Blankert. The new messenger of the Earth Empire," the giant's voice boomed, shaking the very clouds.

"Our new empire is created by His Majesty, Noah Aldric. For its coronation ceremony, we are inviting all the primordial empires, including the Dragon, Phoenix, Spirit, and Human races, to attend."

"We are arranging a tournament."

"You will all get a chance to challenge our empire."

"If you win, you can do anything to us, and you will also gain a Transcended weapon."

The giant paused, its eyes glowing with a cold light.

"But if you lose, you will have to become our subordinates."

"If you do not come, we will consider it a challenge, and we will attack you instead."

"The ceremony is one month from today."

The announcement finished.

The giant energy clone dissipated into stardust.

But the message remained etched in the minds of every living being in the universe.

In the heart of the Nova Empire, the Supreme Elder slammed his fist onto a table made of star iron.

The table shattered.

"Has that bastard finally gone senile? What is he talking about?" he muttered, his face contorted in a mix of confusion and rage.

He looked around the Elder Hall.

It had been weeks since he sent forty five of their top emissaries, including the Third Prince, to the Aetherion Empire to demand their surrender.

Not a single word had come back.

"What are they doing?" the Elder growled.

"Why haven't they killed that old man yet? And who is this Noah Aldric?"

The Nova Emperor, a man whose presence usually commanded silence, looked troubled.

"He challenged the other three supreme races too. This is madness."

"The Dragons and Spirits will think we are in league with Aetherion because we are the same race."

"This provocative announcement makes it look like the human race is trying to commit suicide and take us with them."

The royal family was boiling with anger.

They prided themselves on being the smart humans who stayed in the shadows of the Dragons.

Now, a senile ancestor from a dying empire was dragging them into a war with gods.

Deep within the volcanic peaks of the Fire Dragon Realm, the Young Prince of the Fire Dragons reclined on a bed of gold coins.

He shifted into his human form, a tall, muscular man with red scales tracing his jawline.

"Oh? A declaration of war from a human empire? Have they grown more balls or something?" he asked, a cruel, amusing tone in his voice.

He looked at his guards.

"Then we will go. It is getting boring around here."

"A little fun is okay."

"Besides, human flesh really tastes good when they think they are heroes."

He licked his lips, his slit pupils glowing with hunger.

In the Frost Lands, the Ice Dragon Princess brushed her white hair.

Her eyes were like frozen ponds.

"We never attacked them openly because of the Chaos Temple's rules on balance," she whispered.

"But now that they have provoked us so publicly, the Temple cannot blame us for wiping them out."

"I want that Transcended weapon for my father."

In the Phoenix Royal Castle, the air was filled with the scent of eternal spring.

A beautiful woman sat on a throne of living wood and fire.

She was the Queen of the Phoenixes, a race that rarely interfered in worldly matters.

"The Earth Empire? And who is this Noah Aldric?" she mused, her voice like a song.

"To challenge everyone at once, he is either the greatest fool in history or something much more dangerous."

"I am very intrigued."

"I will definitely attend."

Meanwhile, in the Spirit Empire, a realm of floating islands and pure energy, the reaction was one of pure disgust.

The Spirits considered themselves the pinnacle of evolution.

"A filthy race that is only alive because of our mercy is daring to provoke us?" an Elder Spirit hissed.

"Why? Why do they want to die so badly?"

"We shall go to this ceremony and turn their new empire into a graveyard."

While the universe was in an uproar, the Sorus estate was incredibly quiet.

Martha, Naomi, and Eric sat in the dining hall, staring at Noah as if he were a stranger.

"Son, you are really establishing an empire?" Eric asked.

His voice was shaky.

He was a simple man who had spent his life hiding in a small village.

The idea of his son challenging the entire universe was too much to process.

"But why are you provoking everyone? We could just live here in peace."

Rudi, who stood behind Noah like a silent shadow, answered for him.

"Uncle, the Earth Empire will be the pinnacle of the universe."

"It is only natural that we take everyone under our wings."

"Peace is only possible when you are too strong for anyone to even think about fighting you."

Noah patted his father's hand.

"Mom, Dad, don't worry."

"I will handle everything."

He turned his gaze toward his twelve generals.

"Sit down."

The eleven generals, men and women who were the strongest warriors Aetherion had to offer, sat cross legged on the floor.

Only Rudi remained standing, as he had already reached the Half Step Transcended realm through Noah's previous help.

Noah closed his eyes.

He began to forge.

Without a cauldron, using only his bare hands, he condensed the air itself.

Tiny, golden pills began to form.

They smelled of fresh rain and ancient earth.

"These are Enlightenment Spirit Pills," Noah explained.

"At your level, more energy won't help you."

"You need comprehension."

"These will allow you to see the Laws of the universe as clearly as the palm of your hand."

"You have one month."

As the generals took the pills and entered deep meditation, Noah walked to the center of the room.

He did not need pills.

He sat down.

The space around him began to warp.

To a normal eye, he was just sitting there.

But to a master, it looked like a black hole was slowly consuming the light.

Back in the Nova Empire, the tension was at a breaking point.

The Emperor and the Supreme Elder were discussing how to distance themselves from Aetherion when a spatial portal suddenly ripped open in the center of the Elder Hall.

The guards drew their weapons, but stopped when they saw who emerged.

Forty five men stepped out.

These were the emissaries sent to Aetherion.

Their auras were still at the peak of the Immortal realm.

But something was horrifyingly wrong.

Their eyes were vacant, flat, and grey.

They walked with the stiff, synchronized movements of puppets.

They stood in a perfect line and bowed deeply.

"We greet His Majesty," they said in unison.

Their voices were hollow, like wind blowing through a cave.

The Supreme Elder narrowed his eyes, a chill running down his spine.

"What is wrong with you people? Speak! What happened in Aetherion?"

The Third Prince, who was among them, did not move.

He did not even look at his father.

He just stared at the floor.

"Father…" the Prince finally whispered.

Suddenly, a tear rolled down his cheek, but his face remained expressionless.

"That bastard… he humiliated me."

"He made us… he made us dance."

"I want him to die."

"I want to die."

The Emperor rushed forward, grabbing his son by the shoulders.

"Son! What did he do to you?"

The Supreme Elder reached out to touch the Prince's forehead, but he recoiled instantly.

"His sea of consciousness… it has been rewritten!"

Suddenly, the Prince's mouth opened wide, and a different voice came out.

It was deep, calm, and carried a weight that made the Emperor's knees buckle.

"The Nova Empire," the voice of Noah echoed through the Prince's mouth.

"You sent these children to play in my house."

"I have returned them so you can see the gap between us."

"Come to the tournament."

"Bring your best."

"Or I will come to you, and I will not be so gentle next time."

The Prince collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

The other forty four emissaries fell like chopped trees.

The Elder Hall went silent.

The Emperor looked at his fallen son, then at the Supreme Elder.

"He did this from across the star system?" the Emperor whispered.

"He used our own people as messengers for his Law?"

The Supreme Elder did not answer.

He was looking at the horizon.

For the first time in his long life, he felt that the Nova in their empire's name, the light of a dying star, was finally coming true.

"We have no choice," the Elder said, his voice trembling.

"We must gather the ancestors."

"We must call upon the Hidden Sages."

"Either we crush this Earth Empire at the ceremony, or the human race will have a new god."

They didn't know what to do anymore. They could only send messages to those empires so that they wouldn't blame them for this pure foolishness.

He decided to contact the ancestor, because his brain was not functioning anymore.

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