1. The Midnight Sea
A storm churned over the sea. Not one born of weather, but of magic and war.
Velmondria's harbor, once radiant with bioluminescent coral reefs and merchant lanterns, now echoed with the screams of sirens and crackling mana bursts. Dozens of defensive turrets lined the cliffs, each infused with arcane cores mined from the island's own heart.
And yet, above it all—through the storm clouds and darkness—descended Ardyn Vel Caelora.
Not upon a dragon or warship.
But on a floating obsidian platform wrought from system-forged alloys, cloaked in kinetic runes and suspended by null-gravity enchantments.
He was no longer just a king.
He was an avatar of inevitability.
2. The Gilded Response
Inside the fortress-palace, Duke Varn Luthaire stood in ceremonial armor plated with gilded starmetal, flanked by his elite.
"Sound the Ascendant Bell. Deploy Sky Lancers. Bring out the last Phoenix Core."
The tower above him lit with crimson pulses. A long-dormant mechanical chimera roared to life—a warbeast of forgotten eras—its wings shaped like crescent sails, its body brimming with overcharged mana.
"I won't bend," Varn whispered. "Not to a boy with a divine interface."
3. Interface: Battle Initiation
Ardyn's interface shimmered in front of him as he floated above the city.
[TARGET ACQUIRED: VELMONDRIA CAPITAL]
[OPERATIONAL PHASE: ASSAULT 1 INITIATED]
Select Active Deployment:
[x] King's Vanguard
[x] Stormforge Artillery
[x] Skybreaker Protocol (LIMITED)
Bonus Mission Active: Disable Phoenix Core before it ignites
He nodded.
"Begin."
4. Lyra's Fire
On the western cliffs, Lyra Sonell, Aetherfire mage and Ardyn's elite spellcaster, leapt forward with a blade of living flame in one hand and a sphere of crystallized lightning in the other.
She crashed into the enemy's frontline like a goddess of the old world.
"Flamecode: Entropy Spiral!"
Pillars of pink-gold fire twisted through enemy constructs, searing through enchanted armor and breaking siege arrays apart in waves.
Velmondrian mages scrambled to form wards, but Lyra had trained under the System's Elemental Evolution Protocol. Their magic was linear. Hers was algorithmic.
5. Vanguard Unleashed
From the northern shoreline, Kaelus Dray climbed a sniper's roost—three kilometers from the main courtyard.
He breathed once, twice—then fired.
[CRITICAL HIT — RIGHT RETINA: Enemy Commander Down]
[Tactical Window Opened: Western Gate Exposed]
At that very moment, Commander Hirael and the Titanshield battalion marched through the breach with storm-blessed halberds. They moved in formation, powered by synchronized mana rhythms, shields resonating like thunder as they pushed back line after line of Velmondrian defenders.
6. The Chimera Awakens
Inside the central vault, Varn activated the Phoenix Core, sealed for over 200 years. The ground trembled. A shell of obsidian cracked open, revealing a creature ten stories high, cloaked in flame and bound by ancient sigils.
Its wings spread, eclipsing the palace.
"End this," Varn hissed. "Reduce Caelora to ash."
The Chimera screeched—and took flight.
7. King vs. Beast
Ardyn extended his hand.
[SYSTEM ABILITY: GRAVITY SCRIPT — NULL ORBIT]
The skies bent as the Chimera met him midair. Their clash erupted in a dome of inverted gravity and plasma.
He landed on its back, stabbing The Crownblade, his divine-tier artifact, into its spine. It shrieked, twisting violently, throwing lightning across the skies.
"I gave you a chance, Varn."
He surged mana from his system core directly into the blade, activating:
[CROWNBLADE ART: CELESTIAL DISMANTLING]
A flash. The beast burst in midair—its wings shattered into crystal motes, its body disintegrated into mana fog.
Ardyn descended through the falling embers, landing silently on the palace balcony.
8. The Gilded Fall
Duke Varn stood waiting, sword drawn.
"So. The king comes alone."
"Not alone," Ardyn said. "With history behind him."
The duel was brutal—flashes of steel and bursts of mana—but the outcome was never in doubt. Varn fought with desperation; Ardyn with inevitability.
Ten strokes later, the gilded sword fell.
Ardyn pinned Varn down with a gravity rune, kneeling beside him.
"This didn't have to be your end."
"Then... finish it."
"No," Ardyn said. "You will live. You will witness."
9. Reclamation
By dawn, Velmondria's city flags were replaced with the royal sigil of Caelora: a crowned sun over oceanic rings.
[QUEST COMPLETE: CRESCENT RECLAMATION]
Reward Unlocked:
Royal Decree Token +1
Artifact Blueprint: Stormforge Armada
Loyalty Modifier: +5% (Neutral Territories)
Access Granted: Guild Reformation Interface
Ardyn stood in the command tower, overlooking the city as crews dismantled war machines and began repairs.
Selene approached. "You saved thousands by ending this quickly."
"It's not about saving," Ardyn murmured. "It's about building something too strong to challenge again."
10. A New Banner
Later, he met with surviving guildmasters.
"Velmondria will not be punished," he said. "It will be upgraded."
He dropped the System Interface scroll on the table, now linked to Caelora's central authority.
"You may rule yourselves. But under one banner. One future."
They looked to each other. Some hesitant. Others awed.
But none refused.