A breathless stillness enveloped the throne room.
Arthur stood alone before the Emperor, feeling as if time itself had stopped responding to the world around him. Solan Marvek Elydrion, the ruler of the greatest empire in the world, looked down at him not with judgment—but with deep, unreadable eyes.
"I have a Divine Core, too," the Emperor said calmly.
Arthur's heart skipped a beat.
His breath caught in his throat. He knows. He knows. Panic surged within him. His secrets—ones not even his father knew—were being unraveled by this man like pages of an open book.
Solan let out a small, amused chuckle, breaking the tension. "Don't worry," he said gently. "There is no other one in this world who holds a Divine Core right now... at least, not yet."
Arthur stared, unable to speak. The Emperor continued.
"I've searched, seen thousands of prodigies over decades. I've studied them all—monarchs, demons, heroes, monsters. None possess what you and I do." He leaned slightly forward, golden eyes glinting with ancient wisdom. "But I can't say the future won't change. For now, though… you and I are the only ones."
Arthur slowly lowered his head, tension weighing on his chest. After a long pause, he finally whispered, "…Yes."
Solan said nothing, simply watching.
"I… I do have a Divine Core," Arthur said, more firmly this time. "It was… placed inside me. By an entity. I don't know his name. He had a flute in his hand when he appeared. His face… I couldn't see it. Or maybe I did, but…" Arthur clenched his fists, eyes narrowing, "I forgot. I can't remember anything clearly after that moment."
The moment the words left Arthur's mouth, Solan's expression shifted.
His relaxed posture stiffened slightly. His brows furrowed. He muttered, almost to himself, "…A flute? Hidden face? That… that must be someone from the Upper Realm… far above our reach."
Arthur's head jerked up. "Upper Realm?" he blurted, "You know about it?! How?!"
Solan turned his gaze to Arthur, a faint smile returning to his lips, but now layered with gravity.
"Anyone who reaches Rank 9 can ascend," he said. "That is the law of this world… and the threshold to the next. The Upper Realm is not just a myth—it is the world beyond, where true gods, ancient beings, and higher laws reside."
He stood slowly from the throne, the sigil of the phoenix behind him casting a long shadow. "But most people in this world… have no idea it exists. Only those who have stood at the peak—who have seen the edge of mortality—know of it."
Arthur's eyes widened. "Then… all those rumors, legends… it's all real?"
Solan nodded. "Very real. But it's not knowledge to be spread lightly. Please, Arthur—don't mention the Upper Realm anywhere. If word got out… this world would fall into chaos."
He paused, a thoughtful glint in his eye.
"I suppose… you learned of it from that boy. Julian Reinhardt, correct?"
Arthur blinked. "Y-Yeah…"
Solan gave a soft sigh. "That ring of his… the one guiding him… was once in my possession."
Arthur's jaw dropped. "W-What?!"
"I gave it to his father decades ago. A keepsake. But I assume the man never grasped its true value… and stored it away, forgotten. Somehow, the boy found it—and he was compatible."
The Emperor's voice lowered.
"Which means… the entity within that ring chose him."
Arthur shivered.
Entities from the Upper Realm. Divine cores. Secrets known to barely a handful.
Solan's next words echoed with finality.
"There are less than five people in this entire world who know the full truth. And you, Arthur Valerian… have now become one of them."
The silence between them thickened, broken only by the distant echo of flame-like mana flaring gently behind the Emperor's throne—where the phoenix sigil loomed, wings outstretched under a burning sun.
Solan Elydrion's golden eyes narrowed slightly as he regarded Arthur.
"Arthur," he said, voice low yet clear, "I can't see through your skills."
Arthur blinked. "What…?"
The Emperor's expression didn't change. "There are no beings in this world whose abilities I cannot read. I've seen through the Dragon Emperor's transformation. I've unraveled the Demon King's bloodline magic. I've understood the Pope of the Valhalla Church, whose soul is bound to a celestial artifact…"
He took a step forward.
"But you—" his gaze sharpened "—I can only see your Divine Form… nothing else."
A shiver ran down Arthur's spine.
Even the Dragon Emperor? Even the Demon King? He felt a cold sweat break over his back. The weight of Solan's words was overwhelming. The Emperor of Elydrion was not merely strong—he stood at the summit of the mortal world.
And yet…
Arthur looked down and inhaled slowly. "I… I apologize, Your Majesty," he said quietly, "but… I can't tell you about my skills."
Solan raised a hand, halting him gently. "Of course," he said with a nod. "Your skills and your secrets are yours to guard. I will never ask you to betray them."
Arthur lifted his head, surprised.
The Emperor smiled faintly. "If they are hidden even from my gaze… then they must be part of your fate. A thread tied by that entity who gave you your Divine Core."
Arthur nodded slowly, still cautious, but grateful.
Solan Elydrion returned to his throne, the gentle rustling of his robe echoing in the vast silence of the chamber. The divine weight in the room had mellowed, and for a moment, there was only a calm air of warmth—one not born from majesty, but something far older.
The Emperor looked at Arthur with a thoughtful expression, then spoke gently.
"Do you want to ask me something, Arthur?"
Arthur hesitated, surprised by the offer. But there was one question burning inside him, buried ever since he was a child.
"…I do," he said softly. "I've always wondered… how do you know my father?"
The question settled into the throne room like a drop in still water.
Solan remained quiet for a long breath. His eyes softened—not with pity, but with remembrance.
"…That takes me back," he said at last, his voice lower now, touched with age. "I suppose you deserve to know."
He turned his gaze upward, as if seeing a time long past.
"Your grandfather… was my dearest friend."
Arthur's eyes widened.
"He was bold. Wild. Reckless. But brilliant. His name was Kaien Valerian. A warrior with the mind of a king and the heart of a lion. In our youth, we challenged the world together—conquered dungeons, slayed ancient beasts, uncovered forbidden ruins... I can't count how many times we nearly died together."
A wistful smile ghosted across Solan's lips.
"Your grandmother passed away young—just after giving birth to your father. Kaien raised Alaric alone, carrying both the sword and the burden of fatherhood."
Arthur stood motionless, drinking in every word.
"By the time Kaien reached Rank 6, he was already being hailed as the next man to stand beside me at the peak. He would have reached Rank 9, I was sure of it."
The smile faded.
"But… it wasn't to be."
The golden hue in Solan's eyes dimmed, a flicker of pain tightening his brow.
"He was killed… ambushed by the leader of the Dark Order. Alone. Wounded. Right on the brink of ascending to Rank 9."
Arthur clenched his fists, feeling a strange ache he hadn't expected.
"I… I never knew."
"No one did," Solan replied. "I kept it hidden. To protect Alaric. And to finish what Kaien started."
He stood now, the shadows of the phoenix sigil flickering behind him like fire.
"Once I learned the truth, I hunted them. Every nest. Every cell. Every last echo of the Dark Order I could find—I burned them from this world."
His voice held steel now.
"But even then… I knew it wasn't over. I could feel it. They had hidden themselves deeper. Darker."
Arthur's breath hitched.
The Emperor stepped down from his throne, his tone softening again.
"From that day, I took Alaric under my care. Raised him like he was my own blood. He doesn't speak of it much. You know him—stubborn to the bone. But the bond between us… it's real."
Arthur felt a new clarity settle in him. It explained everything—the familiarity, the closeness, the weight in their words.
"I see," he murmured. "That's why you talk to him like that."
Solan smiled gently. "Exactly. Alaric is like a son to me. And that makes you…"
The light streaming through the high windows of the throne room danced on the imperial banners, casting shimmering shadows across the white-marble floor. Silence lingered again, comfortable and heavy, as Solan Elydrion watched Arthur with a thoughtful gaze.
Then, with a motion as gentle as a breeze, he raised his hand.
"I have something for you, Arthur."
Arthur blinked in surprise. "For me?"
The Emperor nodded. "I once gave it to my son, Crown Prince … but he lacks the kind of will needed to see the world to its true end. You, however…" he stepped down, a faint smile on his lips, "you may be the one who does."
From within his robe, Solan drew a small object and extended his palm. Resting in it was a simple silver ring—unadorned, unassuming. But the instant Arthur laid eyes on it, he could feel a subtle tremor ripple through the air.
A pulse. A whisper.
Arthur instinctively reached out, then paused. "What… is this?"
Solan's voice lowered, deepened.
"My archive of cultivation—every principle, every breakthrough, every truth I've discovered on my path to the peak. When you reach Rank 6, it will awaken."
Arthur's eyes widened. "This is… too precious. Your Majesty, I—I can't accept something like this—"
Solan chuckled warmly and placed the ring gently in his hand.
"Take it," he said. "As a gift… from a grandfather."
Arthur stood there, stunned, the cool weight of the ring settling into his palm like destiny itself. His voice caught in his throat, but he bowed deeply—this time not out of formality, but respect.
"Thank you," he whispered.
Solan stepped back toward his throne. "When you reach Rank 4, come to me. There is more I wish to give you… but only when you're ready."
Arthur simply nodded. Today had already tested the limits of his mind—his divine core exposed, truths about his ancestry revealed, and now… the cultivation archive of the strongest being on the planet resting on his finger.
The Emperor smiled.
Then, with a light snap of his fingers, the world resumed.
Time flowed once more.
Alaric, who had been frozen mid-breath, straightened and looked at Solan with practiced ease. But as his eyes glanced between Arthur and the Emperor, a knowing look flickered across his face.
"…He stopped time again, didn't he?" Alaric muttered under his breath, shaking his head with a sigh. "He always does this sort of thing."
Arthur chuckled faintly.
Alaric stepped forward and offered a respectful bow. "Then we'll excuse ourselves, Your Majesty."
Solan inclined his head. "Best of luck in Round 3."
Arthur smiled faintly. "Thank you."
As they turned and walked away, the giant throne room seemed to quiet once more—its secrets sealed again behind imperial silence.
But within Arthur, echoes lingered.
He's close to divine…
Elaris's voice rang quietly in his mind.
Arthur said nothing.
He was too tired.
Too full of thoughts.
Today, he had walked into the presence of the world's strongest… and left with far more than he'd ever imagined.
He needed rest.
But even in silence, the silver ring on his finger seemed to hum quietly—like a star waiting to awaken.