raknovel Chapter 269: The Decoration Ceremony
Chapter 269: The Decoration Ceremony
"He's here..."
Hans whispered, his voice barely audible over the hum of the suspension arrays.
Beside him, Lily clutched his hand with enough force to turn her knuckles white,
her small face tilted upward with a mixture of raw tension and unfiltered hope.
Mig had finally set down his notebook, his academic detachedness replaced by a
singular, intense focus on the sky. Nearby, Bishop Anchi and Sister Cecilia had
ceased their bickering. Cecilia stood with her hands clasped before her chest,
her lips moving in a frantic, silent prayer. Anchi stood as straight as a spear,
the perpetually bored mask he wore finally cracking to reveal a sliver of
genuine solemnity.
Scarlett had been on her feet for minutes, her predatory eyes locked on the
shimmering rift. The city was a sea of millions, yet not a single cough or
whisper disturbed the air. There was only the rhythmic, magical drone of the
Grand Array echoing through the heavens.
Then, a silhouette stepped out from the sapphire light.
It was a skeleton, draped in magnificent black robes wreathed in liquid gold
embroidery. Atop his skull sat a crown—simple in design, yet radiating an aura
of absolute, crushing authority. As he stepped into the sky, the soulfire in his
sockets burned with a ferocious intensity. He didn't release a wave of pressure;
he didn't even move. He simply hovered there, suspended by his own will, looking
down at the world he had claimed.
And yet, that singular, quiet entrance hit the crowd harder than any shout. The
lizard-brain instinct of every living thing in the radius screamed a single
directive: Submit.
"The Sovereign..."
The whisper started in a single row and expanded like a wildfire. Then, the
amphitheater exploded into a roar that likely rattled the teeth of the dead.
"LONG LIVE THE SOVEREIGN!" "GLORY TO THE EVERNIGHT!" "MY LORD! LOOK UPON US!"
Tens of millions of voices joined in a primal cadence that seemed to push back
the very clouds. In the stands, countless subjects fell to their knees, reaching
toward the sky in an act of pure, unadulterated devotion. They waved their hands
with a frantic, desperate energy, terrified and thrilled by the proximity of
their God.
Hans watched the silhouette in the sky, his mind flashing back to the dirty
street corner where his journey began. His eyes grew damp. This is the man who
gave us a world, he thought.
Lily tugged on his sleeve, her voice a tiny squeak. "Hans... is that really
him?"
"Yes," Hans replied, his voice thick. "That is our Sovereign."
Lily blinked, tilting her head with the innocent clarity of a child. "He
looks... so powerful. But... he doesn't feel as scary as the stories say."
Hans paused, then offered a small, sad smile. "That's because he isn't just a
King, Lily. To us, he is the Wall."
High in the sky, Kaito looked down at the staggering ocean of souls.
To be honest, he was having a momentary system overload. He had projected a few
million might show up; instead, it looked like the entire Empire had decided to
take a holiday. The scale was surreal—more intense than any stadium concert he'd
seen back in Japan.
[My Sovereign,] Greed's voice resonated through the link. [The logistics are
finalized. The stage is yours. Commencement authorized.]
Kaito drew a long, steadying breath. He channeled his Od, allowing his voice to
be carried by the Arcane Legion's amplification arrays until it reached every
ear in the sector.
"Subjects of the Evernight."
"Today is the day of our collective glory."
"Three days ago, a host of inter-planar heretics invaded the Gale Prairie,
intending to reduce our hearths to ash. They intended to prove that our peace
was a fragile illusion."
"They failed."
"They failed because we possess the most dependable legions, the most courageous
warriors, and a populace that refuses to break!"
"Because we are the Evernight Empire!"
As he finished the sentence, the city roared back, a tidal wave of sound that
made the floating stage vibrate. Kaito waited for the frequency to settle before
continuing.
"Today's ceremony is not for me. It is for the heroes who held the line."
"Whether you are a soldier who stood firm in the breach, or a resident who
seized a blade to defend your neighbors."
"Whether you are Human, Elf, Orc, or Succubus."
"If you have bled for this soil, if you have spent your sweat for our flag...
you are a Hero of the Empire."
"Your deeds are now part of our eternal archive."
Kaito raised a bony hand, giving a sharp, authoritative sweep.
"LET THE DECORATION COMMENCE!"
BOOM!
From the four corners of the Celestial Stage, thousands of magical pyrotechnics
shot into the high atmosphere. They didn't just explode; they wove images into
the air. Giant portraits of every race. The crests of the Seven Armies. And
finally, the iconic chibi skeleton head that served as the Empire's seal.
The grandstands were a choir of "Oohs" and "Aahs."
"Magnificent..." Scarlett murmured, her gaze never leaving Kaito's silhouette.
Beside her, Kura was jumping up and down like a hyperactive pup. "Is this the
Sovereign's power?! It's too cool!"
Anchi had somehow produced a fresh bottle of wine. He twisted the cork, took a
massive swig, and silently hoisted the bottle toward the sky in a private toast.
Cecilia was a sobbing mess, her face buried in a handkerchief while Danica
frantically patted her back.
Hans watched the light show, feeling a surge of pride that nearly choked him.
On the stage, Greed stepped into the center. His voice was projected with
clinical clarity.
"First, we summon the representatives of the citizen-defenders of Gale City!"
Beams of light—localized teleportation arrays—ignited on the dais. As the
radiance settled, several hundred individuals appeared. They were a ragtag
collection of valor: a white-haired human smith, a scarred Elven tracker, a
stout Dwarven miner, and even a group of beastkin youths from the lower
districts.
They wore their finest tunics, though many were visibly shaking as they stood
before the staggering height of the Sovereign.
"These citizens did not flinch when the Void looked back at them," Greed's voice
announced. "They used their own flesh and blood to construct a wall alongside
our legions. For this, they claim the highest honors."
Kaito walked slowly toward them. He looked into each face—seeing the exhaustion,
the lingering trauma, and the fierce, burning pride. He stopped before a young
human boy at the front.
"Garr Green," Kaito stated. The boy jolted, staring up in disbelief as the
Sovereign spoke his name. "I... Present, my Lord!"
"During the engagement, you organized the civilian resistance and assisted in
the alignment of the defensive arrays, increasing lethality by ten percent. Your
initiative was exemplary."
Kaito extended a hand. A golden medallion drifted through the air, anchoring
itself to the boy's chest. It was the Honorary Citizen's Crest, etched with the
Imperial seal and the recipient's name.
"This is your glory," Kaito said, his voice flat yet resonating with power.
"From this day forward, you and your descendants for three generations claim
full Citizenship. You have earned your place in the sun."
Garr dropped to one knee, slamming a fist against his chest in a perfect
Imperial salute.
Kaito moved through the line, reciting names and deeds as he pinned the medals.
To these people, they were just defending their homes. They never imagined their
Sovereign would know their names, let alone speak them before a hundred million
witnesses.
By the time the last medal was set, every representative on stage was on their
knees, weeping or shouting their loyalty.
"FOR THE EMPIRE! FOR THE SOVEREIGN!"
The sentiment was taken up by the grandstands. In that moment, Kaito felt it—the
atmospheric shift. Pure, concentrated Faith Points began to flood into his well
from every soul in the city.
Not just the heroes on stage. Not just the millions in the stands. But the
hundreds of millions watching the projections across the prairie. Their
resonance reached a collective peak.
[Faith Points +500,000,000] [Faith Points +500,000,000] [Faith Points
+500,000,000]
In the span of minutes, his depleted reserves were refilled by billions of
points. The rate of acquisition was statistically staggering.
Kaito allowed himself a tiny, internal sigh of relief. Logistics secured. The
Ceremony was worth every copper.
☆☆☆
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