The crimson crack across Ronan's chest widened. The pulsing Genesis light inside his body began flickering erratically.CRACK...SHATTER!The Project Genesis Core inside his body broke into thousands of glowing fragments. The crimson aura that had surrounded Ronan faded away. The sword slipped from his hand and hit the ground.The red color disappeared from Ronan's eyes. Little by little, his gaze became clear once again. He looked up at the sky for several moments before showing a faint smile.Callen turned around. Ronan looked at him peacefully."Thank you, Young Master," he said softly. "Now, I can finally rest."Callen couldn't answer. Then Ronan shifted his gaze.In the distance, Allison was still standing there, crying. Ronan's smile became even gentler."Allison, my dear," his voice was barely audible. "Don't... cry anymore."Allison's tears streamed down even harder. "Grandpa, don't leave me!" she screamed.Ronan could only smile as his eyelids closed. Every ounce of strength

New maps were spread across the table as the commanders began discussing their final push toward the capital."If Lucas is cornered, he'll already have an escape route," Callen said.Leon nodded. "Knowing him, he won't fight to the bitter end. He'll look for a way to survive."Rosalin crossed her arms. "If he escapes, this war will only begin again. I agree we need to stop this war by killing him.""There are plenty of hidden paths leading to the border." Harold pointed at several mountain routes on the map. "He could flee to a neighboring country."Orion shook his head. "Civilians along the way will become hostages. Lucas has used civilians as tools before. We can't give him another chance."Oliver nodded, joining the discussion. "Our priority is still protecting the people."Silas, who had remained quiet until now, stepped closer to the table. Calmly picking up a pen, he marked several locations on the map."If I were Lucas, I'd prepare three retreat routes."Everyone turned toward

Silas let out a slow breath. His eyes drifted toward the ceiling as he recalled a memory buried deep in the past."Once I planted the seed of suspicion inside Valdera, all I had to do was wait."The memories shifted once again. The once-glorious Valdera Palace was filled with members of the Noble Order gathered for a secret meeting."They're too strong. As long as Grant Langford is alive, no noble family will ever be able to control the Empire."Silas stood in the corner, his face hidden beneath a black hood. He pulled out several small metal cylinders filled with a dark crimson liquid and placed them on the table."These are Soulbreaker Rounds, special bullets forged from Black Spirit and sealed with a meridian-destroying poison."One of the nobles picked up a bullet with hesitation. "You expect bullets like these to kill a cultivator as powerful as Grant?" he sounded hesitant.Silas smiled. "No. But they'll pierce his protective aura for a brief moment. That will be more than enough

Across countless cities, the same broadcast began playing through military loudspeakers. Every civilian was forced to listen to the threat over and over again.Meanwhile, at Heliark's secret headquarters, the atmosphere was still tense as everyone discussed strategy following Silas's betrayal. Suddenly, the meeting room doors burst open. A Heliark courier rushed inside, breathing heavily."Supreme General!"Everyone immediately turned around. Callen rose from his seat. "What happened?"The courier swallowed hard. "The civilians... Imperial Vanguard has started attacking cities with no military presence."He courier continued his report with a trembling voice."They said the attacks will stop if you surrender yourself to the Emperor."A heavy silence filled the meeting room. Callen stared directly at the map of Valdera hanging on the wall. His expression remained calm, but his fists slowly tightened.Rosalin slammed her fist onto the table, leaving a crack across its surface. "Damn it!

The fortress was known as Imperial Blacksite, an old facility once used by Emperor Grant Langford as a private training ground for the Empire's strongest military officers. After Grant's reign ended, Lucas closed the place and kept its existence hidden from almost everyone.Callen stopped several meters away from the massive stone gate covered in cultivation formation engravings. He could feel an energy pressure so powerful that the air around him felt heavy."So this is the place..." Callen stared at the fortress. "The place my father once used to train Valdera's military monsters."He stepped forward. The moment his foot crossed the formation's boundary, the energy pressure increased several times over. The ground trembled as an invisible flow of energy swept across his body like a wave.The fortress was not a defensive structure. The ancient formation surrounding it had been designed to test as well as suppress a person's cultivation energy. Those with weak energy would feel their b