The Amnesiac Sovereign

Chapter 6: The Awakening Gate

The moment the giant bodyguard collapsed, silence swept across the mountain road.

Even the wind seemed to stop.

Lucas King's confident expression froze.

His strongest fighter had been knocked down in a single exchange.

Not defeated after a fierce battle.

Not worn down through effort.

Simply overwhelmed.

The giant groaned on the ground, clutching his chest. His face had turned pale, and cold sweat covered his forehead.

"What... what did you do to me?"

Ethan glanced at him.

"Nothing permanent."

The man had merely suffered a temporary disruption of his energy channels. Ethan didn't fully understand how he knew that.

He simply did.

Knowledge continued surfacing from the fragment inside him.

Small pieces.

Tiny memories.

Instincts from a life long forgotten.

Lucas's eyes narrowed.

For the first time, he looked at Ethan seriously.

Something wasn't right.

This wasn't the same man Olivia had described.

The Ethan Carter he knew was weak, timid, and obedient.

The man standing before him now seemed completely different.

Calm.

Confident.

Dangerous.

As though he had become someone else overnight.

"You've been hiding your abilities."

Lucas spoke through clenched teeth.

Ethan didn't bother explaining.

Even if he told the truth, nobody would believe him.

How could they?

A dead Sovereign reborn without memories sounded like madness.

Seeing Ethan's silence, Lucas interpreted it as confirmation.

His face darkened further.

"So that's it."

"You pretended to be useless all these years."

Several bodyguards exchanged confused glances.

The accusation didn't make sense.

If Ethan was truly strong, why endure three years of humiliation?

But Lucas wasn't interested in logic.

His pride had been wounded.

And pride was something he valued more than reason.

"Fine."

Lucas laughed coldly.

"I admit I underestimated you."

He pointed toward the mountains.

"But this tomb isn't something you can touch."

Ethan followed his gaze.

The faint golden light remained visible.

The second soul fragment was still calling to him.

Stronger than before.

Almost impatient.

Suddenly—

RUMBLE!

The earth trembled.

Everyone staggered.

Loose stones rolled down nearby slopes.

A deep rumbling sound echoed throughout the mountain range.

The passengers still inside the bus cried out in alarm.

"What was that?"

"An earthquake?"

"No, look!"

All eyes turned toward the distant mountains.

Far beyond the peaks, a pillar of golden light erupted into the sky.

It pierced the clouds.

Illuminated the heavens.

And remained visible for hundreds of kilometers.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

Lucas's eyes widened.

His breathing quickened.

"Treasure."

Greed flashed across his face.

Whatever lay inside the tomb had awakened.

And if he could obtain it—

His status would rise to unimaginable heights.

"Move!"

Lucas shouted.

"We're entering the mountains immediately!"

His bodyguards hurried into action.

Nobody cared about Ethan anymore.

The treasure was far more important.

Within minutes, the convoy disappeared toward the Starfall Mountains.

The bus passengers soon followed, driven by curiosity and dreams of fortune.

Before long, Ethan stood alone on the road.

The golden light continued shining in the distance.

A strange feeling stirred within him.

Not excitement.

Not greed.

Recognition.

As though a lost piece of himself was waiting beyond those mountains.

"Another fragment..."

he murmured.

Then he began walking.

Hours passed.

The terrain became increasingly dangerous.

Narrow trails wound between towering cliffs.

Ancient forests blocked the sunlight.

Strange sounds echoed through the wilderness.

Yet Ethan continued forward.

The closer he came to the source of the light, the stronger the fragment's reaction became.

His heart beat faster.

Energy flowed through his body.

Even his senses seemed sharper.

Then—

A scream echoed through the forest.

Ethan immediately stopped.

Another scream followed.

Then several more.

Someone was in trouble.

Normally, he would have ignored it.

Right now, recovering the fragment was his priority.

But something inside him resisted that idea.

Another fragment of memory surfaced.

A throne room.

Countless people kneeling.

A voice.

His own voice.

"A ruler protects those under his heavens."

The memory vanished.

Ethan sighed.

Then changed direction.

A few minutes later, he reached a clearing.

The scene before him caused his eyes to narrow.

Three young adventurers were trapped against a cliff.

Two men.

One woman.

All badly injured.

Standing opposite them was a massive beast.

Nearly three meters tall.

Covered in black scales.

Its eyes glowed crimson.

The creature resembled a wolf, but far larger and more terrifying.

The adventurers looked desperate.

One of the men held a broken sword.

The woman struggled to stay conscious.

The beast growled and advanced slowly.

Preparing for the kill.

At that moment—

A stone struck its head.

The beast turned immediately.

So did the adventurers.

Ethan stood at the edge of the clearing.

The woman blinked.

"What are you doing?"

The wounded swordsman looked horrified.

"Run!"

"That thing will kill you!"

The beast's crimson eyes locked onto Ethan.

Its growl deepened.

The air filled with killing intent.

For a brief moment, Ethan considered leaving.

After all, he barely understood his own strength.

But then the fragment inside him pulsed.

Warm.

Steady.

Confident.

As though encouraging him.

The beast suddenly charged.

The ground shook beneath its weight.

The adventurers' faces turned pale.

Too fast.

Far too fast.

Yet Ethan didn't retreat.

Instead, he stepped forward.

At that instant, another memory surfaced.

A battle.

An ancient technique.

A movement so simple it appeared ordinary.

His body reacted instinctively.

The charging beast arrived.

Ethan raised a single hand.

And struck.

BOOM!

A shockwave exploded across the clearing.

The beast's enormous body was launched backward like a cannonball.

It smashed through three trees before crashing into the ground.

Silence.

Complete silence.

The three adventurers stared in disbelief.

The beast twitched once.

Then stopped moving.

Dead.

The woman's jaw slowly dropped.

The swordsman looked as though he had seen a ghost.

Ethan himself stood frozen.

Because the moment the beast died—

A stream of golden energy emerged from its body and entered his chest.

The soul fragment absorbed it instantly.

A powerful surge of energy exploded throughout his body.

Pain.

Heat.

Power.

His cultivation suddenly advanced.

And somewhere deep inside his mind—

A sealed memory shattered.

A name appeared.

A name belonging to one of the Nine Betrayers.

The name echoed like thunder within his soul.

Aurelius.

The first betrayer.

And somehow...

He was connected to the Tomb of Fallen Stars.