Chapter 85: Ch 85: Solon’s End
The deafening cheers of the newly formed vanguard echoed through the massive crater of District 9. Raidan watched the two thousand recruits organize themselves into rigid formations. The desperate hunger in their eyes had completely transformed into lethal discipline.
The system mandates bound their souls directly to his will. They were no longer refugees. They were the first true legion of the Verdian Empire.
Raidan left Aaron and Sarah to manage the logistics of arming the new soldiers. He had a different objective to complete. He needed to inspect the Grand Plaza in District 3.
The City Lord, Olegorge, had designated the plaza as the primary staging area for the upcoming celestial wedding procession.
Raidan wanted to ensure the spatial leylines in the area were stable enough to support his teleportation matrix.
He accessed his system interface and targeted the coordinates for District 3.
District 3 was the crown jewel of the upper tiers. It was a sprawling expanse of polished white marble and shimmering gold architecture. Massive fountains sprayed crystal clear water into the air. The district housed the wealthiest merchants, the oldest noble families, and the most powerful religious sects in the celestial city.
Raidan materialized in the exact center of the Grand Plaza. He kept his eyes locked on his golden system interface. He was busy adjusting the experience multipliers for the new recruits.
He was completely absorbed in optimizing their leveling speed. He did not immediately notice the absolute silence that had fallen over the plaza upon his arrival.
He also did not notice that he had teleported directly into the middle of a highly sacred, incredibly expensive religious ceremony.
The Sun God’s Shrine was the oldest and most prestigious religious order in Olympus. For thousands of years, they held a monopoly on divine magic in the upper tiers. Their priests advised the High Council. Their acolytes were treated like living royalty.
The sudden emergence of Naida as the Radiant Saintess had terrified them. The Shrine leaders desperately needed to remind the nobility of their own supreme power.
High Acolyte Solon was currently leading the Rite of the Solar Zenith. Solon was a devastatingly handsome man draped in layers of heavy, enchanted golden silk.
He possessed a level 85 class called the Solar Inquisitor. He had spent the last three hours chanting ancient hymns and burning incredibly rare sun lotus incense. Hundreds of wealthy nobles were kneeling in perfect circles around him, their heads bowed in deep reverence.
Solon had just finished drawing a massive, complex magical mandala on the polished marble floor. The mandala was crafted from crushed diamonds and liquid fire crystals. It was meant to summon a pillar of golden light to bless the nobles and prove the Sun God still watched over the city.
Raidan had materialized exactly on top of the intricate diamond mandala.
Without looking up from his holographic screen, Raidan took three steps forward. His heavy combat boots casually smeared the flawless lines of crushed diamonds.
He kicked a priceless golden incense burner out of his way because it was blocking his path to a leyline nexus. The incredibly expensive artifact clattered across the marble, spilling burning embers everywhere.
The kneeling nobles gasped in absolute, unfiltered horror.
High Acolyte Solon froze mid chant. His eyes widened in sheer disbelief. He stared at the man in the forest green tunic who had just desecrated a ritual that cost millions of gold coins to prepare.
"You profane the sacred ground!" Solon screamed with wrath. "Halt your steps, blasphemer! Fall to your knees and beg for the mercy of the burning dawn!"
Raidan finally stopped walking. He swiped his hand through the air, dismissing his golden system interface. He slowly turned his head to look at the furious man in the golden robes.
"Were you speaking to me?" Raidan asked.
His voice was completely calm, devoid of any anger or respect. He looked at Solon the way a scholar might look at a moderately interesting insect.
"I am High Acolyte Solon of the Sun God’s Shrine!You have ruined the Rite of the Solar Zenith! You have insulted the divine presence! I do not care if you call yourself an Emperor. In this plaza, you submit to the light!"
Raidan sighed softly. He truly had not intended to cause a scene. He simply had not noticed the man or the chalk on the floor.
However, Raidan was not a man who apologized.
"Your light is weak. Clear the plaza. I need to inspect the ground beneath this marble for my wedding procession. You are in my way."
"Huh! What!"
The arrogance of the statement caused Solon to completely lose his temper.
No one in the history of Olympus had ever spoken to a High Acolyte with such blatant disrespect. Solon believed his level 85 status made him untouchable. He believed the Zenith Emperor was just a brute who used trickery to defeat the Serpent Guild.
"I will burn the heresy from your tongue!" Solon shouted.
The High Acolyte raised both of his hands. He tapped into his deepest reserves of mana.
[ Spell Cast: Solar Domination. ]
[ A massive wave of oppressive light designed to force all targets within a fifty meter radius into complete physical submission. ]
Solon unleahsed a suffocating wave of golden energy.
Byzzz!.
The shockwave slammed into the kneeling nobles, forcing them completely flat against the marble floor. They cried out in pain as the heavy pressure crushed their lungs. The wave of golden magic rushed directly toward Raidan, threatening to smash him into the ground.
Raidan did not move.
He simply stood there with his hands resting casually in his pockets.
As the wave of solar magic reached him, his automated system defenses reacted. Raidan possessed a passive skill called the Imperial Aegis. It automatically calculated the threat level of any incoming attack. If the attack originated from an entity with a significantly lower level and authority, the Aegis did not just block the magic. It violently reflected the energy back at the caster with a massive multiplier.
The system registered Solon as an inferior, non threatening entity.
The golden wave of solar magic struck an invisible barrier one inch from Raidan’s chest. The magic shattered like fragile glass.
An instant later, the Imperial Aegis fired a localized pulse of pure, concussive void energy directly back at Solon.
The High Acolyte never even saw the retaliation. The invisible pulse slammed into his chest with the force of a falling meteor. Solon was launched backward through the air. He flew over the heads of the terrified nobles and crashed violently into the steps of his own marble shrine.
A sickening crunch echoed across the plaza as several of his ribs fractured. Solon tumbled down the steps and collapsed onto the polished ground. The blinding golden light surrounding his body instantly snuffed out. He coughed violently, spitting a large mouthful of blood onto his pristine silk robes.
The entire plaza descended into a deathly, terrifying silence.
Raidan casually brushed a speck of dust off his green tunic. He had not moved a single muscle to launch the counterattack.
"If you are going to attack me, you should probably learn how to aim," Raidan said dryly.
Solon pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. His handsome face was contorted in agony and absolute humiliation. Blood dripped from his nose and chin. The nobles who had practically worshipped him five minutes ago were now looking at him with pity and fear.
Solon started throwing curses:
"You are a monster. You are a demon wearing human skin. The Sun God will not forgive this transgression. The Shrine declares you a sworn enemy! We will never recognize your false Saintess! We will mobilize the faithful and burn your empire to ashes!"
[ Warning: Hostility Earned. ]
[ Faction: The Sun God’s Shrine. ]
[ Current Status: Sworn Enemy. ]
[ The leaders of this faction will actively plot to undermine your authority and assassinate your allies. ]
Raidan read the notification, and a chilling smile spread across his face. His emerald eyes flared with a predatory light.
He took a slow, deliberate step toward the bleeding priest. The sound of his heavy boot striking the marble echoed loudly in the silent plaza.
"I think you misunderstand the situation, Solon. You believe you have just declared war on me. You believe you have the power to challenge my claim to this city."
Raidan stopped a few feet away from the broken Acolyte.
"But I did not come to Olympus to play politics with archaic cults. I did not come here to share power. I accidentally broke your toys because you are entirely insignificant to me. You are a dying ember complaining to a supernova."
Raidan looked up at the massive marble statues of the Sun God that lined the plaza.
"Go back to your High Priests. Tell them to gather their faithful. Tell them to summon their pathetic magic. And then tell them to stay inside their temples on the day of my wedding. Because if a single priest from your shrine attempts to interfere with my Empress, I will not just kill you."
Raidan leaned down, bringing his face close to Solon. The terrifying pressure of the Zenith Emperor finally leaked out, pressing against the priest’s mind like a physical blade.
"I will erase your entire religion from the history books. I will tear down every statue. I will burn every holy text. I will make sure the people of this city forget your god ever existed. Do you understand me?"
Solon trembled uncontrollably. The suffocating terror radiating from Raidan was infinitely more powerful than the solar magic he had wielded his entire life. The priest could not speak. He could only manage a frantic, terrified nod.
Raidan stood up straight. The oppressive pressure vanished instantly.
"Good," Raidan said calmly.