Chapter 98—The Skies of Aetheria.
Chapter 98—The Skies of Aetheria.
The dark oceanic pressure, bubbling thermal vents, and glowing bioluminescent corals of Floor 12 dissolved into pure mana light as the spatial gateway behind Triton’s coral throne collapsed into nothingness.
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[WORLD SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT!]
FACTION ’SOVEREIGN’ HAS ASCENDED TO FLOOR 13!
ZONE ENTERED: The Floating Celestial Isles — Skies of Aetheria
HAZARD RATING: TIER-SS+ (Extreme Atmospheric Pressure & Tempest Gale Curse)
SPECIAL RULE: Sky Supremacy — Non-Sovereign Entities Suffer 50% Flight Speed Reduction & Double Mana Consumption!
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When Kaelen stepped out of the spatial rift, the contrast was breathtaking.
They emerged onto a vast, circular plaza crafted from glowing white marble suspended mid-air.
Above them stretched an infinite, brilliant gold-and-azure sky bathed in the radiance of three small, miniature suns. Floating all around them were hundreds of massive islands held aloft by glowing anti-gravity crystals, interconnected by bridges made of solid light.
Towering silver palaces and waterfalls cascading directly into the sea of clouds below created an atmosphere of divine grandeur.
However, the air was dangerously thin, cut continuously by razor-sharp gales of blue spiritual wind capable of shredding standard steel armor.
"From the bottom of the ocean straight into the clouds," Ignis chuckled, his fiery hair blowing wildly in the intense atmospheric winds. He grinned, resting his heavy claymore on his shoulder while black dragon flames flickered along the dark steel to ward off the chill. "At least here I don’t have to worry about my flames getting wet!"
"The atmospheric pressure is low, but the kinetic velocity of the wind is extreme," Ren reported, her fingers flying across her floating holographic visor to display structural maps of the floating islands. "My tactical sensors indicate that Floor 13 is an ancient sky realm governed by high-tier avian demigods and wind elementalists."
She tapped her gauntlet, recalibrating the target locks. "Standard ballistic projectiles will be deflected by 40% due to the atmospheric gales. However, Fire, Lightning, and Void attributes retain 100% operational efficiency."
"A realm of skies," Tsubaki murmured, emerging quietly from the shadow cast by a white marble pillar. His crimson eyes scanned the cloud sea beneath the floating islands. "My shadow scouts report that Floor 13 is under the absolute command of the Storm King Zephyrus, who controls the central Aetherial Citadel."
Lyra stood gracefully beside Kaelen, her soft hand clasped securely in his dark-gloved grip. The completed Key of the Holy Grail within Kaelen’s chest core pulsed with a soothing, golden radiance, expanding a golden protective sphere around their squad that neutralized every wind-based environmental curse.
"The heavens themselves hold no height above you, Kaelen," Lyra whispered softly, her bright blue eyes filled with quiet, absolute devotion as she looked up into his handsome face. "Whether in the depths or in the clouds, your shadow falls over everything."
"The sky is just open space waiting to be claimed, my light," Kaelen purred smoothly, his low velvet voice breaking through the roaring mountain winds. He gently squeezed her hand, his dark violet eyes gleaming with cold, golden-ringed authority. "Zephyrus can pretend to rule the air... until the Void erases the ground beneath his feet."
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[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION!]
The key of the holy grail is activated!
EFFECT: Sovereign Sky Barrier Active! All squad members gain 100% immunity to the Tempest Gale curse & flight penalties!
RESONANCE: Floor 13 Waystone Location Identified!
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Suddenly, the golden clouds surrounding the marble plaza surged violently!
SCREECH! SCREECH! SCREECH!
The peaceful sky shattered as thousands of winged humanoid warriors wearing silver-and-gold enchanted plate armor, wielding spears forged from compressed lightning, burst through the cloud layer!
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[AMBUSH INITIATED!]
HOSTILE ENTITIES: 1,500x Aetherial Tempest Guards (Level 183 Elite)
COMMANDER: General Galehart—The Wind Severer (Level 186 Tier-EX)
OBJECTIVE: Strike Down the Intruders!
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"GROUND MORTALS!" General Galehart shouted from the front of the divine flock, his four silver-feathered wings spreading over fifty feet across. He raised a massive spear surging with blue antimatter lightning. "YOU DARE DEFILE THE SACRED FLOATING ISLES OF HIS MAJESTY ZEPHYRUS?! BE PURGED BY THE HEAVENLY GALES!"
One thousand five hundred Tempest Guards raised their lightning spears, unleashing a unified wave of hurricane-force wind blades and lightning bolts that tore through the clouds, surging directly toward Kaelen’s position!
BOOOOOOM!
"Let me clear these noisy birds!" Ignis roared with a dark laugh, leaping fifty feet into the air as his claymore flared into a massive pillar of black-and-gold dragon fire!
"Dragon Fire Art: Heavenly Sky Burn!"
Ignis swung his blade in a giant arc! A three-hundred-meter wave of black dragon flame swept through the sky, incinerating four hundred Tempest Guards instantly and turning their silver armor into molten slag mid-air!
𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
"Shadow Style: Sky Crescent Flash!" Tsubaki flickered between the floating islands like a dark phantom, his black katana leaving behind dark spatial cuts that severed the wings and core anchors of five hundred Tempest Guards in the blink of an eye!
"System Hack: Gravitational Disruptor Matrix!" Ren deployed thirty anti-gravity mines into the air formation. The mines activated simultaneously, creating localized hyper-gravity zones that crushed four hundred more Tempest Guards into the white marble floor!
General Galehart watched his army decimated in under two minutes, his eyes burning with shock and rage.
"IMPOSSIBLE! MORTAL FLESH CANNOT MATCH AETHERIAL SPEED!" Galehart roared, folding his four wings and diving from the sky like a silver meteor, his spear aimed straight for Kaelen’s chest!
"Aetherial Secret Art: Heavenly Lightning Piercer!"
Kaelen didn’t even turn his body.
He took one calm step forward, his dark coat billowing gracefully in the intense atmospheric draft generated by the falling general.
His slender dark-gloved fingers wrapped around the hilt of the Void Blade.
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[PASSIVE EFFECT: Void Sovereign’s Eye]
TARGET WEAKNESS DETECTED: Wind Core at Upper Sternum!
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Kaelen purred softly, a cold, dark smile touching his lips as he drew his dark blade by half an inch.
SHING!
A razor-thin line of pitch-black spatial deletion flared across the open sky.
"Void Art: Spatial Deletion — Sky Sever!"
SKRRRRRRRAASH!
The half-inch draw of dark steel made no loud sound, but the result was absolute.
The silver body of General Galehart, along with his lightning spear and the remaining two hundred Tempest Guards behind him, was sliced horizontally in half mid-air!
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[CRITICAL HIT!]
TARGET: General Galehart & 200x Aetherial Tempest Guards
DAMAGE DEALT: 160,000,000 (Pure Spatial Eradication)
DEFENSE NEGATED: 100%!
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[FORCE OBLITERATED!]
CASUALTIES: General Galehart & Sky Vanguard (Eradicated!)
EXP RECEIVED: 28,000,000 Points!
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"AAAAAAARGH!" General Galehart let out an agonizing shriek as his body, his spear, and his troops dissolved into glowing silver experience particles before hitting the clouds below.
The pitch-black spatial cut didn’t just slice their bodies—it erased the wind mana holding them together, leaving a three-mile clean line in the clouds that revealed the blue sky above.
Kaelen smoothly clicked the Void Blade back into its sheath.
CLICK.
The roaring wind pressure that had filled the plaza vanished instantly, replaced once again by the quiet, golden warmth of the squad’s domain.
"Impeccable as always, my lord," Tsubaki said, landing softly behind Kaelen with a deep bow.
"These winged fools thought having high ground gave them an advantage," Ignis laughed, resting his heavy claymore on his shoulder. "They forgot our sovereign owns space itself."
Ren checked her holographic displays, scanning the massive floating island at the center of the realm where a giant silver palace towered over the clouds—the Aetherial Citadel.
"My Lord, the elimination of General Galehart has alerted the entire floor," Ren reported. "The Storm King Zephyrus is currently activating his hurricane defense grid surrounding the Aetherial Citadel."
"Let him activate every grid he has," Kaelen purred smoothly, turning back to Lyra and taking her soft hand into his once more. Her blue eyes shone with warmth as she held his hand tight. "It saves us the time of tracking him down."
Lyra smiled sweetly, holding his hand tight as they began walking across the floating light bridge leading toward the central citadel. "Lead the way, Kaelen. The skies are yours."
Kaelen purred softly, his dark violet eyes gleaming with absolute, god-like authority as he led the Sovereign Faction deeper into the skies of Floor 13.