Chapter 224: Sovereign Soul Seal

"Enough, Commander Dane," King Alistair cut in smoothly, raising a single hand. The scarred High Blessed instantly closed his mouth and stepped back, though his eyes remained narrowed in hostility. He obeyed the King.

The second High Blessed, a middle aged man with refined features and rich silk robes, stepped forward next, offering Lynx a friendly, warm smile. He looked more gentle.

"Ignore Dane’s paranoia, young Champion," the second High Blessed said smoothly. "A talent like yours deserves every honor. In fact, I have a daughter who recently turned nineteen, a brilliant S Rank Fire Affinity user. She would make an exceptional companion for a hero of your stature. I would be honored to arrange a dinner at my estate. She is very beautiful."

Lynx chuckled softly, throwing a subtle glance back at Eleanor, whose purple eyes narrowed slightly at the proposal. Eleanor’s jaw tightened.

"I appreciate the offer," Lynx said with smooth charm. "But my plate is already quite full. And I’m quite contented with what i have right now."

On the side balcony, Mr. Musk saw his opportunity. Stepping up to the railing, the ultra wealthy corporate tycoon cleared his throat and called down with a warm, beaming smile.

"Haha! Champion Lynx!" Mr. Musk called out, his voice dripping with enthusiastic friendliness.

"My daughter Ava has spoken of you incessantly. The Musk Industrial Empire is fully prepared to sponsor your personal research, private luxury transports, and any resource you desire! Consider our doors permanently open to you! Anything you want!"

Lynx looked up at Mr. Musk, offering a polite, casual nod. "Thank you, Mr. Musk. Ava is a wonderful companion. I appreciate your support."

Mr. Musk beamed with immense pride, puffing his chest out. He looked happy.

Standing right beside him, Julian’s father gripped the marble railing so hard his knuckles turned white. His face was a dark mask of suppressed hatred.

He remembered the reports Julian had sent home, how Lynx had completely stripped the title as King of the Aether Blessed Academy from him, humiliated Julian’s faction, and taken total control of the academy’s elite landscape.

Yet, looking at Lynx standing boldly before the King and High Blessed, Julian’s father knew he was utterly powerless.

A normal human, no matter how rich, could never touch a monster who stood upright under the King’s aura. He forced a stiff, fake smile onto his face, masking his rage completely.

King Alistair gestured to a nearby royal attendant, who stepped forward holding a velvet cushion.

Resting on the cushion was an ornate golden crest stamped with the highest imperial seal, along with a heavy black card lined with shimmering silver runes. The crest shined brightly.

"For bringing glory to the Aether Empire and proving our supreme dominance to the continent," King Alistair announced formally, "the crown bestows upon you the title of Supreme Imperial Champion, along with a reward of Five Hundred Million H-Crystal. You are the future of this empire."

The side balconies erupted into polite applause. Everyone clapped.

Lynx looked at the velvet cushion, then raised his eyes to the King. He looked calm.

"Your Majesty," Lynx said smoothly, his voice carrying clearly across the quiet hall. "I am honored by the title. However, as for the money... I request that you bestow them directly upon my aunt, Isabel. She manages my affairs and has supported me long before I stepped onto the tournament stage. She deserves it more than me."

King Alistair raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised by the gesture, before letting out another warm laugh. "Generous and loyal to family! A noble trait. Very well! The treasury rewards shall be transferred directly to Lady Isabel’s account under your name! A good man cares for family!"

The King then picked up the sleek black card from the cushion, holding it out toward Lynx.

"As for this," King Alistair said, his eyes glinting with intrigue. "This is the Sovereign Transit Pass. It grants you unrestricted access to any luxury automobile, flying vessel, or private transport dealership across the entire Aether Empire. Simply show this card, and any transport you desire is yours, completely free of charge, fully covered by the royal crown. You can take any car, any ship."

Lynx reached forward, taking the sleek black card. It felt cool and heavy in his hand, humming with faint spatial energy. The runes glowed slightly. "Now that is a reward I can appreciate. Thank you, your Majesty. This is useful."

"You may visit the palace whenever you wish, Lynx," King Alistair added, leaning forward slightly on his throne, his expression turning curious. "In fact, I have spent many years studying the history of our continent... and looking at you today, there is something that puzzles me deeply. I must ask."

The entire throne room fell silent. Everyone listened intently. No one made a sound.

King Alistair pointed a golden-gloved finger toward Lynx’s forehead.

"All Blessed across the five major continents carry a physical mark on their brow," King Alistair explained calmly. "The Blessed of our Aether Empire worship Goddess Shiva, and thus carry her divine Golden Sigil upon their skin — just like the three High Blessed behind me, and just like young Eleanor standing behind you and the rest of the Blessed from this Empire."

Eleanor lightly touched her forehead, where her golden sigil faintly pulsed.

"The Void Empire worships their dark deity, carrying a deep purple mark," the King continued, his voice echoing smoothly. "The Dragon Continent carries a crimson sigil representing their ancient draconic gods. The Elven, Dwarf, and Beast continents each carry their own sacred marks. But you, Lynx..."

King Alistair leaned closer, his golden eyes locking onto Lynx’s face. His gaze was sharp.

"Your forehead bears a Silver Sigil. In all my years, all my journeys, I have never seen a silver sigil as a Blessed Mark. Why is that? What are you?"

The three High Blessed, the nobles on the balcony, and even Professor Selene turned their eyes toward Lynx, eager for his response. All eyes were on him.

Lynx smiled smoothly, his heterochromatic blue and silver eyes shining with cool composure. He didn’t blink. He didn’t hesitate. He stood relaxed.

"Your Majesty," Lynx started smoothly, his voice calm and melodic. "A signature is defined by the artist, not the canvas. Perhaps Goddess Shiva simply chose a different ink when she carved my path. Silver is just rarer."

A heavy pause settled over the grand hall.

Then, King Alistair’s face broke into an absolute, radiant grin.

"A signature defined by the artist, not the canvas!" King Alistair laughed heartily, slapping the armrest of his throne. "Brilliant! Simply brilliant. A poetic answer for a truly unique existence. I like you, boy!"

The King then turned his gaze slightly, looking past Lynx toward Professor Rose, who stood quietly in her crisp white blazer.

"Speaking of unique origins," King Alistair remarked casually, looking at Rose. "Rose... I have long noted that your aura carries subtle traces reminiscent of the Dragon Continent’s lineage, despite you being born right here in our capital. Quite fascinating, wouldn’t you say? Your power feels different. Especially now."

Professor Rose offered the King a flawless, elegant smile, bowing her head slightly. "The world is full of beautiful mysteries, your Majesty. I am merely a simple professor dedicated to guiding the bright future of our academy. I don’t know much about lineage."

"Indeed," King Alistair smiled, though a sharp, calculating gleam lingered in his eyes for a split second before fading. He looked back at Lynx. "You have answered well today, Lynx Azarion. You are truly the future of the Aether Empire. Go now. Enjoy your victory. You have earned it."

"Thank you, your Majesty," Lynx said with a smooth bow of his head.

Turning on his heel, Lynx walked calmly toward the double doors, flanked by Professor Selene, Professor Rose, Eleanor, and her squad. His steps were steady.

The moment the heavy double doors closed behind Lynx’s group, sealing the throne room once more, the atmosphere inside instantly shifted from warm celebration to cold, calculating politics. The smiles disappeared.

The scarred High Blessed, Commander Vane, stepped forward immediately, his face dark. His voice was low.

"Your Majesty!" Vane urged, his voice heavy with concern. "That boy’s power is abnormal. His physical density, his nonchalant attitude, his silver sigil... he is far too dangerous to be left unchecked. We should perform a deep soul binding check on him immediately. If he ever turns against the crown, it would be disastrous."

The other two High Blessed nodded slowly in agreement, looking at the King. They also looked worried.

King Alistair sat back on his golden throne, a calm, deeply amused smile playing on his lips as he poured himself a glass of wine from a silver decanter.

"Relax, Dane," King Alistair said smoothly, taking a slow sip. "Do you truly think I would let such a monster walk out of my court without a failsafe? Do you think I am careless?"

The three High Blessed froze, looking at the King in surprise.

"Your Majesty...?" Vane asked, wide-eyed.

"During the aura test," King Alistair explained lazily, a cold, sharp glint in his golden eyes. "When my pressure forced his posture to waver for that brief fraction of a second... I subtly planted a Sovereign Soul-Seal directly onto his spiritual core. No one can see it. No one can remove it."

The three High Blessed gasped softly, their faces lighting up with immense admiration. They looked impressed.

"The Sovereign Soul-Seal?!" Dane exclaimed in awe. "The ancient technique that can detonate a target’s mana pool from a distance if they ever show intent of treason? That lost soul affinity technique?"

"Precisely," King Alistair chuckled softly, swirling his wine. "If Lynx Azarion remains loyal to the Aether Empire, he will live as our greatest hero and enjoy unlimited wealth and freedom. But if he ever attempts to betray the crown... I can erase his soul with a single thought. He is completely under my control. He just doesn’t know it yet."

The three High Blessed bowed deeply toward the throne, their eyes full of profound reverence.

"As expected of His Majesty!" Vane praised enthusiastically. "Absolute foresight! Truly, that is why you stand at the apex of our empire! You see everything!"

"That is why you are Number 1, your Majesty!" the second High Blessed added, bowing low.

King Alistair took another sip of his wine, looking out the grand glass windows at the floating islands of the capital, thoroughly satisfied with his absolute control over the board.

Meanwhile, outside the palace...

Lynx walked down the grand marble steps of the Royal Courtyard, his coat swaying gently in the cool afternoon breeze. The courtyard was made of white and gold stone, with a massive fountain of a dragon in the center. Water sprayed high.

Eleanor, Layla, Iris, Rhea, and Nadia walked beside him, while Ophelia, Lira, Ava, and Kira jogged over from the courtyard lounge to join them. They all looked happy to see him.

As they walked toward the outer palace gates, Lynx’s heterochromatic eyes flickered slightly.

Deep inside his body, right around his soul core, Lynx had felt a tiny, strange prickling sensation during the King’s aura pressure earlier, like a microscopic needle trying to attach itself to his soul. It was very faint.

’That King is pretty sharp,’ Lynx thought to himself, a amused smirk touching his lips. ’Pompous, arrogant, but definitely strong. He actually tried to sneak something onto me. Interesting trick.’

In the next second, the System interface chimed inside Lynx’s mind. The familiar, completely dry, bored, and unsystematic voice of his System echoed directly in his head.

[LYNX HAS RECEIVED AN ATTEMPTED FOREIGN SOUL-ATTACHMENT: SOVEREIGN SOUL-SEAL.]

[NOTE: YOUR PRIMORDIAL SOUL STRUCTURE HAS AUTOMATICALLY DISSOLVED AND ABSORBED THE FOREIGN SEAL WITHIN 0.001 SECONDS OF CONTACT. NO TRACES REMAIN.]

[ADDITIONAL SYSTEM ADVICE: THE AETHER KING IS AN ARROGANT FOOL WHO BELIEVES HE CONTROLS YOU. YOU WILL EVENTUALLY OVERTHROW AND TAKE TOTAL CONTROL OF THIS EMPIRE ANYWAY.]

Lynx let out a quiet, rich chuckle inside his mind.

’Dissolved it in less than a millisecond, huh?’ Lynx thought back casually to the system. ’Good. Let the old man sit on his shiny golden throne thinking he owns me. I’ll deal with King Alistair when the time is right. For now, let him think he won.’

"Lynx?" Ava asked softly, stepping up beside him with a bright smile, her golden hair fluttering in the wind. "How did it go inside? What did the King say? Did he give you a big reward?"

"He gave me a fancy transit card, transferred some millions of H-Crystals to Isabel, and called me the future of the empire," Lynx smirked, pulling out the sleek black Sovereign Transit Card and spinning it casually between his fingers. The card flashed in the sunlight.

Kira’s orange eyes widened as she recognized the card. "Wait... is that the Sovereign Transit Pass? You can literally get any luxury flying automobile in the entire empire for free just by showing that. Any damn automobile."

"Yup," Lynx grinned, sliding the card into his pocket. "Which means our trips around the capital just got a whole lot more stylish. We can take anything we want."

Eleanor looked at Lynx, her purple eyes filled with a mixture of awe and gentle affection. "You really handled the court like it was nothing, didn’t you? No one has ever spoken to High Blessed like that."

"I told you, your Majesty," Lynx murmured smoothly, leaning down slightly to whisper near Eleanor’s ear, making her cheeks flush bright red in front of everyone. "Nothing in this empire can intimidate me. Not the King, not anyone."

"Alright, lover boy." Layla laughed, tossing her long crimson hair over her shoulder. "Save the romance for the party. Amira and Isabel have been texting the group chat every two minutes. They want you now!"

Lynx looked around at the complete circle of stunning beauties surrounding him, Ophelia, Lira, Ava, Kira, Eleanor, Layla, Iris, Rhea, and Nadia. They all looked at him with bright eyes.

"Lead the way to Amira’s place," Lynx said with a warm, devastatingly handsome smile. "Tonight, we celebrate. We won."

A/N: Sorry Guys, It’s been a really busy time. College and stuff. I’ll try to make up, I promise for real.

And Happy Birthday to me