Chapter 34: The Return of the Sovereign

At the center of the planet Gandalia...

And in the heart of the Great Ocean, whose waters stretched beyond the limits of sight, there stood a mountain unlike any other in the world.

It was not merely a mountain.

It was more like a colossal pillar that had risen from the depths of the ocean and pierced the heavens, as though it were a cosmic support holding up the sky and preventing it from collapsing.

Its name was...

The Mountain of Beginning and End.

It stood thirty thousand meters tall.

Thirty thousand meters of black rock stretching from the depths of the ocean to the highest layers of the atmosphere.

The mountain was completely black—not merely because of the absence of light, but because its very rocks were unnaturally dark, as though they had absorbed the light of the sun for thousands upon thousands of years.

Endless black clouds surrounded it.

Dense clouds coiled around the mountain, stretching from the ocean all the way into the heavens, concealing its summit from the eyes of the weak.

No one knew what lay beyond those clouds except those who had reached the summit.

But reaching it...

was something most beings could not even imagine.

The higher one climbed toward the summit, the temperature dropped with terrifying speed.

By roughly the middle of the mountain, temperatures had already fallen far below freezing.

Higher still...

the air itself became so harsh that breathing turned into an ordeal.

The winds were like sharpened blades.

The cold was capable of freezing the blood within the veins of weaker beings.

And thus...

for ordinary creatures, climbing the Mountain of Beginning and End was little more than suicide.

Even powerful beings would never dare attempt the ascent without extensive preparation.

But the summit itself...

was entirely different.

It was vast.

Flat.

It stretched across an enormous area above the clouds.

In certain places, its black rocks gleamed beneath the flashes of lightning that frequently struck the summit.

BOOM!

Lightning tore across the heavens.

The summit was illuminated for a brief instant.

Then everything sank back into darkness.

At the center of that enormous summit...

stood a massive stone table.

An ancient circular table, its surface carved with mysterious inscriptions dating back to forgotten eras.

Around it...

stood seven thrones.

Only seven.

Each throne was reserved for a representative of one of the seven Superior Races.

There was no eighth throne.

Nor was there room for another race to sit among them.

For in Gandalia...

there were clear rules separating the races that stood at the pinnacle of the world from all other races.

On either side of the stone table stretched two enormous tiers.

They were reserved for representatives of the ordinary races—those races that lacked the power or influence necessary to stand alongside the Superior Races.

And at this moment...

the tiers were packed.

Hundreds.

Thousands of beings from countless races had gathered.

Among them were creatures that resembled humans, yet possessed the heads of various animals.

There were also humanoid reptiles covered in scales, with vertical pupils.

There were enormous beings resembling giants.

Strange, diminutive creatures.

Winged beings.

Others with horns.

And races that humanity had not seen for thousands of years.

Yet they all shared one thing.

Their eyes were fixed upon the stone table at the center.

For this was no ordinary day.

It was the day of the gathering of the Seven Superior Races.

A gathering held only once every hundred years.

And that alone was enough to bring the most powerful figures in Gandalia together in one place.

Of the seven thrones...

six were occupied.

Upon one of them sat the Queen of the Elves.

Queen Isabelle.

She was a woman of extraordinary beauty, with golden hair flowing gracefully behind her, fair skin, and exceptionally captivating features.

Her figure was perfect, with a slender waist and harmonious proportions, while her feminine form was striking, with a large bust, firm buttocks, and wide hips.

A calm natural aura surrounded her, lending her a regal beauty unlike that of ordinary humans.

Behind her stood one of the most prominent heirs of the Elven Race, a young prodigy chosen to represent the next generation of his race.

Upon another throne...

sat the Queen of the Vampires.

Elena.

She was a woman of extraordinary beauty, with crimson hair like blood flowing around her shoulders and crimson eyes that carried a chilling coldness.

Her skin was pale white, and her figure was alluring, with a large bust, wide hips, and long legs.

Her aura was cold and still, yet it was enough to send shivers through many of the creatures in the tiers without them understanding why.

Behind her stood one of the Vampire heirs, silent, watching everyone with sharp eyes.

As for the throne of the Werewolves...

it was occupied by one of their rulers.

King Vulcan.

His body was massive, and his savage aura remained unmistakable even while he sat upon his throne.

Behind him stood one of the young prodigies of the Werewolf Race.

Upon the throne of the Beasts...

sat the Beast Empress.

Teresa.

She was a woman of extraordinary beauty, with long, pure-white hair flowing behind her and brilliant golden eyes.

Her skin was dark, and her figure was alluring, with wide hips, a large bust, and firm buttocks.

Her aura carried immense primal power, yet her expression remained calm and imposing.

Behind her stood a chosen heir of the Beast Race.

As for the throne of the Angels...

it was occupied by one of the greatest beings in Gandalia.

Archangel Gabriel.

He sat calmly, surrounded by a pure, sacred aura that made the air around him seem clearer.

Behind him stood one of the most prominent successors of the Angelic Race.

And finally...

there was the throne of the Demons.

Upon that throne sat one of the most famous figures in all of Gandalia.

Queen Lilith, the Queen of Lust.

She was a woman of extraordinary beauty, with black hair flowing around her, fair skin, and pink eyes that held a strange enchantment.

Her figure was alluring, with a large bust, firm buttocks, and wide hips.

From her back sprouted two black wings resembling those of a succubus, while a slender tail extended behind her, its tip shaped like a heart.

Her smile was calm, and her gaze carried a strange allure, while her demonic aura remained concealed beneath a layer of seductive serenity.

She was one of the Seven Demon Kings.

Behind her stood one of the most prominent prodigies of the Demon Race.

As for the seventh throne...

it was empty.

The throne of humanity.

It remained vacant.

And that emptiness alone was enough to draw everyone's attention.

A minute passed.

Then two.

Then several more.

Yet the humans had still not arrived.

Whispers began spreading through the tiers.

"Where are the humans?"

"Did they not receive the invitation?"

"They did."

"Then why haven't they appeared?"

"Are they deliberately ignoring the gathering?"

The representatives of the Superior Races remained silent.

But the silence did not last long.

The first to openly express his displeasure was King Vulcan.

He tapped his fingers against the armrest of his throne before speaking in an irritated tone:

"Why have the humans not arrived yet?"

He raised his eyes toward the empty throne.

Then continued:

"Are they doing this deliberately to humiliate us?"

Silence fell for a moment.

Then a soft laugh came from the other side.

It was Lilith.

She looked toward Vulcan, a mocking smile forming upon her lips.

Then she spoke in a soft, alluring voice filled with unmistakable sarcasm:

"Do not be so impatient, little wolf..."

She paused for a moment.

Then added:

"Perhaps the humans came on foot. That would explain why they are late."

Silence.

Then...

smiles appeared on the faces of most of the rulers.

Even Isabelle hid a small smile behind her hand.

Teresa raised an eyebrow as she looked at Lilith.

As for Elena...

her expression barely changed, but a faint glimmer appeared in her eyes.

Lilith's words carried a double mockery.

She was mocking the humans for being late...

and mocking Vulcan himself by calling him little wolf instead of addressing him by his title.

As for Vulcan...

a prominent vein appeared on the side of his head.

His veins bulged with fury.

He spoke in a low voice:

"You demoness..."

But Lilith smiled as though she had not heard him.

Vulcan's anger intensified.

He opened his mouth to respond.

But at that very moment...

the atmosphere at the summit changed.

Suddenly...

the lightning stopped.

The winds ceased.

Silence descended.

Everyone raised their heads.

Every person present at the summit felt something.

An aura.

No...

It was not an aura.

It was a presence approaching.

Something moving at an astonishing speed.

Gabriel turned toward the horizon.

His eyes narrowed.

Teresa raised her head.

Elena stopped moving.

Even Lilith's smile disappeared for a moment.

As for Vulcan...

he completely forgot his anger.

Everyone looked in the same direction.

Far away in the sky...

a tiny black dot appeared.

At first, it was incredibly small.

Then it began to grow.

Second by second.

Until it took on a recognizable shape.

A ship.

But it was not a merchant vessel.

Nor was it a transport ship.

It was a warship.

Massive.

Colossal.

It tore through the sky at terrifying speed, causing the air around it to rupture beneath the force of its velocity.

Its hull was completely black.

A deep black resembling the darkness of night.

And running across its massive frame...

were glowing red lines, pulsing with energy at regular intervals.

The vessel did not merely look military.

It looked imposing.

Luxurious.

As though it had not been designed merely as a weapon of war...

but as a symbol of power and prestige.

The whispers in the tiers ceased.

Thousands of creatures raised their heads.

Some even stood from their seats without realizing it.

The ship drew closer.

Closer.

Until its enormous form dominated the sky.

And then...

everyone saw the emblem mounted above the front of the vessel.

Absolute silence descended.

Expressions changed.

Some eyes widened.

Others froze in place.

For the emblem...

was known.

Despite the passing of thousands of years.

Despite the disappearance of its owner from history.

And despite humanity having remained sealed behind the Heavenly Lock for fifty years...

the symbol was still preserved in the records of Gandalia.

The emblem of humanity.

The symbol that should never have appeared upon a warship of such magnitude.

Gabriel stared silently at the vessel.

Then his gaze changed.

Isabelle...

slowly rose from her throne.

Elena narrowed her eyes.

Teresa stared at the ship with intense interest.

As for Vulcan...

every trace of anger vanished from his face.

And Lilith...

for the first time since the beginning of the gathering, she was no longer smiling.

One of the creatures in the tiers whispered in a trembling voice:

"It's..."

He stopped.

He could not finish the sentence.

But everyone already knew the answer.

A human warship.

This was not merely the arrival of the humans.

They had arrived aboard a warship.

And it quickly became obvious to everyone that this vessel was not built with the technology humanity had possessed thousands of years ago.

It was something new.

Something that did not exist in the ancient records.

The ship approached the summit at tremendous speed.

But before reaching the platform...

it gradually slowed down.

Until it came to a complete stop in the sky above the summit.

It hovered there in silence.

Heavy.

Majestic.

Terrifying.

And the emblem of humanity remained clearly visible before them all.

Silence prevailed.

No one was talking about the humans being late anymore.

No one was mocking them.

And no one was looking at the empty throne.

For everyone now understood one thing.

The humans had not been late.

They had been waiting.

Waiting for the right moment to arrive.

And at that moment...

Gabriel stared at the ship for a long time.

Then said calmly:

"It seems the humans..."

He paused briefly.

"...are no longer what they once were."

No one answered him.

Because everyone was thinking the same thing.

Fifty years.

Fifty years of isolation.

Fifty years during which the outside world had known nothing of what had happened inside Zeta.

And now...

the first answer had arrived.

But it was not a group of humans approaching in formal attire.

Nor was it a small diplomatic delegation.

It was a colossal warship, black with glowing red lines, hovering above the summit of the Mountain of Beginning and End before the representatives of the most powerful races in Gandalia.

And yet...

no one knew who would emerge from it.

Its doors remained closed.

The human throne remained empty.

As though the ship itself were saying only one thing:

Wait.

For the one who had come to sit upon that throne...

had not yet arrived.

And somewhere behind those sealed doors...

the man whose voice the world had not heard for five thousand years was preparing to appear.