1057 Proclamation

When Irene, Bali, and Kevin entered the throne hall, it was already full and bustling. The softly glowing murals told the tale of humans from the age of cavemen to the era of solar conquest. The throne hall itself was illuminated by the soft sunlight passing through the paper-thin windows.

Today's performers, amounting to more than five thousand, sat on the farthest seating range. This included the little children that sang the songs to the academy geniuses that participated in the duels. By their own strength, they could've never stepped into this hall.

Thanks to this incredible opportunity, they were able to witness this historic moment in person. Many of their peers back in school and the academy were jealous as the thrones covered the throne hall from all angles and showed each and every single face.

In the seating range at a lower height and closer to the throne were the important military and civil officials as well as the businessmen leading in critical sectors and prominent scientists.

On the ground level and also the closest to the throne were just a few dozen seats.

All in all, the seating looked like a stadium in its arrangements, except it's infinitely more exquisite and gorgeous.

As Irene, Bali, and Kevin seated themselves close to the throne, the hall was filled with whispers.

Standing beside the gate, Blue Flash, stared at her comm with an anxious expression. 'Please don't be late, the whole world is watching! I beg you, you bastard!'

As if answering her pleas, solid footsteps sounded from afar.

The throne hall went silent as everyone held their breath. They couldn't see him and didn't dare to use their powers.

But even then, they could feel it. With each step, waves of aura washed over the throne hall.

"He…"

As Varian appeared in front of the entrance to the throne hall, Alison instinctively lowered her head. Along with her, everyone did the same.

There was no pressure on them. No psychics power forcing them. Yet, they felt incredible pressure just by trying to look at him. As if there was a mountain on them, they lowered their head and held their breath.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

The footsteps continued. Regally. Calmly. Peacefully.

Everyone kept their heads down the whole time. Some tried to look up but their body refused.

Finally, they heard a deep but friendly voice. "It is time."

"Haa!"

"Huff!"

"Ahh!"

Everyone gasped and took quick short breaths. Then their gazes instinctively turned to the man on the throne.

He had no crown but just by looking at his eyes, they felt convinced. This man should be the ruler. There's something in the way he presented himself that went beyond everyone else.

Was it because of his incredible experiences, each of which could very well be a legend by itself? Or was it because of his talent? Or power?

No one could tell for certain. But looking at the man on the throne, they all subconsciously felt that it felt natural as if it's how it should be.

The public watching the broadcast was dumbfounded at how everyone responded when the Emperor just walked to the throne.

"Your Majesty, please finish the ceremony and declare your rightful position." Alison bowed lightly and said.

The audience, be it in the throne hall or in their homes, straightened their backs and glued their eyes to the man on the throne.

Varian stood up from the throne and unsheathed his sword. Gripping the handle, he slammed it right next to the throne.

BOOM!

The throne hall, the palace, and the entire space city shook for a moment as the sword penetrated into the shining stone beside the throne.

Gripping the sword, Varian stared forward with a solemn gaze. "I, Varian, proclaim myself the Human Emperor."

He began to glow like a star and from the light, he raised his hand toward the vaulted ceiling. "Today will be the start of a new era."

Rays of colors shot out from his hand and appeared in outer space. They lit up and shone brighter and brighter, outstripping even the two suns.

From every planet, people saw the new star in the sky. Then, the star exploded. The shockwaves of aura spread right from Earth all the way to Pluto in mere minutes. Every sky above every planet was washed in a multitude of colors. It was beautiful, breathtaking, and promising.

Even as people were yet to recover from the shock, Varian continued. "As your Emperor, I'll not promise eternal peace. Many of us would like to believe that the end of abyssals is the end of the war. We cannot be more wrong."

His words caused many to panic. They've suffered for so long. Should they still keep fighting? Can't they have peace?

As if reading their thoughts, Varian continued. "Survival is a fight for resources. Since the inception of our civilization, we fought for food, water, and land. After Blink, when nuclear wars razed the planet, we fought for the little fertile left.

When Murlocs invaded our lands, we fought their race and pushed them to extinction. When dungeons appeared, we fought them to survive. And we kept fighting abyssals for more than a hundred years. In our history, when did we ever stop fighting?"

His words set off a storm. All of these were facts known by most. But when they looked at it from the perspective of war and peace, it gave them a new understanding.

"Life is a battle from the onset. Right from birth, we keep fighting. For better resources, for a better position, for a better future, we fight, fight, and fight. Until you breathe your last, it never stops." Varian stated his changed perspective after everything he had gone through.

"There is no eternal peace as there is no eternal war. Peace is the gap between two wars. War is the tool to establish temporary peace.

We can hope for a long period of peace, but it'd be naive to think it'd last forever. To survive, we have to prepare for war.

Abyssals are gone. But there are a million other races like them. Even many much stronger than them.

We've come very far, fought many wars, lost too much, and suffered for too long. This is a big victory for us and we should greatly celebrate it.

But remember this, we are not at the end, we are just beginning."

On the day of his coronation, Varian ended his speech with those prophetic words.