"Duke Temeris, your courage is admirable." Alonso’s tone remained calm, even carrying a hint of praise. But that praise felt like a condescending judgment, which was all the more unsettling. "Unfortunately, when courage isn’t supported by proper perspective, it is merely stubbornness."

"I came here today for one reason only..."

His voice was clear and cold, like someone reading a death sentence.

"The Tower of Secret Silver and our like-minded allies have reached a consensus. The ancient Plane Waymark, deep within the Iron Ridge Mountain Range on the border between the Eastern Territory of the Vilt Kingdom and the Castile Kingdom, will be fully activated and stabilized during the peak of the next energy tide. When that happens, it will no longer be a rift that opens by chance. Instead, it will become a beacon to guide our compatriots from the New Realm to this world. It will become... a sharp sword, piercing the dome called ’Truth’ that has shrouded this continent for far too long."

"The rule of the Church Court, its suppression of knowledge, its crude division between the mundane and Extraordinary Power—it’s time for it all to end. The Laws and wisdom of the New Realm will open their doors to any who are willing to embrace them. This is the greatest gift we offer this era."

These words exploded like a clap of thunder in the silent hall, more shocking to the core than even the pressure Alonso himself exuded.

Even the many nobles who didn’t understand the specifics could still discern the undertones of subversion and war in his words.

Completely open the Plane Waymark?

Guide the New Realm Wizards to descend upon this world?

Destroy the Truth Church Court? 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Archbishop Fernandez’s face instantly turned livid. The veins on the back of the hand gripping his Scepter bulged, and the silver halo around his body fluctuated violently, revealing his immense shock and fury. "Arrogance! Blasphemy! You mean to drag the entire world into the fires of war and chaos! The order of the God of Truth will not be desecrated, and the kingdoms will never sit by and watch this madness unfold!"

"Order? Your so-called order is nothing but a cage built on ignorance and fear," Alonso said coolly. "As for war... change has never come without bloodshed. If the Church Court insists on standing in the way, then we will fight."

Margaret took a step forward, her voice colder than the ice of the far north. "Marquis Alonso, I have heard your declaration. But this is not just a declaration of war against the Church Court. It is a flagrant violation of the Vilt Kingdom’s sovereignty and our existing treaty with the Castile Kingdom! The Temeris Territory, and the entire Kingdom, will not tolerate such an act of aggression."

Her words were resolute, representing the most formal and severe warning and stance of a great Duke of the Vilt Kingdom.

Alonso’s gaze lingered on Margaret’s face for a moment. He seemed somewhat bemused by her taking such a clear side, but he said nothing more on the matter.

His gaze finally fell back on Eleanor, who was held tightly behind Margaret, only half of her face visible.

"Before I take my leave," Alonso suddenly changed the subject, his tone even taking on a hint of gentleness, "since this is a birthday celebration, an uninvited guest such as myself should at least leave a gift as a small token of apology."

The moment he finished speaking, he raised his left hand with extreme nonchalance and pointed his index finger lightly in Eleanor’s direction.

There was no chanting of Spells, no complex hand gestures, not even a discernible process of gathering Energy.

A faint silver stream of light, as thin as a hair, erupted from his fingertip without warning. It moved faster than the eye could follow, as if it had traversed space in an instant, shooting straight for Eleanor’s forehead!

"Outrageous!"

"You dare!"

Two furious shouts erupted at almost the same time.

Archbishop Fernandez’s eyes flew wide with fury. A short, powerful, holy syllable burst from his lips as he slammed his Oak Staff on the ground!

The Moonlight Stone at the head of the staff erupted with an unprecedentedly brilliant silver light. A sacred light screen, as solid as a shield, instantly unfurled less than a meter in front of Eleanor. Complex protective runes flowed across its surface, attempting to intercept the silver stream of light.

Murphy moved almost in sync with the Archbishop, or even a fraction faster!

The instant Alonso raised his hand, Murphy’s right thumb, which had been resting on his sword’s hilt, had already nudged the blade free of its guard!

There was no flash of a drawn blade, only a low hum, like the cry of a dragon, from within the scabbard.

An incredibly condensed strand of white Sword Qi, though launched second, arrived first to meet the silver stream of light.

However, whether it was the sacred light screen imbued with stellar power or the Sword Qi condensed with astonishing piercing power, something unbelievable happened the instant they touched the faint silver stream of light.

The silver stream of light seemed as if it didn’t exist in this dimension at all.

The sacred light screen passed through it as if it were an illusion, failing to cause the slightest ripple.

The white Sword Qi struck nothing but air, grazing past the spot where the stream of light had passed, leaving only a deep gash on the wall.

Just like that, the stream of light pierced through the interception of two powerful experts. Its speed didn’t decrease in the slightest as it continued toward Eleanor!

In the split second before the stream of light could touch Eleanor’s forehead, Margaret—who had been shielding her daughter with her life, emerald starlight practically bursting from her eyes—suddenly froze for an instant.

The Mental Force Field she was about to unleash was abruptly withdrawn. The starlight vanished from her eyes, and she simply held Eleanor tightly in her embrace, her body tensed, using no Extraordinary Power to block the attack.

PHUT!

A soft, almost inaudible sound.

The faint silver stream of light sank into the spot between Eleanor’s eyebrows without any resistance.

The little girl trembled slightly and instinctively closed her eyes.

The expected harm did not occur.

The next moment, Eleanor’s eyes snapped open. Deep within her dark pupils, a minuscule speck of silver light seemed to flash before vanishing.

Immediately after, an astonishing scene unfolded.

With Eleanor’s small body as the center, countless brilliant, dazzling, and colorful motes of light emerged from thin air!

These motes were not flames but were composed of pure, gentle light. They swiftly ascended, swirled, and combined, conjuring countless lifelike images beneath the hall’s high, vaulted ceiling.

There were birds of starlight soaring with outstretched wings, schools of luminous fish swimming leisurely, enormous flowers of light blooming layer by layer, and even miniature, rotating galaxies...

They blossomed, transformed, and intertwined in silence, illuminating the entire White Rose Hall like a fantastical wonderland. It was breathtakingly beautiful, yet possessed no destructive power whatsoever.

Alonso watched the brilliant spectacle before him, a clear expression appearing on his pale face for the first time.

It was a smile mixed with satisfaction and faint sarcasm.

He shook his head. "To judge a noble heart by one’s own petty measure. This is merely an ornamental gift. May this brilliant light always be with the child."

"Hahahahaha!"

Leaving behind a long, meaningful laugh, Alonso’s figure, illuminated by the dazzling display of light and shadow, took a single step back and melted into the shadows of the doorway, vanishing completely.

His suffocating pressure receded along with him, dissipating in an instant like a fading tide.

All that remained was a hall full of nobles, still shaken and with a myriad of expressions on their faces, staring up in bewilderment at the beautiful feast of light and shadow that continued to bloom endlessly above them.

And on the high platform, Archbishop Fernandez, his face as dark as water, and Duke Margaret, her eyes as sharp as ice.

There was also Murphy, who slowly pressed his sword’s guard back into place. His face betrayed no emotion, but his gaze was exceptionally profound.

Little Eleanor, meanwhile, was held tightly in her mother’s arms. She tilted her small face upward, her dark eyes reflecting the sky full of shimmering, brilliant colors.

There was no fear in her eyes. Instead, they were filled with the pure curiosity and wonder of a child, as if she were captivated by this beauty that transcended the mortal world.