One month ago, Alex stood before Zhuge Liang.

"I've secured our connection with Estoria. The rest is yours to manage. Let's make sure both countries grow together."

Zhuge Liang bowed, robes whispering against the polished floor. "Your Majesty. Your command will be done."

“Good. I'm entering the training realm to raise my cultivation. Keep everything running smoothly in my absence."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Another precise bow.

Alex turned and walked away. The words were a lie. He had never intended to set foot in the Wudang dimensional realm.

Mid-flight, he summoned the Voxen Lucifer. The craft dropped out of stealth beside him, its matte-black hull drinking the light, engines already spooling with a low, predatory hum.

“Been a while, buddy," Alex muttered. “Let's move."

The hatch unsealed with a pressurized hiss. He vaulted inside. The seat molded around him as the canopy sealed.

"Prussia. Full burn. Now."

The Voxen Lucifer punched forward. The world outside blurred into streaks of cloud and sky. Inside the cockpit, a cool ripple passed over Alex's skin. The false features of Bai Xiaochun dissolved like mist under sunlight, revealing the sharper lines of his true face.

He flexed his jaw once, feeling the weight of his own bones settle back into place.

Hours later, Prussian airspace lit up on the threat board. The defense grid swept the approaching craft, registered the royal signature embedded in the Voxen Lucifer's core, and stood down without a single query.

The grid parted. The craft slipped through.

Only after they crossed the boundary did Alex's original Gaia band ignite. It reached out like a starved thing and locked onto the Mother Gaia core buried deep beneath Prussian soil. Every dormant channel flared open at once, flooding his neural feed with clean, encrypted data.

"Welcome home, Master Alexander," Gaia said.

Alex didn't waste breath on pleasantries. "Link me to Eve."

The connection formed instantly. A translucent screen unfolded in the air before him.

Eve's face materialized on the display, the familiar silver egg robot. "Master," she said urgently, "Mistress Sofina is in immediate danger."

"What happened?"

"They are forcing her to marry Ragnar Eisenwall. If she refuses, they will declare civil war and destroy Prussia."

Alex's mind cut through the variables like a blade. The Xia warship and the Estoria warship were still weeks from combat readiness. A premature civil war would gut everything they had built.

"Gaia," he called. "I have created another mother Al like you in Xia and on Estoria. I want them all linked into one unified system to serve the three countries and continents. What do you need to ensure its stability?"

"High-altitude satellite relay," Gaia answered without hesitation. "Three-node synchronization requires orbital bandwidth and quantum encryption keys that cannot be routed through surface infrastructure without detection or lag."

"How long?"

Gaia's voice remained level, precise. “Satellite fabrication begins immediately. Core assembly and systems checks will require two weeks. Launch clearance through Prussian atmospheric security protocols will add further delay. Full calibration and encryption alignment across the Xia and Prussian Gaia nodes will then demand an additional month and two weeks for stable multi-node synchronization.”

Alex's jaw tightened. “One month total. Not a day more. Whatever it takes."

"Yes," Gaia replied. “But I will require your direct input for final authorization codes and real-time neural calibration."

"Fine," Alex said. "Let's get it done."

***

Back to now, Sofina stood at the altar in a gown that felt like a shroud, silent tears cutting tracks down her face.

Ragnar had just taken his place beside her.

The priest lifted his hands, and the vast chamber fell into expectant silence. Hundreds of eyes watched the moment that would crown a new king and queen.

The priest's voice rang clear and formal. "If any person here present knows just cause why this man and this woman should not be joined in marriage, speak now, or forever hold your peace."

He scanned the crowd. “I ask once." A measured pause. “I ask twice."

Before the third call could leave his lips, the massive double doors at the back of the hall slammed open with a crack like thunder. A single voice, deep and unflinching, rolled down the aisle.

"I object!"

The gasp that tore through the assembly was almost violent. Heads snapped around.

No one had ever dared challenge a royal wedding at the final moment-least of all the union of the future queen and king.

Sofina's tear-filled eyes lifted. Her breath stopped.

Alexander strode forward. He did not slow until he stood before the altar, gaze locked on the priest, then on Ragnar, then finally on her.

"I object to this marriage," he declared, voice carrying to every corner of the hall. "Sofina is my wife. We are already bound to each other. She cannot marry anyone else."

The words detonated through the chamber. Ragnar's face went rigid.

The priest froze mid-gesture. A low wave of stunned murmurs rose from the crowd, but Alexander did not look away from Sofina.

Her lips parted. The name slipped out in a broken whisper. "Alexander..."

She moved before anyone could stop her. Silk tore at the hem as she ran, tears spilling faster now, no longer from despair but from something raw and desperate. She crashed into him, arms locking around his chest with fierce, shaking strength. Her body sagged against his as the weeks of fear finally broke. In that single, crushing embrace she felt the world tilt back into place.

He had come. He was real. And nothing else mattered.

Alex held Sofina close, one hand cradling the back of her head as she trembled against his chest.

"I'm here," he murmured, voice low but steady enough to carry. "Don't worry. I'll take care of all of this."

The grand hall remained frozen in stunned silence. Every guest, every noble, every servant stood motionless, eyes wide. This was unfolding in front of the entire court-

live.

Duke Dornwald and Duke Eisenwall moved through the crowd toward the king.

"Your Majesty," Duke Dornwald said, "what is the meaning of this?"

Duke Eisenwall stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, in front of these people if you do not allow Princess Sofing to marry Ragnar Prussia will split. I strongly advise Your Majesty totet the marriage proceed."

The king's gaze moved from the two dukes to Sofina, still pressed against Alexander. A long sigh escaped him. He looked suddenly older, the weight of the crown heavier than ever.

"I am old," he said quietly. "Today is my final day as king. I have already chosen Sofina as my successor. I will not involve myself in this any longer."

He had no desire to wade into the coming storm. But if Alexander had come for her,

he must possess something strong enough to stand against these men.

The king trusted his instinct. He would not stand in Alex's way.

Duke Dornwald's face twisted. "You have always been a useless king." He turned sharply and strode toward Sofina. Duke Eisenwall followed.

“Princess Sofina,” Eisenwall said, voice smooth but edged with threat, "I believe you

understand what will happen if you refuse to continue with this marriage."

Alex moved before either man could

take another step. He shifted Sofina behind him with one arm, his body now a shield between her and the dukes His eyes locked on Eisenwall, cold and unflinching.

"Why don't you tell me what will

happen if my wife refuses to marry your useless son?" Alex said, voice

cuttgh the hat other?

like a blade Will he ran crying to his

Will he still need to suckle ather

breast like an infant? Let him go. He doesn't deserve Sofina."

A collective gasp tore through the assembly. The shock was visceral, electric. No

one had ever spoken to the dukes with such open contempt inside these walls.

Duke Eisenwall's face darkened. “You,” he said, voice tight. "Your bravery will destroy this entire country."

Alex laughed. “Even if the whole world burns, so what? She is my wife. I will never give her to you."

Duke Dornwald turned to Sofina, his tone heavy with threat. "Princess Sofina. Are you certain you want to see this place destroyed?"

Before she could answer, Duke Dunkel rose from his seat. The hall went still.

"I have an important announcement," he declared. “I, Duke Dunkel, have decided to support Miss Sofina as queen."

The chamber erupted. Voices rose in shock and speculation. Five dukes now stood behind her. In the eyes of the court, that made her the rightful queen already.

Duke Dornwald spun toward him, fury cracking his composure. “Duke Dunkel, how dare you betray us?"

"I am not the only one," Dunkel replied calmly.

Duke Hohenberg stood as well. "I make this announcement before the entire court.

I, too, support Miss Sofina as queen."

The hall exploded a second time. This time the guests joined in. Six dukes had

never aligned behind a single candidate in living memory. The balance of power had shifted in a single breath.

"Queen Sofina!" someone shouted from the crowd.

The chant spread fast, rolling through the hall like thunder. "Queen Sofina! Queen

Sofina!"

Duke Dornwald and Duke Eisenwall stood exposed, their authority crumbling in real

time. Even Ragnar's face had gone bloodless. They had become the joke of the

court.

Duke Dornwald's jaw clenched. "All of you will remember this.” He turned on his heel and strode toward the doors.

Alex stepped into his path, blocking the exit. His voice dropped, cold and absolute. "Did I give you permission to leave?"

Duke Dornwald stopped, eyes narrowing. “What do you want, you lowly peasant?”

Alex's answer was simple. "Your head."

A blade materialized in his hand with a faint shimmer of energy. He swung in one fluid motion.

The edge bit deep into Duke Dornwald's neck. Blood sprayed across the marble

floor.

Before the body could fall, Alex was already moving. He blurred across the space between them and brought the sword down again, this time toward Duke Eisenwall.