Chapter 401: Chapter 401: I Don’t Want to Be Apart from You
"It’s late."
Aiden glanced at the deep night sky outside the window, then gave a slight nod.
"Your Majesty, please rest early. I’ll take my leave now."
He did not stay any longer. He turned and strode toward the door of the private pavilion.
With every step he took, ripples of magic spread through the air, as if even the world itself was making way for him.
Creak—
The wooden door was gently pushed open, then slowly closed again.
Aiden’s tall, powerful figure, like that of a Demon God, completely disappeared into the depths of the night.
Inside the pavilion, everything became quiet once more.
Eira stood silently by the window, staring in the direction Aiden had left. For a long time, she did not move.
A night breeze blew past, lifting the hem of her pure white dress.
She reached out and caught a spirit tree petal that had been blown down by the wind. On her stunning face, the corners of her lips slowly rose, forming a breathtaking smile.
As the ruler who held power over the world, she understood better than anyone.
For a proud and domineering man like Aiden, the fact that he had not rejected her directly meant one thing...
There was hope.
...
The soft romance and lingering fragrance inside the palace pavilion from the night before were completely swept away by the first light of dawn.
Golden sunlight spread across the Sovereign City, covering the huge capital, which had just passed through a night of hidden danger, in a cold and shining armor of gold.
Deep inside Aiden’s residence, the man sitting cross-legged slowly opened his eyes.
In that instant, it was as if countless bright magic stars were being born and destroyed within his deep pupils.
The terrifying magic power of a Legendary Rank Magic Apprentice was like a deep ocean. Around Aiden, it turned into a real tide of magic, crushing the surrounding space until tiny cracks appeared.
Knock, knock, knock—
The sound of knocking from outside the courtyard broke the quiet of the morning.
"Come in."
Aiden rose to his feet.The raging magic around him instantly withdrew into his body like rivers flowing back into the sea. Not a single trace leaked out.
The courtyard gate opened.Sulla, the representative of the military, walked in with large, steady steps. He was dressed in full armor, and his aura was as sharp as an unsheathed sword.
"Aiden, the teleportation array to the Ancient Battlefield was adjusted overnight. It’s ready!"
Sulla wasted no words. His firm face carried a look of excitement and seriousness that he could not hide.
Aiden gave a slight nod. A sharp light flashed in his deep black eyes.
"Let’s go. I want to see it."
The two of them turned into streaks of light at the same time, tearing through the sky as they shot straight toward the outskirts of the Sovereign City.
Three hundred miles outside the Sovereign City was a top-secret military restricted zone.
The mountains here had been flattened by the military with great power, turning the area into a massive steel fortress.
There was a guard every few steps and a watchpost every short distance. Countless elite soldiers in heavy armor stood like iron statues, coldly watching every direction.
High above in the sky, dense invisible anti-flight magic arrays flickered with a deadly cold light.
More than a hundred expensive Legendary Rank armor-piercing magic cannons stood like the fangs of a steel beast, all aimed toward the clouds.
With defenses this strict, even a level 99 Great Venerable who tried to force his way in would be blasted into a mist of blood in an instant.
Sulla led Aiden through layer after layer of security. They entered an elevator and went down thousands of meters underground.
A huge, heavy stone door slowly rose.
In the next instant, an ancient and vast aura rushed toward them, filled with the thick smell of blood and the power of destruction.
Aiden looked up.
At the center of this underground plaza, which had been completely hollowed out, stood a super teleportation array more than ten thousand meters wide.It was slowly turning.
The array patterns were all made from extremely rare void meteor gold. Every line looked like a flowing river of stars.
At the eight points around the array, piles of top-grade magic crystals were stacked like mountains. They were turning into dust at a speed visible to the naked eye, being wildly devoured by the array.
"This array came from an ancient ruin. Hundreds of formation masters from the military worked day and night to repair it."
Sulla looked up at the core of the array, which was giving off a blinding dark glow. His voice was a little hoarse.
"To force open the space barrier to the Ancient Battlefield, just the warm-up for this one activation..."
"It has already burned through one hundred years of crystal reserves from the military of the Great Shaw Empire!"
Even Aiden, who was usually calm, could not help but show a strange look in his eyes when he heard that number.
A hundred years of military resources, just to open one teleportation.
This time, the Great Shaw Empire had truly staked its national fate on it.
Aiden stared at the eye of the array as it slowly tore open a chaotic vortex in the air. Then he spoke calmly.
"How long can this teleportation array stay open?"
Sulla turned his head. His expression suddenly became extremely serious, even carrying a trace of guilt.
"Not even one second."
"The passage it opens is only enough for you to enter. After that, it will completely collapse under the backlash of spatial power."
Sulla stared straight into Aiden’s eyes and said each word clearly."This is a one-way teleportation."
"Once you go in, you’ll have to rely on yourself to survive the endless dangers of the Ancient Battlefield and find a way back to Earth!"
If it had been any other Reclasser, hearing that this was a one-way trip with no return would probably have made them back out at once.
But not Aiden.
He only gave a soft laugh. That laugh was filled with wild pride and absolute confidence, as if he looked down on the whole world.
"So what if it’s one-way?"
"I, Aiden, have never needed anyone to leave me an escape route!"
"Since I’m going, I’ll use the magic in my hands to blast open a path back to the heavens!"
At that moment, the powerful aura of Aiden—the top scholar of the Great Shaw Empire and an imperial hero—burst out fully.
The entire underground base shook slightly under its force.
Sulla looked at the proud and fearless young man before him. His eyes grew a little warm. Then he quickly took out an old green jade pendant from his robe.
Pa!
Sulla held the jade pendant out to Aiden with both hands, as if he were holding the very fate of the Great Shaw Empire.
"This is one of the military’s greatest treasures, the Celestial Positioning Jade."
"It holds the core origin coordinates of Earth. As long as you are still within this universe, it can guide you in the direction of home!"
Aiden reached out and took the jade pendant without hesitation, putting away this treasure that carried the fate of the nation.
"Thank the military for me."
Sulla suddenly stood straight and gave Aiden a perfect military salute.
"Aiden, the Golden Great Wall of the Great Shaw Empire is already in grave danger. The roar of the Demon God could tear through the defense line at any moment."
"The entire military, and the billions of people of the Great Shaw Empire, are counting on you to bring back the Law Core!"
Aiden’s face was calm like still water, but deep in his black eyes, a battle will powerful enough to burn the heavens and destroy the earth began to rise.
"Tell the Empress, and tell the military this."
"As long as the wall stands, so do we."
"As for the Law Core needed to repair the Great Wall..."
"I, Aiden, will take it!"
There were no extra words.
One promise, yet it carried the weight of a mountain.
Sulla took a deep breath and forced down the boiling blood in his chest.
"The teleportation array still needs three days to fully charge."
"During these three days, you must make every possible preparation. At noon three days from now, I will see you off here!"
Aiden gave a slight nod, then turned and left with a sweep of his sleeve.
The wide black mage robe snapped in the fierce wind, like the cloak of a Demon God.
After leaving the military restricted zone, Aiden went straight back to his mansion in the Sovereign City.
Three days was not a long time.But it was enough for him to adjust himself to his true peak condition.
...
Night was as dark as ink, and the stars were hidden.
The cold wind of the Sovereign City carried a killing chill as it swept through the courtyard of Aiden’s mansion.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
It was the night before his departure.
Inside the room, Aiden sat cross-legged at the center of a magic array. Thick Legendary Rank magic power surrounded him.
The terrifying foundation of a level 80 Magic Apprentice surged through his body like an ocean. Each breath he took made the space around him tremble slightly.
He was doing his final meditation, pushing his condition to its highest peak.
Creak—
The door was gently pushed open.
Aiden did not open his eyes. His powerful senses had already noticed the person’s aura.
Cheryl stood at the doorway.
Tonight, she was not wearing her cold Legendary Rank battle Miko armor.
She only wore a thin white nightdress. Her small body trembled slightly in the night wind.
Her eyes, usually full of wildness and fighting spirit, were now bloodshot. The rims of her eyes were red, making her look like a frightened little rabbit.
She knew that after tonight, the man in front of her would step alone into that deadly place with no promised return.
"Aiden."
Cheryl’s voice was thick with emotion and sounded a little hoarse.
Aiden slowly opened his eyes. His deep gaze was as calm as the starry sky.
"Why aren’t you resting yet?"
Aiden spoke calmly, his voice as steady as ever.
Cheryl bit her lower lip and quickly walked up to him. She raised her head and stared at him tightly.
"Take me with you."
She almost shouted those five words with all the strength she had.
Aiden’s expression did not change. He only shook his head lightly.
"No."
His refusal was direct and final, leaving no room for argument.
"Why?!" Cheryl clenched her fists so hard that her nails almost dug into her palms.
"I’m already a level 75 battle Miko now. I have the armor you gave me. I can help you kill enemies. I swear I won’t hold you back!"
Aiden looked at her stubborn face. His eyes were still frighteningly calm.
"The Ancient Battlefield is not some minor fight in the lower levels of the Abyss."
"It is filled with violent streams of law power and the hatred of fallen gods."
"Reclassers below level 90 don’t even have the right to enter the outer area."
Aiden’s voice was not loud, but it carried unquestionable authority.
"If you go in, you will die."
Cheryl’s small body trembled. She bit her lower lip so hard that a thin line of red blood appeared.
Of course she knew Aiden was telling the truth.
She also knew that this seemingly cold man was protecting her in the most direct way.
But knowing it was one thing.
Accepting it was another.
"But... I don’t want to be separated from you."
Cheryl’s tears finally broke free, sliding silently down her cheeks.
She was no longer the decisive battle Miko who had fought and killed without hesitation in Winterhold.
At this moment, she was only a girl afraid of losing the person she depended on.
