Chapter 465: Chapter 2: I Can Also Be a Divine Chosen
"’Light Shatterer’ Yilong, ’Valkyrie’ Alexia, and ’War Commander’ Inseldi... It seems almost all of the Imperial military’s main legions have gathered here. Truly a grand occasion."
Yolanda identified all the unit designations and their affiliations from the banners on the encampments and battleships.
Westheid couldn’t be bothered to remember such things; only Yolanda would care about them. He merely spared them a passing glance, remarking:
"Hmph, is that so..."
"Brother, you are being a bit too arrogant. These people are pillars of the Imperial military. They have fought and achieved glorious things in the other half of the Empire that you weren’t there to guard. They are not minor figures."
Westheid stood with his hands clasped behind his back and sighed.
"I’m not being arrogant, and I do appreciate everyone’s efforts. It’s just... High-tier Legends... sigh. In the end, there’s still a pitifully thick barrier between them and me."
Ignoring his sister’s exasperated expression, Duke Qinghui’s flagship entered Imperial airspace. The ever-dimming Holy Tree Illusion could no longer enforce the no-fly zone. So, breaking with ancestral custom, the airspace had been opened, and several new platforms had been built, greatly expanding the docking capacity for Floating Battleships.
With the Imperial Star Gate hub damaged and useless, Floating Battleships had become indispensable—or rather, even more crucial. Even without the ability to warp, the advantage of flight alone was enough to warrant their full-scale production.
The flagship docked at the largest Star Gate platform and lowered its landing bay.
The man with black hair and violet eyes led his trusted retinue onto the platform. News of Westheid’s arrival had preceded him, and a welcoming party was already waiting.
"Duke Qinghui!"
"Duke Qinghui..."
"Lord Westheid, it has been many years. You look as dashing and handsome as ever."
"Do you remember me, my lord?"
Westheid nodded to each of them in turn, though his memory of these Imperial Capital nobles was dim—with the exception of certain exceptionally beautiful noblewomen.
"Duke Qinghui!"
Accompanied by the sound of clear laughter, the Regent King approached. Sylvia came over, leading a group of people.
The dignified and elegant golden-haired Eldest Princess still wore that same faint, graceful smile for everyone, projecting an effortless authority. But a closer look revealed an unconcealable exhaustion in her eyes.
She probably hadn’t had a proper rest since the Age of Strife began.
But exhaustion aside, knowing the Regent King as he did, Westheid figured she was inwardly thrilled to be holding the reins of Imperial power during a crisis.
"Duke Qinghui, you’ve finally made your grand entrance. The Expeditionary Army is all but assembled. We were just waiting for you to take your place before we can officially depart."
Sylvia dispensed with the pleasantries, immediately giving Westheid a concise briefing on the current military situation.
This surprised Westheid slightly. Her Imperial Highness the Princess was normally a stickler for Royal Family etiquette, yet here she was, adopting such an efficient method of communication, as if afraid to waste a single second.
He couldn’t help but remark:
"Your Royal Highness, Regent King, you have truly worked hard for the Empire. But why trouble yourself with explaining the battle situation personally?"
Westheid held some respect for the Eldest Princess. Though she was a purely political creature, she had given him genuine support and trust. Duke Qinghui’s ability to voraciously absorb faith now was inseparable from the official propaganda campaign run by the Imperial government.
He did indeed want to ascend to godhood, and for that, he even needed some of the Imperial citizens as his followers. But he had no intention of replacing any of the Realms of Order. His relationship with all the Realms of Order should be extremely amicable. As for living space?
The territory in the Mortal World might be limited, but the Sea of Chaos was infinite and boundless. Once he ascended, he would just have to aggressively expand his borders into the Chaos Domain. If Chaos so much as breathed wrong, it would be met with the full force of Order.
Therefore, Westheid had always been friendly and tolerant toward the key figures of the Realms of Order. His overly amicable attitude even made Sylvia’s eyes widen, and she quickly waved her hands, saying:
"Duke Qinghui, there’s no need to be so modest. I dare not accept such honorifics from you. You now hold the title of Knight King, a mortal ruler of a Realm of Order. In terms of status, you are higher than me."
Sylvia then shrugged.
"But you probably don’t care about such things, do you?"
"Actually, what I meant was, there was no need to wait for me with such ceremony. Didn’t Reiya arrive here first? Her word is as good as mine. You could have departed already. If the battle situation is urgent, there should be no delays."
Westheid saw that all the fleets were poised and ready to launch at a moment’s notice. The only reason they hadn’t left was because they were waiting for him... Even with Duke Qinghui’s currently inflated ego, he felt this was a bit excessive.
Hearing this, Sylvia gave a wry smile. "We couldn’t. It’s impossible without you."
’Huh? So they can’t start the game without me?’
Just as Westheid was about to make a joke, Sylvia said:
"Because the envoy from the Celestial Vault Kingdom demanded that you, and only you, lead this Expeditionary Army. Only then will they be willing to open the Sky Veil."
’An envoy from the Celestial Vault Kingdom?’
Westheid was taken aback for a moment, then, as if realizing something, he nodded.
"Then take me to them."
He followed Sylvia to the headquarters floating above the Holy Tree Palace. Inside the command center’s main hall, a group of Imperial Legends were already in position, all of them looking as if they had just finished their preparations to depart.
"West."
Reiya, clad in a moon-white battle robe embroidered with gold, walked over and nodded to her lover.
"Did you succeed?"
She was, of course, asking about his ascension to Demigod.
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