Chapter 49: Palace Ascension and the Celestial Compass
The shattered remains of the Third Sky King’s white jade throne slowly dissolved into a shimmering river of golden code, flowing straight toward the center of the vast chamber where the Divine Throne Core hovered. The diamond-like structure hummed with a deep, cosmic vibration that made the surrounding white marble pillars of the Celestial Palace Matrix glow with intense, law-altering energy.
Min-jae casually sheathed the massive, light-absorbing claymore back onto his shoulder, his hands sliding naturally into the pocket segments of his True Vajra-Sovereign Sub-Divine God-Armor. His bottomless black eyes locked onto the floating core.
"Chae-won, merge the throne core directly into our palace grid," Min-jae ordered smoothly, his voice a low, seductive baritone that sent an immediate thrill through his teammates. "We are expanding the fortress boundaries. If the higher heavens choose to peek into this sector, I want our tracking network fully optimized."
"On it, boss! Ultimate consolidation active!" Han Chae-won beamed, her fingers flying across her logistics terminal screen as she channeled her sss-rank Infinite Void Treasury parameters to lock down the core.
Voomm!.
The Divine Throne Core violently dissolved, transforming into a massive, sweeping wave of pristine white and liquid gold energy that rippled across the entire 123-story structure. The celestial marble interior expanded exponentially, the open-air nebula sky above the lounge growing wider as floating islands of ancient, glowing jade trees manifested along the perimeter. The ambient mana density inside the palace tripled in a fraction of a millisecond, wrapping the entire core team in a continuous, soothing hum of pure elemental law.
[System Alert: sss-rank Celestial Palace Matrix has absorbed the Divine Throne Core!]
[Fortress Level Up! The Palace has successfully evolved into: ’The Void-Sovereign Imperial Haven’ (Rank SSS)!]
[Auxiliary Facility Unlocked: ’The Celestial Compass Grid’ — Permanently integrates with Major General Shin Ye-rin’s tactical mapping console, allowing the palace radar to pierce through sub-dimensional folds and hidden celestial tracking seals across the multiverse.]
"The tracking lines are spinning up automatically, Min-jae," Major General Shin Ye-rin reported crisp and clear, her steel-gray eyes fixed onto the newly materialized, three-dimensional holographic projection of the Celestial Compass Grid. Her fingers moved like a blur across the terminal. "The radar isn’t just scanning local space anymore. It’s actively cutting through the dimensional seals of the upper-tier sectors. Tracing the five remaining friendly deities now."
Liu Xiao stepped forward from his left side, her silver-green hair cascading wildly over her shoulders, her exotic emerald-green eyes wide with a deep, breathtaking reverence as she looked at the sweeping holographic star-map. The green and white layers of her luxury silk rustled against the floorboards, her full, heavy chest heaving with an intense, un-fractured breath.
"The compass is perfectly tracking my master’s old networks," Liu Xiao voiced, her seductive melody carrying a deep, fanatical devotion as she lightly clutched her gold-threaded belt. "Min-jae... the five remaining Gods are hidden inside isolated sub-space pockets beneath the Fourth and Fifth Sky layers. They have completely cut off their external mana leaks to avoid the Demon God’s executioners."
"They can’t hide from an imperial scan," Ye-rin noted dryly, a sharp red coordinate point suddenly flashing at the northern edge of the holographic grid. "Primary signature located. Target: The Ashen Sanctuary. It’s a sealed pocket dimension hidden deep inside the Fourth Sky’s jagged tectonic rifts. The radar is registering a faint, failing divine life signature. It belongs to the God of Iron."
Min-jae walked slowly over to the center of the lounge, his armor casting an imposing, dark shadow against the white marble. He checked his attribute interface, his fingers lightly scrolling down his unallocated stat sheet. Because he had hit Level 18 after deleting the Sky King, his pool of free attribute points was heavily stacked, but his veteran regressor mind remained perfectly calm, keeping them unallocated as a strategic trump card for the upcoming cosmic boss encounters.
"The God of Iron," Min-jae murmured, his lips curving into a cold, dark, and highly calculated grin. He looked toward his seven flawless teammates, who were all standing in a precise, lethal vanguard line, their weapons humming with absolute execution parameters. "If his signature is failing, the demon vanguard fleets are likely already knocking on his front gate. We aren’t waiting for a formal invitation. Ji-a, Chae-yeon, Cynthia. Gear up."
"My spear is fully charged by Liu Xiao’s lattice buff, Monarch," Yoo Ji-a purred, her long, midnight-black ponytail swaying violently as her Void-Valkyrie’s Crescent Fang spear hissed with twilight lightning. Her violet eyes flashed with an addictive, bloodthirsty battle-hunger.
Kang Chae-yeon rested her massive claymore against her shoulder, her wild crimson hair catching the golden starlight as her amber eyes gleamed with pure, unhinged amusement. "A Level 42 Sky King turned into dust just by touching your chest plate, boss. If those demon generals show up at the Ashen Sanctuary, I’m caving in their front line before they can even finish their battle cries."
Major Cynthia Vance stood perfectly tall on his right flank, her silver-white battle-braid trailing over her high-density armor plates as she lightly tapped the barrel of her Stellar Horizon Eraser. Her icy-blue eyes held an unshakeable military focus. "The intercontinental tracking vectors are locked, Monarch. No signal leaks will clear the sky this time."
Min-jae slowly reached out his left hand, the purple spatial mana of his Primordial Calamity Sun Affinity expanding around his palm with a volatile, planet-burning thermal friction. The liquid golden True Damage runes along his sub-divine armor cast an ominous, commanding glow across his handsome face.
"Hold onto my shoulders," Min-jae commanded flatly, his voice echoing through the silent, majestic corridors of his new Imperial Haven like a low-frequency thunderclap.
Ji-a and Han Seo-yoon stepped tightly to his right, their voluptuous curves lightly brushing against his side, while Elena Vance and Lady Crimson flanked his left. Cynthia and Ye-rin stood firmly directly behind him, while Liu Xiao stepped closely into his chest flank, her crimson lips slightly parted as her emerald eyes locked onto his face with a fanatical, absolute devotion that completely bonded her soul to his presence.
"Spatial Void Phase," Min-jae murmured.
Voom.!
Space across the entire sss-rank Imperial Haven completely fractured like brittle glass. In a fraction of a millisecond, the air imploned with a massive vacuum pop, and Min-jae along with his seven flawless queens vanished from the third layer, launching a direct, unannounced rescue run straight into the burning tectonic rifts of the Fourth Sky to hunt down the executioners of the abyss.
