I looked down at them quietly for a moment.
Then I swung.
The axe cut downward through the air, and the accumulated force inside the domain followed the motion instantly, compressing into a single strike before erupting outward across the province below.
Golden light swallowed the capital first, then spread beyond it in a massive wave that tore through barriers, streets, fortresses, and living beings alike without slowing even slightly.
The layered shields shattered one after another.
The central fortress collapsed inward.
The ground itself split apart as the pressure drove downward, carving through the province until the entire capital disappeared beneath expanding destruction, and before the survivors could even react, Ruinous Touch spread through the remaining safe zones connected to the province.
The domain slowly settled after that, the violent currents of energy finally calming as the last resistance across the empire disappeared completely.
Then the system spoke.
[Empire of Heavens Conquered]
[All Provinces Under Control]
[Influence Authority Recognized]
[Defier Control Established Across The Territory]
The notifications continued appearing rapidly afterward, but I barely looked at them as I descended back toward the province where Knight and Lyrate were waiting, the golden field around the empire gradually shrinking inward as I finally released control over the domain.
By the time I landed near them, the pressure surrounding my body had lessened enough for the ground to stop breaking apart beneath every step.
Knight stared at me for a few seconds before speaking. "You know," he said slowly, "I genuinely think you’ve become the disaster in this world."
"I’ll take that as a compliment," I replied.
I opened the notification buzzing in my head.
A warning screen had appeared over everything else.
[Level Synchronization Warning]
[Current Level: 100]
[Stored Growth Detected]
[Projected Level After Synchronization: 174]
[Warning: Rapid stat integration may place strain on the host body]
[Proceed With Immediate Level Synchronization?]
I stared at it for a moment before asking the obvious question.
"System," I said calmly, "will this kill me?"
The response came immediately.
[Negative]
[Host survival probability remains above fatal threshold]
I blinked. "That is not a reassuring answer." And looked toward Lyrate instead. "Do you have good healing skill? I am gonna raise all my levels at once."
She understood immediately.
Without wasting time, she stepped forward and raised her hand, green light spreading outward from beneath my feet as roots of soft glowing wood emerged around the ground in a circular pattern.
"Blooming Sanctuary."
The energy washed over me instantly.
Warmth flooded through my body, thick vitality spreading into my muscles, bones, and skin as the green glow intensified around me, stabilizing my condition before the synchronization even began.
"Do it now," she said.
I looked back at the system screen.
Then selected yes.
The change hit immediately.
Pain exploded through my body as the stored levels integrated all at once, the sudden increase forcing raw power into every part of me without restraint. My muscles tightened violently, veins bulging beneath my skin while pressure surged through my bones hard enough that several cracks echoed through my body almost instantly.
Blood burst from beneath my skin.
Thin tears opened across my arms, chest, and shoulders as the overwhelming stat increase forced my body beyond its current limits, and for a brief moment even standing became difficult as the pressure continued rising higher and higher.
Then Blooming Sanctuary responded.
Green vitality surged through the wounds immediately, flesh pulling itself back together almost as fast as it tore apart, the healing energy continuously repairing the damage while the next wave of growth hit again.
More pain followed.
Another surge.
More tearing.
The process repeated over and over as the levels continued integrating, each increase pushing my body harder while Lyrate’s healing fought to keep pace, green light wrapping around me constantly as blood dripped onto the shattered ground beneath my feet.
"It feels terrible," I replied through clenched teeth.
The synchronization continued.
Then slowly...
It began stabilizing.
The tearing stopped first. Then the pressure eased enough for the pain to dull from unbearable to manageable, and after several more seconds the last wave of energy finally settled fully into place.
The green glow around me faded gradually while the final traces of healing closed the remaining wounds across my skin.
I exhaled slowly.
The air around me distorted slightly from the sheer density of power now resting inside my body.
Knight stared at me. "So," he said carefully, "what level are you now?"
I opened the system again and looked at the final result.
[Level: 174]
A faint smile formed on my face.
"Much stronger."
The notifications hadn’t stopped even after the level synchronization settled, new windows continuing to appear one after another as the system processed everything that had just happened across the empire.
The screen was different from the earlier ones.
[Imperial Authority Available]
[Empire of Heavens has fallen under complete Defier control]
[Requirements Fulfilled]
[Would the host like to assume Imperial Authority?]
The moment I focused on it, more warnings appeared beneath.
[Warning:]
[The Empire and the host will become linked]
[Any large-scale damage to the Empire will reflect upon the Authority Holder]
[Loss of Imperial Authority will result in death of the current holder]
[Once accepted, Authority cannot be abandoned willingly]
[Authority Holders are recognized as the living core of their territory]
[The Empire will become an extension of the host]
[Proceed?]
I explained the notification to the duo.
Knight looked at me again. "You should probably think before pressing yes on something that literally says you’ll die if you lose."
"I did think," I replied.
Then selected yes.
The reaction was immediate.
A sharp heat spread through the back of my right hand, intense enough that my muscles tightened instinctively as energy gathered there in a concentrated pulse, and when I looked down, golden lines had already begun spreading across my skin.
The mark formed slowly.
First the outline of a throne. Then the details sharpened, the symbol sitting into place with intricate golden patterns running outward from it before finally stabilizing around a single large letter at the center.
D.
The moment the symbol completed itself, something shifted inside my awareness.
The empire opened to me. I could feel it.
The mountains at the northern edge of the territory. The rivers crossing between provinces. The countless safe zones spread across the land. The entire Empire of Heavens flourished into my awareness.
I exhaled slowly as the sensation stabilized.
The system continued.
[Imperial Authority Acquired]
[Title Gained: Throne Holder of Heavens]
[Empire Link Established]
[Influence Authority Greatly Increased]
[Influence Points +20000]
[Combat Points +10000]
More information flooded in afterward, but even through the notifications I could still feel the empire connected to me in the background like a massive structure resting somewhere behind my thoughts.
Knight let out a quiet breath. "So now what?"
I looked down at the golden throne mark resting on the back of my hand before closing my fist slowly.
"Now," I said, lifting my gaze toward the distance beyond the empire, "we take the rest of the world."