Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly, not in concern, but in understanding, because he had seen that expression before, and it never appeared without consequence following it.
The empress finally took a step forward.
Then another.
Her movement was unhurried, controlled, and almost casual as she advanced toward the walls, the distance closing steadily until she was no more than two hundred meters away from the outer gates, where the defensive arrays were now fully synchronized and active, their energy humming in layered resonance across the entire province-scale dome.
The guards above stiffened immediately as she approached within that range, their formation controllers reacting instinctively as pressure readings spiked across multiple nodes, and the commanding officer's voice cut sharply through the defensive network as he ordered full stabilization across all layers.
Yet the empress did not stop.
