(Arc 3 — Shadows of Diplomacy)
The World Empire Union Meeting
(Four days after the battle with the summoned heroes)
A colossal floating chamber hovered above a storm of eternal clouds. Layers of blue and gold mana shields surrounded it, humming with ancient protection spells. Inside, four thrones encircled a crystalline round table. The banners of four mighty empires waved behind their rulers — the united strength of the World Empire Union, summoned together for the first time in a hundred years.
Such a meeting only happened when the world itself trembled.
Emperor Althres of The Empire of Dominion — an elderly man with eyes like molten gold — slammed his fist against the table.
"Explain this! You mean to tell me that boy killed Hiroshi Tanaka, the Hero blessed by the God of Dominion himself?"
Emperor Cassian of The Empire of Solaris, draped in sapphire armor, nodded grimly. "Not just killed. The mana readings from that battlefield were catastrophic. The recorder crystal we placed secretly with the heroes was destroyed the moment God Dominion's energy erupted. We only recovered fragments."
"Fragments?" Althres echoed, his voice trembling with disbelief.
"Yes. Just enough to see… that boy — Haruto — defied divine energy. He stood even as God of Dominion himself descended for a brief moment. We couldn't hear their words, but the god… spoke to him."
Silence filled the chamber. The very mention of a god's direct intervention made the air heavy.
Emperor Isolde of The Empire of Velnar, leaned back in his throne, lips curling. "So the rumors were true. The God of Dominion actually descended — and yet, he left without erasing that boy. How interesting."
Cassian glared. "Watch your tone. You sound as if you're questioning our god's will."
"I am not insulting him," the Isolde said coldly. "I'm stating the truth. Five percent of God Dominion's divine power wasn't enough to kill that boy. Tell me, what happens if the girl fights beside him next time?"
The room went quiet again. Even the mana lamps dimmed slightly, as though the chamber itself feared the words.
"The girl…" Althares whispered. "You mean the one they call the Eternal Princess? The tamer who commands dragons and spirits alike?"
Cassian nodded. "Airi. Together with Haruto, they built that so-called 'Aetheria' — a kingdom of monsters, spirits, and elves. If the boy alone could counter godly energy, what if she joined him? Thirty percent of a god's power, perhaps more, would be needed to match them both."
"Blasphemy!" the Isolde roared. "You dare compare mortals to our god?"
"Not compare," Cassian snapped. "I'm warning you — they are not ordinary mortals. If we keep underestimating them, we will face extinction."
Althares slammed the table again. "Even if God Dominion cannot descend fully, his will still protects us. The rules of Heaven forbid gods from taking form in this realm for long. We must find another way to handle this threat."
Then Emperor Kuroz of the Empire of Rhadion — who was silent until now — finally spoke. His voice was calm, almost eerily so.
"There is another way."
All eyes turned to him. He was the youngest, yet his presence filled the room with quiet authority.
"Instead of declaring war…" he said slowly, "…we recognize Aetheria as a sovereign nation."
"What?!" The other three emperors shouted in unison.
"You want us to accept monsters as rulers?!" Althares barked.
Kuroz met their gaze without flinching. "I want to live."
His words cut through the noise like a blade.
He leaned forward, eyes reflecting cold calculation. "We cannot destroy what we do not understand. If those two ever decide the world is their enemy, this chamber, these empires — everything — will be dust. But if we acknowledge Aetheria… we may survive."
Uneasy silence swallowed the chamber. For the first time in a century, the future of the world hung by a thread — not in the hands of kings or gods, but two souls the heavens had once abandoned.
Aetheria's Peace
Sunlight streamed through the emerald canopy of the Great Forest. Fairies darted between flowers, carrying mana-laced pollen that glimmered like stardust. Elves repaired crystalline bridges, and dragons glided lazily above the treetops.
Aetheria — once just a haven — now breathed like a living kingdom.
Near the central fountain, Frost lay sprawled out, tail twitching lazily in his sleep. Airi giggled softly, tugging on Haruto's sleeve.
"Onii-chan, let's go to the Church of Aether! I want to thank Miss Aether properly!"
Haruto sighed, his silver eyes glancing toward the sunlight filtering through the leaves. "You never forget, do you?"
"Of course not!" she puffed her cheeks. "She's the reason we're even alive!"
He smiled faintly and brushed her hair. "Alright, alright. Lead the way."
The Church of Aether
The church stood at the edge of the sacred lake, its walls carved from mana stone and divine wood. Sunlight passed through stained glass windows depicting the Goddess Aether — her hands open, light spreading like wings.
Inside, mana flowed like air, whispering through every candle flame.
Haruto and Airi knelt together before the statue, hands clasped.
"If you're hearing us," Haruto said softly, "please answer."
The air shimmered. Golden light burst outward, filling the entire church. The world around them dissolved into white.
When their vision cleared, they were standing on endless light — the same void-like realm where they had first met Aether.
"Don't worry," came a gentle, melodic voice.
From the radiance emerged Goddess Aether, her golden hair flowing like celestial rivers. "Your consciousness is only here."
Airi's face lit up. "Miss Aether!" She ran forward and waved both hands.
Aether smiled warmly. "It's been a while, my dear. You've grown stronger."
Haruto crossed his arms. "Goddess Aether… a question please.."
Aether said softly. "Go ahead without any hesitation."
Haruto calmly. "why does the God of Dominion want to kill us?"
Aether sighed softly, her golden eyes dimming. "I'm sorry, Haruto. I never wished for you two to suffer. But things didn't go as I planned. Dominion… he saw what you've become. He fears you."
Haruto frowned. "Fear? We're just two souls trying to live peacefully."
"You two," Aether said gently, "don't realize how powerful you are. Together, you can stand against the full forces of Heaven and Hell itself."
Haruto's eyes widened. "No! I'm not that powerful. I struggled against just five percent of Dominion's power. How could I possibly stand against the heavens?"
Aether tilted her head, smiling faintly. "Haruto… did you truly listen to what I said?"
He blinked. "Yeah… I heard."
She chuckled softly. "No, you didn't. I said you two — not only you."
Airi puffed her cheeks. "Onii-chan, you dummy! Don't forget, I will protect you too!"
"Airi…"
She stepped closer, holding his hand. "When you fall, I'll catch you."
Haruto exhaled, smiling gently. "Yeah, yeah… you win. And don't forget — when you cry, I'll hold you."
They looked at each other quietly, warmth flickering between them like soft moonlight.
Aether coughed playfully. "Ahem. Please, not in my chamber, you two."
They both flushed red instantly. "W-we weren't doing anything!"
Aether laughed softly, her eyes glowing with affection. "That's what I love about you two. Your love is unbreakable. You are invincible together."
She turned, spreading her wings of light. "Now, I must take my leave. I have divine tasks to attend."
Airi waved both hands, voice echoing brightly. "Byeee Miss Aether!"
"Bye, my dear," Aether replied warmly.
Haruto bowed slightly. "Farewell, Goddess Aether."
As she faded into golden mist, Aether smiled mischievously. "Oh, Haruto — check your Shop. That mythic sword you unlocked."
Haruto blinked. "Oh… right. I actually forgot about that."
The Mythic Sword Awakens
They blinked — and the church returned around them. The glow from Aether's statue lingered faintly, humming with divine warmth.
Haruto exhaled. "Guess she wasn't kidding."
He raised his hand. "Shop — open."
━━━━━━━━━━━
▷ SHOP ◁
━━━━━━━━━━━
• Weapons
• Tools
• Basic Items
• Advanced
• Legendary
• Mythic
━━━━━━━━━━━
The Mythic section pulsed with radiant energy.
━━━━━━━━━━━
MYTHIC WEAPON: ECLIPSE EDGE
★ The Blade That Defies Fate
Cost: 1,000,000 Mana
Condition: Heart and Soul must be in harmony.
━━━━━━━━━━━
Haruto pressed Purchase.
The church trembled.
An ancient voice echoed through the air.
"Does your soul accept the burden of eclipse?"
The world dimmed. Black and white light spiraled around him, forming a pillar of lunar flame.
Airi gasped, rushing forward. "Onii-chan!"
He grit his teeth as his mana core burned like fire. The blade began to materialize before him — half silver, half black — swirling with both light and shadow.
His hand trembled as he reached for it.
Airi placed her small hand over his. "Onii-chan… together."
Their mana resonated — pure harmony.
━━━━━━━━━━━
Condition Fulfilled: Heart and Soul in Harmony.
━━━━━━━━━━━
The pillar vanished. The sword solidified, glowing with moonlit sheen. The edge reflected both day and night, as though fate itself bowed before it.
Haruto breathed deeply, lowering the weapon.
Airi smiled softly. "It's so pretty… just like you."
He facepalmed. "Don't say that."
She giggled. "Hehe."
The Aetherian Council
Later, the grand Council Hall of Aetheria shimmered with gathered mana. Representatives from every race filled the round table.
Lunara the Dragon Queen sat with calm authority beside Lyria the Fairy Queen. Frost the Wolf King, Lumeris chief of Dark Elves, and Yumi — now recovered — joined as well.
Lyria began, her voice clear and graceful. "The empires have convened. They fear Aetheria."
Lunara folded her hands. "Fear can lead to panic. And panic to war."
Airi pouted. "Why can't they just talk nicely instead of fighting all the time?"
The elders chuckled softly.
Haruto leaned forward. "If they come… we'll be ready."
Lyria smiled faintly. "Then perhaps it's time we expand — not through war, but creation."
Airi's eyes sparkled. "We can build gardens! And a school! A place where everyone learns together!"
Haruto sighed, smirking. "Yeah, sure. Airi's Academy of Chaos and Cuteness."
Everyone burst into laughter, lightening the tense atmosphere.
The council ended with renewed unity — hope flickering amidst uncertainty.
The Moonlight Promise
That night, moonlight painted Aetheria in silver. Haruto sat quietly on the balcony overlooking the kingdom, the Eclipse Edge resting beside him.
Airi entered with two cups of tea. "Still working, Onii-chan?"
"Just thinking," he said, watching the stars.
She sat beside him, bumping her shoulder lightly against his. "You think too much."
"And you talk too much."
"Hey!"
They both laughed softly, the sound blending with the night breeze.
After a while, silence fell again — gentle, peaceful.
"No matter what comes next," Haruto murmured, "I'll protect you."
Airi smiled, eyes reflecting the moon. "I know. But this time… let me fight beside you."
She leaned forward, resting her forehead against his. "Because we promised, right? When you fall, I'll catch you."
Haruto smiled faintly. "…And when you cry, I'll hold you."
The wind stirred softly, carrying their voices into the night.
Above them, faint divine whispers echoed through the stars:
"The Chosen of Light and Darkness awaken…"
"Heaven and Hell begin to tremble."
The moon shone brighter — and Aetheria slept peacefully under its silver light.
End of Chapter 18