Chapter 129: “Ascension to the Tower, Prayer to the Gods”
Vikarn Access Protocols
This was the entry in the Vikarn Researcher’s Handbook that Lilia had found. It detailed the methods for entering Vikarn.
First, one must possess the special bloodline of a Gatekeeper.
This bloodline granted abilities similar to Authority, like Sirn’s memory storage and Dino’s profiling.
The Gatekeeper’s only ability was to sense the “Gates,” the nodes connecting Solor to the otherworldly Vikarn, and to pass through them.
It was an artificial bloodline, created by the ancient empire.
The Gatekeeper families had guarded Vikarn for generations, but their artificial bloodline prevented them from wielding true Authority.
So, the Empire had created another device, a ring capable of containing a fragment of Authority.
Each Gatekeeper who ascended to the Calamity Class would be given such a ring.
Although not as powerful as true Authority, it was still a formidable weapon.
The second method was the Gatekeeper’s ring itself.
Having been bound to a Gatekeeper, the ring possessed a partial echo of their bloodline, allowing its wielder to also see and enter the Gates.
Both of these methods required the existence of a “Gate.”
With the collapse of the Vikarn Port Gate, they were now useless.
But the final method didn’t require a Gate.
It required…
“…The scepter?”
A sense of dread washed over Lilia as she read the word.
“In an emergency, the Emperor’s scepter can be used, with the power of at least nine Legendary Knights, to forcibly create an unstable node, a breach in the connection between Solor and Vikarn.”
“Use with caution. Besides the fact that His Majesty… might not appreciate us using his scepter for experiments, this method has a fatal flaw.”
“After the breach, the node will collapse, severing the connection between Vikarn and Solor.”
“And repairing the connection is a real pain. You know how the maintenance team likes to slack off.”
Although the text was surprisingly humorous, Lilia understood its grave implications.
“Nisha took the scepter to breach the connection, to open Vikarn!”
She finally understood why her father had been so desperate to stop her, why he had said she would “destroy the entire North Empire.”
Using this method would sever the connection to Vikarn forever.
And the North Empire didn’t possess the ancient empire’s technology to repair it.
Vikarn was the foundation of the Empire, the source of its strength, the reason it had survived for centuries against the Abyss…
“She needs the power of nine Legendary Knights… no, I just summoned them all!”
She had thought that with all nine Legendary Knights gathered, they could handle any threat. But she had played right into Nisha’s hands.
She must have anticipated this, that after the attack on her father, especially with the festival approaching, the Empire would gather its strongest warriors.
And Sasha had indeed planned for this, assuming only Ares knew the third method of entering Vikarn.
It was a method that would destroy the North Empire, so Ares would never have revealed it.
But she hadn’t anticipated Ares leaving these precious records in plain sight.
But now… it was too late.
Even with the carriage at full speed, she was too late.
As the carriage, pushed to its limits, threatened to fall apart, several figures appeared before it, one of them raising a hand, stopping it with a single touch.
“Your Highness, is something wrong?”
It was Leticia. She looked at the panicked princess, confused.
“Quick, leave! All of you!” Lilia cried, her face pale, her usual composure gone.
“Your Highness, what… do you mean?” Prince Kruse asked, his brow furrowed.
“Don’t worry,” Lady Caroline said gently. “The Empire’s strongest are here. We can handle anything.”
Lilia, on the verge of tears, didn’t know what to say.
And even if she did… it was already too late.
The sun rose, its first rays illuminating the sky.
The third day of the Imperial Festival, the “Ascension to the Tower, Prayer to the Gods,” had begun.
This day had been chosen because it was when Vikarn’s power was at its peak, its connection to Solor at its strongest.
The North Empire couldn’t create nodes or links like the ancient empire; they had to wait for Vikarn to connect with them.
This was handled by specialized technicians. Sasha, though she had spent time in Vikarn, knew nothing about it.
But she knew that the third day of the festival, when the connection was at its strongest, was the ideal time to use the third method.
And in an emergency, the scepter didn’t require royal blood. The North Empire’s scepter, though weaker than the ancient empire’s, was still a Vikarn creation, and Sasha was familiar with it.
“…”
An invisible wave of power washed over the Legendary Knights, and they froze, their bodies rigid, their Authorities activating against their will.
“What’s happening?”
“Our Authority…”
They had never experienced anything like this before. Only Leticia remained silent.
She turned her head slightly, her gaze falling on two figures approaching from the distance.
And Bai, following her gaze, saw them too, her expression turning complex.
“Sasha…”
“We meet again, Little Sister Bai.”
