Chapter 137: “Vikarn”—The Beginning of a New Dawn
The ancient empire, once the undisputed ruler of Solor.
Humans, though inherently weak, had, through their ingenuity, developed a new path, using “device technology” to establish themselves among the stronger races, eventually reaching the pinnacle of power.
And they had even discovered worlds beyond Solor.
In the vast void, countless worlds, like Solor, drifted like debris, a cosmic tide of creation and destruction.
The ancient empire, through immense effort, had managed to secure a small fragment of this void, establishing a link to Solor.
They named it “Vikarn,” meaning “the beginning of a new dawn.”
The beginning of their conquest of the stars.
But then, another world, the “Abyssal Demon Realm,” collided with Solor, the two worlds merging, and the inhabitants of Solor were plunged into an endless war.
Vikarn, the safest of their holdings, became a sanctuary, a repository for the ancient empire’s legacy: their irreplaceable device arrays, their vast technological knowledge, their most brilliant researchers, and their most mysterious, most powerful, yet unrevealed, “Weapon.”
But unforeseen events had shattered their plans. The researchers had perished, the Gatekeeper bloodline almost completely wiped out, leaving only a tenuous link between Solor and Vikarn.
And so it had remained, until now…
Vikarn and Solor overlapped, two planes of existence intersecting, but only for a brief moment.
Vikarn, much smaller than the Abyssal Demon Realm, couldn’t maintain the connection for long, and the two worlds separated again.
But in that brief moment, everyone caught in the intersection—Sasha, Ice Lily, Bai, Ara, the Legendary Knights, and Princess Lilia—had been transported to Vikarn.
And at the same time, Vikarn had begun to drift away from Solor.
If the distance between the two worlds grew too great, the temporary node created by the scepter would collapse, the connection severed forever.
And then, Vikarn would be lost, unless someone possessed the ancient empire’s technology to repair the link.
Transported in a flash of blinding light, they found themselves in Vikarn.
“This… this is Vikarn…?” the Legendary Knights murmured, looking around in awe. Lilia, forgetting the urgency of the situation, also looked around, her eyes wide with wonder, a world she had only ever read about.
The otherworldly Vikarn wasn’t large, but it wasn’t small either, about the size of a town.
Tall, sterile buildings, devoid of any aesthetic appeal, rose around them, like massive, upright blocks, a solemn, almost oppressive, atmosphere hanging in the air. But it had been so long since anyone had been here that it also felt… desolate.
Bai sighed inwardly.
She recognized these buildings.
They were identical to the mysterious complex in Vikarn Port.
In “Xu Bai’s” memories, she had lived in such a place for over a decade, surrounded by expressionless neighbors in white lab coats, so similar to the descriptions of Vikarn’s researchers.
The truth… was becoming clearer.
Sasha was all too familiar with Vikarn. She had lived here with her sister since childhood.
After the initial disorientation, she said nothing, simply turning and running in a specific direction.
Her sudden movement jolted the Legendary Knights back to reality. “Stop her!” Prince Kruse shouted.
They didn’t know what she was planning, but it couldn’t be good.
They raised their weapons, charging towards her, trying to block her path.
“[Frost Calamity] domain!”
Ice Lily stood before them, unleashing the power of destruction, her figure floating in the air, her long, silver hair swirling around her.
The same domain that had pushed Bai to her limits now enveloped the area, a chilling wind filled with razor-sharp ice shards tearing at the Legendary Knights’ armor.
They were now without their Authority, and even with all nine of them combined, they were only barely a match for Ice Lily.
And she was deliberately creating an opening for Sasha, who, under the cover of the [Frost Calamity], broke through their lines and escaped.
The Legendary Knights were now trapped, their path blocked, their attacks deflected by Ice Lily’s overwhelming power.
But… besides the Legendary Knights, someone else was free.
Bai and Ara.
Lilia, with no combat ability, didn’t count.
Seeing Sasha escape, Bai didn’t hesitate, flying after her.
Ara followed, her small steps hesitant, a look of anxiety on her face.
“We’re back here again… Bai, Bai, don’t go so fast. What if Ara gets lost again…?”
But Bai couldn’t slow down. She simply reached back.
“Ara, take my hand. Don’t let go!”
A familiar scene…
A memory, a strong sense of déjà vu, flashed through Ara’s mind. A long time ago, Bai had said the same thing, had reached out to her just like this.
But what happened after that…?
Why had she let go…?
Seeing Ara hesitate, Bai quickly turned back, taking her hand and pulling her along.
“Don’t worry. I won’t leave you, Ara. And I won’t let anyone hurt you,” she said softly, her gaze fixed on Sasha’s retreating figure. “No one…”
Ice Lily, watching them go, her expression flickering, as if hesitating.
But then, she lowered her eyes, saying nothing, a silent thought passing through her mind.
“Nisha, this is all I can do for you…”
“The rest is up to you.”
