Beneath the Weight of Heaven

Aria found herself standing without realizing it.

They were so young.

Not even past their teenage years, far from their prime.

Yet the Young Lord of Akrest, born with the Heavenly Martial Body, had been defeated?

And by a girl barely past her childhood?

The one hailed as a genius even recognized by the Sword Sovereign himself?

This wasn't just a loss—it was a verdict.

A declaration that the Akrest Clan, the strongest power in the martial world, would not hold its position forever.

Thirty years, at most.

Perhaps even less than ten.

'...The Great Reversal.'

Aria clenched her small fists tightly.

It had been fifty years.

Fifty years since the Sword Sovereign unified the Central Plains under one rule.

The Demonic Cult and the unorthodox sects had been pushed into hiding.

Even the foreign martial forces dared not challenge the Central Plains.

Peace had been achieved—or so they thought.