Chapter 137: Sovereign Reckoning
The dawn over Kyoto was not serene.
It trembled.
Not from the clash of swords, nor the roar of magic, but from a silence far heavier—a world catching its breath. Nine flames had ignited, and one man now bore the sum of a forgotten pantheon.
Kazenari Rei stood atop the Flame Shrine's balcony, overlooking the horizon. The air shimmered with latent power, a saturation of spirit not felt since the first Sovereign War—an event long buried by all known records.
The world knew.
And now, it would begin to react.
World Echoes: Alarm Protocols Activated
Three major supernatural factions stirred in tandem.
In the Heavens, Michael stood at the edge of a cathedral platform, wings half-spread. A single flare pulsed from his gauntlet—an ancient warning system only ever used when a singularity threatened celestial balance.
In the Underworld, Serafall Leviathan snapped her fingers, halting an entire diplomatic summit.
"This is bad," she murmured.
"Like, worse than Trihexa bad."
In Grigori, Azazel crushed his cigar midway through a sentence.
"Rei… you're making waves. And those don't stay local."
He opened a sealed terminal marked [EXE Black Tier: Observation Only]. The feed pulsed alive.
[Subject: Kazenari Rei | Status: Sovereign Tier | System Resonance: 94.5%]
Azazel exhaled slowly.
"And the real fun begins."
Flame Shrine – Central Core Chamber
Rei sat cross-legged on obsidian glass, surrounded by nine spheres—each a living fragment of ancient spiritual force. Liora hovered beside him, her light form subtly echoing his breath.
Mireille approached, scrolls in hand, her brows furrowed.
"You've triggered what the system calls a Reckoning Pulse. That means the world will start calibrating itself to challenge you—like an immune response."
Rei nodded. "Expected. What's the first sign?"
Noira entered, tossing a broken sigil onto the floor.
"This. It's from the Void Bastion. Someone breached containment in Arcadia."
Eirenne's voice came next, even and chilling.
"The Arcane Court has issued a silent decree: 'Observe or Eliminate'. Half the world thinks you're a deity. The other half wants proof."
Rei stood, glancing at the flames.
"Then let's give them something to believe in."
First Trial: The Red Cathedral
The call came from Vatican black archives.
A rogue flame—Zaruel, the Fragment of Judged Fire—had been unearthed beneath the collapsed ruins of the Red Cathedral. Not part of the nine, but a splinter: a failed candidate from before the Sovereign System was refined.
System Alert:
[Warning: Rogue Fragment Unbound. Compatibility Unknown. Threat Level: Critical.]
Rei led the team toward Europe.
The path burned.
Ruins of the Red Cathedral – Vatican Catacombs
The ruins screamed.
Each step echoed with divine guilt and abandoned miracles. Gold once meant to reflect holy reverence was now smeared with ash and heat-scars. At the catacomb's heart stood Zaruel—chained to a burning cross of his own flame.
He looked like an angel melted into a weapon.
Eyes hollow.
Voice split.
"You… are the liar who binds fire with mercy."
Rei approached.
"I am the flame that remembers. Not controls."
Zaruel snapped his bonds.
The War of Ashes
Zaruel fought like divine retribution incarnate. Each strike created judgment, each scream a verdict. Rei matched him not with strength, but with presence—channeling not domination, but acceptance.
Flames spiraled.
Not in war.
But in negotiation.
Mireille fed the system stabilizers in real-time. Eirenne anchored resonance fields. Noira flanked with shadow-step strikes, keeping Rei unbound.
In the end, Rei stood before Zaruel—unscorched.
"Your flame doesn't need a master. Just memory."
Zaruel knelt.
"I… remember."
[Fragment Subtype Stabilized: Zaruel Registered as Auxiliary Flame]
Return and Reflection
Back at the shrine, Rei lit a small ember in the ninth circle.
Zaruel's flame joined the others—not sovereign, but complete in its own defiance.
Liora smiled faintly. "They'll keep coming."
Rei nodded. "Then we'll keep listening."
A new fragment flickered on the horizon.
Its song wasn't fire.
It was ice.