Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1264: Being a Sovereign... is not easy.

The colossal skeleton, its hollow sockets blankly stared at the Ebon Stone hammered into the ground, its two colossal hands gripping the mountains.

There was an eerie silence after the devastation.

Nothing stirred within a few kilometres... just a vast, broken crater carved out by the sheer force of its hammering power.

Thud!

A twitch rattled through its frame when it heard something. Slowly, the massive head lifted, the bones in its neck cracking like thunder as it turned. Its sockets tilted upward, and there... hovering in the sky was Aqualina with indifferent eyes.

She had rushed here the moment she felt the violent tremor ripple through her Empire.

”What are you?” she muttered.

The colossal skeleton didn’t respond.

Her gaze narrowed. She raised her hand, summoning her Arcane Card. From her back, blue thin blades shimmered into existence.

The blades multiplied with terrifying precision, replicating themselves again and again as though they were alive, spreading like amoebas across the air. In mere seconds, they had gathered into a vast, roiling wall... a towering tsunami of blades. With a subtle flick of her wrist, she sent them forward.

The ground quaked under the momentum, the world groaning as though a true tsunami surged inland. The colossal skeleton’s hollow eyes suddenly flickered with an unnatural rainbow glow before—

”KYAAARRR!”

Its bony jaws split open, a guttural roar shaking the area. The giant lifted the twin mountains high... not to block the attack, but above its skull, slamming them together as if clapping its hands.

The mountains’ bases collided closer and closer, until only an inch separated them... yet instead of striking, an immense repelling force erupted from the gap, blasting outward like a violent shockwave of compressed air.

BOOOBBB!!

The tsunami of blades crashed into the colossal frame, engulfing it entirely.

The sky filled with the storm of blades, yet the moment they struck, they scattered like water falling from an empty sky, raining down into the crater as though they didn’t hit anything.

Aqualina blinked with surprise before hardening back into a cold frown. She scanned the ruined landscape.

Was it trying to vanish?

Was it circling her, waiting to strike unseen?

et no matter how hard she searched, she could sense nothing unusual.

”Where did it go?” she whispered, scratching her head in frustration, though her guard never faltered. Without delay, she communicated to Aether.

Aether stood before the Origin Pillars, his gaze locked with Dora and Delphine.

The others had already scattered back to their Empires.

The moment Aqualina’s words touched his mind, Aether flinched, a chill spreading down his spine.

”Skeleton?” His brow furrowed in disbelief. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

”What happened?” Dora turned her head.

Aether blinked, steadying himself before answering. ”Aqua said she saw a colossal skeleton... holding a mountain... hammering it down upon the Ebon Stone.” His voice trailed off as if even repeating it felt unreal.

Dora’s frown deepened, her expression sharpening into something dangerous. ”Why would it do that? What purpose could it have?” She leaned forward with curiosity, ”Is it some kind of monster?” Her lips curved slightly.

Aether shrugged, but his eyes lingered on the Origin Pillars. Something about them felt wrong. Something was stirring there, tied to the very heart of the Pillars.

His chest tightened with the thought—was this the consequence of his own actions?

That’s what his Log had said, wasn’t it?

What the hell had he done?

Whatever it was... he was going to pay for it.

!~Ding~!

[LOG 2.0 Initiating... 70%↑]

!~Ding~!

[Remaining Time: 12 days 24 hours 60 minutes 60 seconds]

!~Ding~!

[Remaining Time: 09 days 24 hours 60 minutes 60 seconds↡]

Aether flinched as the ground quaked beneath his boots. The Origin Pillars shuddered and groaned, then with a grinding noise, a new step carved itself into existence along their surface.

”What now? Is that thing hammering those stones everywhere?” Delphine shouted, her knuckles white as she clung to the wall for balance.

/A-Aether! What the hell are you doing now?/

The panicked voice of Nightfire ripped through his mind.

/What do you mean?/

/There’s a freaking skeleton monster standing over the Void’s Cradle!/ Her voice cracked with horror, trembling as though she might collapse from fear at any moment.

The colossal skeleton towered over the land, its vast shadow stretching across the shattered ground. With two mountains gripped in its skeletal hands, it swung downward. The impact hammered the Ebon Stone into the ground.

The black, sticky liquid that clung to the Ebon Stone writhed violently, waves rising like a monstrous tsunami.

Mary stood not far from the chaos, her daughter cradled protectively in her arms. Her gaze fixed on the skeletal giant.

Only a chilling indifference as she stared, unblinking, at the monster.

Then.... The colossal skeleton simply vanished from there as if its duty was over.

Meanwhile, Aether and Dora locked eyes... Both nodded.

”We need to stop it,” Aether said.

Without hesitation, he sent a warning to the others, ordering them to move away from the Ebon Stone as fast as possible... to prepare for its next appearance.

But even as he gave the command, a chilling question gnawed at the edge of his mind.

How could something so vast, so heavy, move instantly between Empires?

Whatever it was, Aether knew one thing... he had to stop it before it unleashed another disaster.

/Aether, it’s here!!/

Selene’s voice echoed in his mind. Aether turned sharply to Dora.

”Pyra Empire,”

She nodded, and both of them prepared to teleport to the location... however, in the very moment of transition, Dora suddenly halted.

”Principal?” Delphine frowned.

Dora blinked slowly. Her eyes lingered on the Origin Pillar.... She bowed her head,

”I will obey,” she whispered, then turned away.

Delphine’s frown deepened as she hurried after her. ”Principal, what happened? What do you mean you obey?”

Dora blankly stared at the path ahead, as she said,

”Being a Sovereign... is not easy. I must follow the rules and... and their orders.”

Delphine’s eyes widened in disbelief, ”You mean?... It ordered you not to get involved?”

Dora lowered her gaze.

Delphine clenched her fists, her lips tightening into a scowl, yet she followed Dora without saying anything.

Meanwhile—

Aether appeared in the Pyra Empire. His breath caught as his eyes fell upon the humongous skeleton towering above the land, two mountains gripped in its hands like twin axes.

”It’s... weird,” he muttered, a frown pulling at his brow as he realised the skeleton was staring back at him.

Not idly or vagely... But directly... like it knew him.

As far as Aether knew, he had never interacted with this abomination, never crossed paths with such a monster, much less done anything to be recognised by it.

Whatever the truth, the Ebon Stone was beneath the ground. The colossal figure did not bother to appear underground—it manifested exactly at the surface, at the point where its blow would connect.

It raised its mountainous weapon.

”No! I won’t let you!” Aether roared, hurling purplish flames from his palms. They screamed across the air, burning toward the colossal monster, but just as they were about to strike—

It vanished.

Not blocked.... Simply gone!

Like... it had really disappeared!!

Aether’s frown deepened.

”Your Majesty!”

Darkhairs arrived.

Aether’s lips curled into a grin, ”Let’s finish this bastard!”

The mountain-axe descended with terrifying force, diving straight toward the earth with a swing that could have split an empire in half. Aether and Drakhaira appeared in its path, fists clenched, their auras blazing.

Together, they hurled their combined power into the oncoming mass, their fists meant to shatter the impossible.

That was what they hoped.... What they believed!!

But—

The instant their fists reached out, they never touched. Not even a graze. Inches before contact, space itself convulsed.

BOOOBBB!!

”...”

Aether blinked.

There was no mountain.

No colossal skeleton.

Not even the ground beneath his feet!!

He floated in the void, endless black stretching in every direction.

He was in freaking space!!!

”Shit! Old man!!” Aether shouted when his eyes caught sight of Drakhaira tumbling helplessly, drifting away into the space like a kite cut loose into the eternal night.