Divine Path System

The borders of a kingdom were hard to define. There wasn't a strict measure like land or river in the vast space.

It's mostly empty with some star systems here and there. Stars and blackholes were useful landmarks. But they weren't of primary importance in defining a boundary either.

Why?

While stars and blackholes sound enormous and powerful enough to serve as permanent markers, they truly were not.

A rank 7 could easily 'move' a literal star from one location to another.

Even the awakeners in Sage avenue could do it, much less those with the powers of Matter and Energy.

In such case, the kingdoms looked for things that would not change easily. And they found the answer to lie in the structure of space-time fabric.

To be specific, space-time nodes.

These were specific points which behaved differently from their neighborhood in regards to the stretch of space and flow of time.

In layman terms, these specific points were hard to manipulate.

If the whole fabric was like a thin cloth, then these points had very rough and tough patches.

If you build a defense around here and connect it to the next space-time node, it'd form a sort of a barrier against space-time movement.

With this principle, Pala kingdom defined their borders. And of course, constructed a reputable border defense system.

The army stationed at the border was headed by a peak rank 9 as well, the Military Commander, the third and final pillar of the army.

But since it's so vast, the army is stretched out, forcing the local army leaders to depend on themselves for many situations.

One such local army general caressed an enveloped with a complicated expression.

"Fortunately, I don't have any children or relatives. Even if this gets found out, I'll be the only one punished…"

Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he put the envelope in a box.

The letter contained important information from the elite scouts under him a week ago. It's a critical news and he was supposed to report it right away.

But he didn't do it.

The oldest duchess of the kingdom, Seraphina, had once helped him a great deal and basically saved his life.

It's a huge favor he's willing to repay even if it meant going to great lengths. He just didn't include that'd include pulling off something against the king himself.

'…She knows the identity of my disciple. My one and only disciple. This is the only way.'

Even though she looked like a hunched granny, the lady wasn't a kind grandma. If he said no, his apprentice having a nice death would be a great result. If he said yes, the king would come after him.

'But I still have a chance of escaping…if I want to live that is.'

Shaking his head, the general dropped the letter in the box. A blue light glow emanated from the enveloped before it turned a severe red.

The simple color code that even a kid could recite.

Red meant danger.

Severe red meant a calamity enough to ravage the kingdom.

The news which was supposed to reach his superiors, their superiors and finally the head of military camp before being judged if it's necessary to send it to the royal court.

99.9% of the so-called brilliant reports don't even the head of the military camp. Out of the ones that do, only one in a thousand manage would be sent back to the kingdom.

It's a typical management process under a kingdom.

But due to the special circumstances, especially after the last war, changes were necessary.

So, each army leader of a bare minimum rank was given a chance. A chance to send messages directly to the ruler.

And that's how King Ferdinand found a dark red letter floating in front of him.

[King of Pala,

Lord of Palarians,

The scouts have detected unusual activity near the border. I was still unsure of their words three days prior.

But it has irked me. So, I picked up the clues and began my own research. After a lot of digging, Your Majesty, I'm afraid I'll have to speak some ugly truth of the situation.]

King Ferdinand's eyes didn't show any emotions. But when he read the next lines, his eyebrows jumped.

[It's the forces of the 7th Prince. There is no doubt about it.

And the one at the highest command seemed to be Hector Russ himself.

That man is a favorite of the 7th Prince and has a terrifying track record. He played a key part in destroying the Mythril Quadrilateral.]

The King's breathing finally grew a little rough.

Four kingdoms: Pala, Jewel, Arbor and that…lost kingdom acted as a unit against the Jai Empire.

They offered one of the toughest resistances to the invaders.

This wasn't a new thing. For tens of thousands of years since this alliance was formed, the four kingdoms worked together and showed brilliant performance.

The Empire couldn't use divine rankers against kingdoms because of the Alliance's strict stand off. They could only send rank 9s but rank 9s were never able to destroy the unit.

But then something happened not too long ago.

One of the kingdom fell into a bloody feud within the ruling family and then the whole ruling family itself was wiped out.

Chaos ensued, anarchy reigned.

The Alliance had already reacted and sent forces to control the situation. But there was a small—a very, very small gap in between the two events.

That's when the Empire attacked and destroyed the kingdom.

It permanently erased one corner of the four pillars holding up this side of the Allliance. It was more demoralizing than words could express.

It's not just 1/4th of the size like the Alliance higher ups would think.

It's not even about the lost strength.

It's about breaking the impenetrable barrier.

The shield that protected them couldn't last forever.

The King realized back then, since one kingdom fell, a second one falling wasn't unthinkable.

'I cannot let that happen. Not even a hint of possibility.'