The day was marked without fanfare.
No bells. No celebration.
Just a single edict, carried by messengers, broadcast by energy screens across every city, town, and fortress.
A New Order was born.
---
In the Sovereign's Hall, towering and cold like a shrine to power itself, Zairon sat upon his throne.
No crown. No robes of state.
Just a black cloak, his eyes sharper than blades, surveying the generals, rulers, guild masters, and powerhouses assembled before him.
His voice, when it came, was calm. Terrifyingly calm.
> "The world was broken. Divided. Weak. Full of petty kings and false dreams."
> "From this day onward, those days are over."
He rose from his throne, his pressure slamming down on the gathered crowd like a mountain.
> "There will be no more kingdoms. No more 'independent' sects. No more guilds with ambitions of sovereignty."
> "There is only the Supreme Order. My Order."
The Rules of the Supreme Order were declared:
1. Absolute Loyalty: No faction shall exist outside the Order. All leaders must swear a Binding Oath to Zairon personally.
2. Strength First: Ranks and positions will not be inherited — only strength and merit determine standing.
3. Forbidden Cultivation: Cults worshipping external worlds or ancient beasts are outlawed and to be annihilated.
4. Unified Advancement: All resources — techniques, dungeons, treasures — are to be managed under the Supreme Order, distributed based on merit and contribution.
5. The Sovereign's Word is Law: Defiance means death. No exceptions.
---
The room was silent.
Those too weak to resist bent the knee immediately.
The arrogant hesitated...
...and were cut down where they stood by unseen forces.
Blood pooled on the marble floor.
Zairon didn't even glance down.
> "Obedience earns survival. Loyalty earns prosperity. Resistance earns death."
Simple. Clean.
The Sovereign's Banner — a black flag with a crimson ouroboros devouring the world — was raised in every major city by nightfall.
The Supreme Order swept across the Earth like a storm.
---
Meanwhile:
Guildmasters signed their souls into the Oath reluctantly, bowing heads they once held high.
Kingdoms dismantled their crowns and thrones, now regional divisions within the Order.
Ancient sects hiding in the mountains and oceans either submitted or faced eradication squads.
The world was finally stabilizing under one iron hand.
---
Zairon, Alone Later That Night
Standing at the balcony of the Sovereign's Hall, gazing out across his vast dominion, Zairon laughed softly.
> "Step one, complete."
The stars above twinkled coldly.
Beyond them, Raur awaited.
But he wasn't done here. Not yet.