the world begins to realize that the "Unit 72" guard isn't just a soldier—he is a cosmic force.
The dawn over Oakhaven was deceptive. To the common merchants opening their stalls and the farmers carting in their winter squash, it was a Tuesday. The air was crisp, and the sun was a pale gold coin climbing over the horizon.
But for those with spiritual sensitivity, the morning felt "hollow."
Inside the Jade Palace, Empress Yue stood on her private balcony. Her Phoenix blood was restless. It thrummed in her veins like a trapped bird beating its wings against a cage. She looked toward the West.
The forest, which should have been a vibrant green even in the cold, looked... grey. It wasn't dead; it was as if the "color" had been stolen from it. And there was the dust. A fine, glittering charcoal dust was settling over the city walls, coating the battlements in a thin layer of pulverized history.
"Unit 72," she whispered.
She looked down at the West Gate. There he stood. The black-armored silhouette was perfectly still. His halberd was planted in the stone, his hands resting on the cross-guard. To any other observer, he looked like he hadn't moved an inch since sunset. But Yue saw the truth. There was a faint, violet steam rising from the joints of his armor—the "heat" of a god-tier engine cooling down after a night of maximum output.
By midday, the palace was a hornet's nest. The "Dust of the Abyss" had been identified by the Court Alchemists.
"Your Majesty! This is a miracle!" Grand Alchemist Hovan shouted, his robes stained with ink and reagents. He knelt before the throne, holding a small glass vial containing a pinch of the grey dust Yue had seen earlier. "This is the essence of a Soul-Severing Core. Not just any core—this is the residue of General Malphas! The 'Bane of the Seven Kingdoms' has been erased!"
The Court erupted. Ministers shouted, generals argued, and the air grew thick with the scent of fear and greed.
"Who did it?" the Minister of War demanded. "Did the Hidden Ancestor of the Blood-Scythe Sect intervene? Or perhaps the Sword-Sovereign from the West?"
Yue sat on her throne, her face a mask of imperial coldness. She knew exactly who did it. She remembered the way "Unit 72" had looked at her during the assassination attempt weeks ago—with eyes that saw through the very fabric of the world.
"Enough," Yue said. The room went silent. "We shall hold a Grand Ceremony. If Oakhaven is home to a God-tier protector, he shall no longer be hidden. We will offer him the highest honors of the Empire. If he is a man, he will want gold. If he is a hero, he will want glory."
[System Prompt: A Deadly Honor.]
Event: The Grand Imperial Promotion.
Warning: Acceptance of any title will result in the loss of the 'Nameless' status.
Current Multiplier for Refusal: +200% to 'Sovereign's Presence' Passive.
The ceremony was a masterpiece of royal propaganda. The Grand Hall was draped in banners of crimson and gold. Every noble, every sect leader within a thousand miles, and every high-ranking officer was present.
At the center of the hall, a path of white jade was cleared.
"Summon the Guard of the West Gate," Yue commanded.
Kaelen walked in.
The sound of his boots on the jade was like the ticking of a doomsday clock. Clack. Clack. Clack. He didn't bow. He didn't look at the nobles. He simply walked to the center of the room and stopped.
The Nobles whispered.
"Is that him? He looks like a common sentry."
"Look at the armor. It's pitted and scarred. He's a pauper!"
But as Kaelen stood there, he activated [Sovereign's Presence].
The whispering stopped. The air in the room became heavy, as if the oxygen were being replaced by lead. The nobles felt a primal urge to lower their heads. They didn't know why, but looking at the faceless black visor felt like looking into the sun.
Empress Yue stood up. She looked beautiful—dangerously so. Her Phoenix robes shimmered with actual embers. She descended the stairs of the throne until she stood only a foot away from Kaelen.
"Sentinel," she said, her voice echoing in the rafters. "You have saved this city from a darkness that has consumed empires. You have stood watch while the world trembled."
She held up a golden scroll. "I hereby grant you the title of Grand Marshal of the Eternal Reach. I give you the Duchy of the Black Peaks, ten thousand kilos of High-Grade Spirit Stones, and the right to lead my personal armies. You shall be second only to me."
She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper that only he could hear. "And if you wish... you shall no longer sleep in the barracks. The palace has many rooms. The Empress has many secrets."
The court held its breath. This wasn't just a promotion; it was a marriage proposal in all but name. She was offering him the world.
Kaelen looked at the golden scroll. He looked at the Empress. In his mind, the System was screaming in red letters.
[WARNING: MISSION CRITICAL]
[Goal: Stay Nameless.]
[Penalty for Acceptance: All stats reset to Level 1. 'Unit 72' designation deleted.]
Kaelen's gloved hand reached out. He took the golden scroll. The nobles began to cheer. The Minister of Finance began to calculate the taxes. Yue's eyes brightened with a triumph she had waited years to feel.
Then, Kaelen turned around.
He walked five paces to the left, where a ceremonial waste-bin made of carved silver stood. He dropped the scroll inside.
Clatter.
The silence that followed was more deafening than a mountain collapsing. The Empress's smile didn't just fade; it shattered. The nobles looked like they had been turned to stone.
Kaelen then reached into his belt and pulled out a small piece of charcoal used for marking patrol logs. He knelt on the pristine white jade floor.
With slow, deliberate strokes, he wrote two words in massive, blocky letters:
JUST GUARD.
He stood up, tucked the charcoal back into his belt, and began to walk out.
"YOU—" Yue's voice cracked the marble pillars. "You think you can insult the Throne? You think you can throw my heart in the trash and walk back to a gate?!"
She was shaking with a mixture of humiliation and a strange, burning respect. She realized then that gold didn't move him. Power didn't move him. Even she didn't move him.
"Fine!" she screamed at his retreating back. "You want to be a guard? You want to stay 'Unit 72'? Then I am changing your post! From this moment on, you are the Guardian of the Imperial Bedchamber!"
Kaelen stopped at the door.
"You will stand at my door twenty-four hours a day! You will eat when I eat! You will watch the shadows while I sleep! If you love your duty so much, then you shall never leave my sight again!"
[System: Quest Complete.]
[Reward: Passive Skill 'Sovereign's Presence' evolved to 'Divine Command'.]
[New Status: Personal Shadow of the Empress.]
[Host Note: You've really done it now.]
Kaelen didn't turn around. He simply gave a sharp, military nod and walked toward the royal living quarters.
The Empress watched him go, her face red, her heart pounding. She had lost the battle of the scroll, but she had won the war of proximity. She would break his silence. She would see the face behind the mask. Even if it took a thousand years.