Published at 31st of January 2026 8:12 am

Chapter 1956 Ready to take the step

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"...I surrender"

Elenor raised her hands willingly, her palms open and empty, her posture stripped of any remaining hostility.

"..?!"

Rinara's brows drew together as she halted as well, disbelief flashing across her face. "What do you mean you surrender... fight!"

"I don't want to fight you, Rinara."

Elenor slowly shook her head, exhaustion evident in the small motion, and the weapon in her hand dissolved into nothingness. "We both tried to protect our bloodline and preserve the ancestor's legacy, each in our own way. And I failed." Her voice softened. "I accept defeat."

"No..."

Rinara shook her head again, this time more firmly. "Defend your stance with everything you have. Raise your weapon and show me that power you sacrificed everything for!"

Her voice rose sharply, echoing across the ruins. "Show me the courage and decisiveness for which you cast everything else aside!!"

Elenor kept her hands raised, unmoving. Her eyes trembled, her lips quivered faintly, and her breathing grew uneven as she sensed the Nexus States above beginning to descend, slowly and deliberately, their expressions dark and unforgiving.

She then lifted her gaze back to Rinara's eyes.

"It was a race, my sister-and you won." A faint, bitter smile appeared. "I've decided to follow you."

She hurried her words, fear and hope colliding within them. "Let me help you lead the Wing of the Nine Paths, Rinara. Let me come home... and bring back the displaced ones I forced onto my failed path. Let them feel the warmth of home again, even if only once!"

""

Rinara's eyes gradually filled with tears, the fury within them wavering. "Why..." Then her voice broke into a raw cry, "Why are you saying this now?!"

After the shout, Rinara continued staring at her sister, anger still burning in her expression-yet the tri-pronged spear in her grip lowered ever so slightly, its killing intent fading.

"I was wrong..."

Elenor lowered her hands a little and took a careful step forward. "We all make mistakes, Rinara. I made mine when I trusted enemies." Her voice trembled as memories surfaced. "They humiliated me. They humiliated the girls who came with me. I lived in disgrace here..."

She swallowed hard. "Accept me by your side. Let us conquer the world together for the Cradle Empire. This time, I'll listen to you. Truly."

"..."

Rinara lowered her head slightly. Tears continued to fall, streaking down her cheeks, her lips still trembling. This was her sister-her own flesh and blood. Even when her methods were wrong, she had always believed she was acting for her sake. And now... she understood her mistake.

Was she really supposed to-

Hoooom

A massive Supremacy Note Gen-4 vessel descended slowly in the background at that exact moment, stirring a violent storm of dust and debris across the ruined ground.

Ksshh-

The front hatch opened, and a single figure stepped out.

He wore golden armor inlaid with intricate black patterns. A black cloak marked with the symbol of a flame draped heavily down his back. His face was uncovered-short black hair, a medium-length beard, and features that suggested a man in his twenties. Yet the oppressive authority radiating from him as he descended the vessel's stairs slowly spoke of a ruler who had dominated worlds for millions of years.

"...Marshal."

Rinara turned slowly, her gaze dropping downward.

"I've heard enough."

Caesar stopped halfway down the stairs, his hands calmly clasped behind his

back. He then turned his eyes toward Elenor.

"Do you wish to work under my command?"

"...I will serve as my sister's assistant," Elenor replied, her heart heavy.

"Whatever you command her to do, I will do alongside her."

Not long ago, she had confronted this human, sabotaged his campaigns, even threatened him to keep him from attacking new planets.

And now... her fate rested entirely in his hands.

"I'm not asking about that,"

Caesar shook his head lightly. "Your sister follows my orders as well."

He raised his chin slightly. "So let me say it again-do you wish to work under my command?"

.....

Elenor nodded with immense difficulty. She could almost hear fragments of her pride and dignity shattering within her chest.

But it was fine.

This wouldn't be the first time she lowered her head to survive. She would bow before the strong, discard what needed to be discarded, endure whatever was necessary... until one day, she herself stood above them.

"Very well. It won't be the first time we accept our enemies as allies."

Caesar nodded once. "You will be sealed with ten enhanced nails until I obtain a

proper Oath Tablet from His Majesty-the one whose secrets you sold so

cheaply. You will swear eternal submission to me personally,"

His eyes hardened. "The consequence of violation will be death."

"What?!"

Elenor felt every hair on her body stand on end, cold fear rushing through her

veins.

"Swear eternal submission... me?!"

The most terrifying part of Caesar's words was not just the threat, but the implication that it involved a special Oath Tablet from His Majesty himself. A direct artifact of the Cradle Empire, a binding so absolute that even the mightiest of warriors would feel the weight of it in their soul.

One Lord Human made himself at that? The very one currently meddling with the Behemoths? The thought alone made Elenor's heart tighten with fear and

disbelief.

"This is a rare opportunity, Elenor."

Rinara lifted her head once more, her gaze sharp, commanding, and unwavering. Her posture radiated authority, and her voice cut through the charged air like a blade. "Agree swiftly."

"Agree to what?!"

Elenor's voice cracked, trembling with frustration, her hands waving with mounting desperation. "He's demanding submission-not even loyalty! Is this how you conduct affairs in the Cradle Empire? Do you push away help when it comes freely to you? I swore I would assist my sister-why make this path

harder for me than it already is?!"

"Hm, logical... very well then."

Caesar nodded a few times, almost casually, the weight of the moment contrasting with his calm demeanor. Then he turned and began ascending back into the ship with a fluid, deliberate motion. "Offer withdrawn."

With a subtle gesture in the air, almost dismissive in its casualness, he

commanded:

"Rinara, kill her."

"You are utterly unreasonable!"

Elenor's shout tore through the air, raw with anger, disbelief, and a fierce sense

of injustice. "You want to force the heroine of your army to slay her only sister

merely because your ego demands it? Just to satisfy your pride with a

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meaningless, soul-crushing oath of submission?!"

"Elenor, agree quickly!"

Rinara stepped forward two decisive paces, her eyes wide with panic, her voice

strained with urgency. "Shout that you agree before the door closes-I can reason with him! I can make him see!"

"I will not swear eternal submission to anyone! Why should I even live if I do?!"

Elenor's hands waved dramatically, her voice echoing, tears welling in her eyes, her body trembling from both fear and defiance. She turned toward her sister, her voice imploring, desperate. "Sister... together we can pierce the atmosphere and leave this cursed place. I have seen your strength with my own eyes. You can carve a path for both of us. You haven't sworn loyalty to them, correct?

Then we can leave!"

"You..."

Rinara's throat tightened as she swallowed hard. Her chest rose and fell rapidly,

her eyes blazing. "You don't understand what you're saying... you have no idea the consequences of the path you've chosen!"

She gestured sharply toward Caesar, the urgency in her voice like a whip across

the frozen tension of the air. "Kneel and request the Oath Tablet before he-"

"... You've been tamed, Rinara. Unfortunately..."

Elenor's expression darkened, her features twisting into grim resolve, her eyes burning with the promise of vengeance. She pivoted to face Caesar, the murderous intent in her gaze so intense it could ignite steel. "No matter... I will

free you."

In the blink of an eye, Elenor vanished from her sister's sight, a streak of movement powered by raw desperation and unyielding will. She surged toward the ship with every ounce of her strength, her body propelled by determination

as love intertwined with fear.

Staaab

Tremor... Tremor...

"....?"

Caesar halted mid-step, his senses alert to the sudden, drastic shift in the scene behind him. Slowly, deliberately, he turned, craning his head slightly upward. What he saw made him pause. It was a vision both horrifying and extraordinary.

Elenor stood only a step away, her gaze locked onto his face. Pain and rage twisted her features into a mask of fury, murderous intent radiating from her

like a physical heat. A thin trickle of blood ran down the corner of her mouth, a stark contrast to the pallor of her face.

At that moment, she was suspended upon a spear. Rinara had driven the tri-pronged spear into her sister's chest, lifting her high

above the ground as if the very air itself trembled under the act.

"Why..."

Rinara muttered, her voice breaking under the torrent of emotions swirling

within her-anger, confusion, regret, and an unbearable sorrow. Tears streamed freely down her face, unchecked and burning, as she screamed with anguish, "Why didn't you choose to live with me?!" "...You... you really chose... to kill me... you tamed... bitch..."

Elenor whispered, her voice barely audible, the punctured artery in her chest

cutting off any chance of further words. Her life slipped away like water through grasping fingers, fragile and fleeting.

Caesar observed silently, waiting until Elenor's final breath faded from the

world. He noted the fracture in her spiritual aura, the subtle remnants of her soul's struggle. Then, with a calm, almost fatherly motion, he reached out and gently patted Rinara on the shoulder.

"Excellent work. Not for me, but for yourself... overcome this obstacle, and you will reach horizons you never dreamed possible."

He withdrew his hand, the motion serene yet heavy with authority. "I will allow

you to give her the burial you deem fitting."

Then he turned and continued ascending into the ship, muttering under his

breath in a voice barely above a whisper:

"Very well... we are done here. Go assist the others in subduing the planet."

"Understood."

Four Nexus States emerged from the edges of the stairs, spreading out in all directions with calculated precision. Their presence radiated a tense, silent energy, a deadly reminder of the control and reach of Caesar's command. Had Rinara not acted immediately to confront her sister herself, Elenor would

have already been torn into countless pieces, with each fragment fed to a different beast.

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