The declaration came in the morning. The intelligence reached him at dusk.
Emperor Noctis looked hollow. The brightness had left his eyes. The vigor in his face had collapsed into deep lines. The cause was the urgent report placed before him.
The Spirit Hall Saint had declared war. His targets were the Star Stripe Empire and the Polaris Empire.
At the same time, Aurelia Cross, still disguised as Xue Qinghe, had already received the news. A telephone moved faster than any messenger.
She checked the hour and knew the moment had come. She asked the kitchen for a bowl of medicinal porridge, returned to her room, and took the last vial of medicine from the case Wu Ling had given her.
She poured the clear liquid into the porridge and stirred it slowly until both substances blended. As she watched the whirlpool forming in the bowl, Aurelia sighed.
"This conspiracy took more than ten years to build. Now it finally ends. Time moves quickly."
Knock. Knock. Knock.
After knocking, Aurelia carried the bowl into the study. She immediately saw Emperor Noctis sitting there with despair carved across his face.
As usual, she set the porridge on the desk.
"Father, the three board members will arrive soon. Rest for a moment and drink some porridge first. Meeting them in this condition would damage your dignity."
Emperor Noctis said nothing. He only stared at the bowl.
Aurelia showed no panic. She had no need to. The past had already proven that this bowl of porridge had no problem.
At this point, the Polaris imperial household was already full of Spirit Hall people. The kitchen belonged to Spirit Hall. So did the pharmacists. On ordinary days, the kitchen staff added the medicine to his meals. When Emperor Noctis worked late and forgot to eat, Aurelia carried the food to him herself.
At first, this had made Emperor Noctis suspicious. The imperial family was the coldest household in the world. Once Xue Qinghe became crown prince, the throne would pass to him the moment his father died. With that thought in mind, Emperor Noctis had secretly summoned pharmacists to inspect the leftover porridge.
The result, of course, was that there was no problem.
As expected, after a short while, Emperor Noctis lifted the bowl and drank. Once he finished, he spoke to Aurelia in a voice full of painful advice.
"Qinghe, Spirit Hall has declared war on us. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has been destroyed. The Clear Sky Sect is in hiding. Even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, which once leaned toward us, now seems to lean toward Spirit Hall.
"Then there are the academies. According to the intelligence, something happened during this tournament that forced the academies to choose sides. I do not want to admit it, but I fear even those academies belong to Spirit Hall.
"Our Polaris Empire is different from the Star Stripe Empire. They rely on their own lower level military force, like a traditional state. The Polaris Empire is closer to an alliance of many powers, with the imperial family at the center.
"But now the Upper Three Sects are useless. The academies have not answered us in a long time. With enemies on every side, the Polaris imperial family alone cannot resist Spirit Hall. That is wishful thinking."
Emperor Noctis paused. Then he looked deeply at Xue Qinghe. He had not noticed Aurelia's disguise. He only wanted to fix his son's face in his memory. Regret filled his eyes.
"I am sorry, Qinghe. This time, the Polaris Empire may truly be in danger. And it had to happen just as you were about to inherit the throne."
At that moment, Emperor Noctis saw Xue Qinghe smile.
In a crisis that threatened the nation, that warm and gentle smile appeared on his son's face. A chill ran through him. He started to speak, but Xue Qinghe spoke first.
"Father, there is still one way to save the Polaris Empire."
On any other day, Emperor Noctis would have been ecstatic to hear that. This time, he felt a drop of cold sweat slide down his forehead.
Then a voice completely different from the one before came from Xue Qinghe's mouth.
"Submit to Spirit Hall."
"You... you are not Qinghe. Who are you?"
Before Emperor Noctis could finish, he clutched his chest. His face flashed red, then pale.
"You reached your limit. An old body cannot endure that much nourishment.
"Since you are about to die, I will tell you the truth. Even if you had not drunk this bowl, the medicine accumulated in your body would have broken you within half a month. I only moved the time forward.
"Already dead, are you?"
Aurelia did not even clean the room. She maintained Xue Qinghe's appearance and received the three board members when they arrived.
"Your Highness, the situation is urgent. Please help us report to His Majesty."
"Father is dead."
As she spoke, Aurelia sat on the imperial throne.
The three board members froze. Before they could think clearly, Aurelia's question reached them.
"Three board members, what are your thoughts on joining Spirit Hall?"
They had not recovered from the emperor's death. Her question struck their skulls like a heavy hammer.
Hugo Shade reacted first.
"Your Highness... no, Your Majesty, why would you say such a thing? Spirit Hall's ambition is known to everyone. If we agree to join them today, the future Polaris Empire will no longer belong to the Polaris imperial family."
Aurelia nodded.
"Do the other two board members share that view?"
The two men behind Hugo Shade nodded together. They had worked side by side for years. Their understanding needed no words.
Aurelia sighed. Then her tone changed.
"Then I must ask the three of you to set out on the road."
As soon as she finished speaking, a massive Magecraft circle sealed the entire imperial palace.
Poison Sage Erasmus Graves, Goran Tremor, Porcupinefish Sage, and Snake Lance Sage appeared at the four corners of the room.
"You are Spirit Hall's Titled Sages. And Poison Sage, you joined Spirit Hall too?"
The three board members froze at first. Then they seemed to understand.
Hugo Shade pointed at Aurelia with a trembling hand and opened his mouth to speak.
Snake Lance Sage attacked at once.
"Old man, you think you can point at her?"
Once Snake Lance Sage moved, Goran Tremor and Porcupinefish Sage each found an opponent. Poison Sage Erasmus Graves stood to the side and watched the battlefield.
Elsewhere in the palace, shouts and killing cries rose one after another.
Aurelia suddenly gave an order.
"Poison Sage, you join in too. Finish them quickly. Spirit Hall's branch halls have already begun their operations, but fools with poor eyesight may still remain. If we want to deal with those people tomorrow, then before dawn, Polaris Imperial City must have only one voice."