Chapter 18: The Coronation of the Void
The Grand Ballroom of the Imperial Palace, once a sanctuary of gold and light, had been transformed into a grotesque theatre of shadows. The air was no longer breathable for those of weak spirit; it was thick, metallic, and saturated with the oppressive mana of the Absolute Corruption System. Emperor Valerius III sat on his Sun-Throne, but he looked less like a ruler and more like a condemned prisoner. His crown was crooked, and his eyes, which had once commanded armies, were now wide with a primal, helpless terror.
Cyan Valerian stood at the foot of the throne's dais. He didn't look like the boy who had been exiled years ago. He looked like a primordial force that had finally reclaimed its rightful place. Behind him, the "corrupted" elite formed a terrifying half-circle. Duke Silvermane, the frozen titan of the North, stood to his right, his black-ice armor crackling with malevolent energy. To his left stood Servina, the Saintess, her hands folded in a prayer that was no longer directed toward the heavens.
"Valerius," Cyan's voice resonated through the hall, amplified by the void. "Look at your court. Look at the men and women who swore to die for you. They aren't even looking at you anymore. They are looking at the future."
The Emperor's chest heaved. He tried to summon the 'Divine Solar Breath,' a secret technique passed down through the royal bloodline. A faint, flickering golden light appeared around his hands, but it was immediately swallowed by the purple mist crawling up the legs of the throne.
"Why...?" the Emperor choked out, his voice broken. "The Valerians... we gave you everything. We gave you a name, a life, a legacy. Why would you destroy the very foundation that birthed you?"
"Birthed me?" Cyan laughed, a cold, echoing sound that made the remaining noble guests tremble. "You didn't birth me, Valerius. You caged me. You feared the 'wrong' color of my eyes, the 'wrong' frequency of my mana. You tried to prune the branches of my power until I was nothing but a stump. But you forgot one thing about the dark: the more you try to bury it, the deeper its roots grow."
Cyan began to ascend the steps of the throne. Each footstep sounded like a death knell.
"Isabella," Cyan called out without looking back.
The Duchess stepped forward, her emerald eyes glowing with a dark fever. "Yes, my King?"
"The nobility in this room... those who still hesitate. Give them a choice. They can kneel and receive the 'Mark of Sin', or they can be fed to Lilith's shadows. I want no 'neutral' blood in my palace tonight."
Isabella smiled—a sharp, predatory expression. She turned to the terrified nobles. "You heard the Sovereign. Kneel and live in the new world, or stand and perish with the old one."
One by one, the lords and ladies of the Empire collapsed to their knees. The clatter of their jewelry and the rustle of their fine silks filled the room. The betrayal was absolute. The Emperor watched as his most trusted advisors bowed their heads to the "Monster of Valerian."
As Cyan reached the top step, he stood directly over the Emperor. He reached out and slowly, almost gently, lifted the Sun-Crown from Valerius's head. The crown, made of pure gold and encrusted with Sun-Gems, hissed as it touched Cyan's skin. The gems turned a dull, smoky grey, their holy light extinguished instantly.
"The Sun has set, Valerius," Cyan whispered, leaning down. "And it will never rise again."
Suddenly, the Emperor's eyes turned blood-red. In a final, desperate act of defiance, he activated the 'Imperial Self-Destruction Core'. His body began to glow with an unstable, blinding white light.
"If I must fall, I will take this city with me!" the Emperor roared.
[System Warning: High-Level Energy Explosion Imminent. Threat Level: Catastrophic.]
The nobles screamed and tried to flee, but the doors were sealed by Elara's shadows. The light grew brighter, threatening to vaporize everything within a five-mile radius.
Cyan didn't flinch. He didn't even step back. Instead, he plunged his hand directly into the Emperor's glowing chest.
"You still don't understand, do you?" Cyan's voice was calm amidst the roaring energy. "You are trying to blow up a sun in front of a black hole. I don't just survive your power, Valerius. I consume it."
[System Skill Activated: Eternal Void Absorption.]
The blinding light didn't explode. It began to swirl, like water being drained into a vortex. The golden energy was sucked into Cyan's palm, turning from white-hot gold to a deep, swirling violet. The Emperor's skin began to shrivel, his life force being drained along with his mana.
The process was agonizing. Valerius's screams were silenced as the energy was ripped from his very soul. Within seconds, the "Invincible Emperor" was nothing but a husk of skin and bone, slumped over the throne.
[System Notification: Imperial Soul Consumed. Host Level Up! Level Up! Level Up!] [New Title Unlocked: The False Emperor of Shadows.] [New Ability Unlocked: 'Absolute Command over the Royal Guard'.]
Cyan stood alone at the top of the dais, the drained Sun-Crown held in his hand. He didn't put it on. Instead, he crushed it in his grip, the gold snapping like dry wood.
"I don't need a crown to be a King," Cyan said, his voice echoing through the now-silent ballroom.
He turned to face his followers. Duke Silvermane, Servina, Isabella, Lilith, Elara, and the thousands of nobles now kneeling on the floor.
"Tonight, the Empire of Light is dead," Cyan proclaimed. "From its ashes, the Kingdom of Sin shall rise. There will be no more 'purity,' no more 'chosen ones,' and no more 'gods.' There is only the System, and there is only Me."
The Duke of the North slammed his fist against his chest. "HAIL THE KING OF SIN!"
The cry was taken up by everyone in the room. A thunderous, terrifying chant that shook the very foundations of the palace.
Cyan looked toward the windows. In the distance, he could see the Great Cathedral of the Holy See. He knew that the Pope and the High Cardinals were already preparing for war. They would call for a Crusade. They would bring their armies of light to his gates.
"Let them come," Cyan whispered to himself, his purple eye glowing with an unholy brilliance. "I'm looking forward to seeing the color of their despair."
He sat on the obsidian-stained throne, his four 'Goddesses of Ruin' standing behind him. The first day of the new era had begun, and the world would never be the same again.