Chapter 424: The Mandate Of Heaven

"Hmm..."

​The Senior stared down at her, moving with a slow, inescapable inevitability, he stretched his hand forward and placed his palm gently on Mirabella’s head.

​"...?!"

​Mirabella stared at him in surprise, her combat instincts screaming at her to dodge, but an absolute, pacifying aura pinned her safely in place. As he closed his eyes, the cosmic void around them rippled like still water disturbed by a falling leaf. He was instantly reading her past, present, and future—every regression, every timeline, and every bloody battle she had ever fought.

​After ten seconds that felt like an eternity of expansion, he had scrolled through years of brutal memories, the woven threads of her destiny, and the infinite possibilities of her future; then, he gracefully let go.

​"It seems you helped the Heavens in the past." He said, staring down at her, his tone laced with a profound, newfound respect.

​"Heaven? Was it when I killed Calamity Void’s part?" Mirabella asked, staring at him in surprise.

​"Calamity Void is just a general under the Evil one. What you did on that planet, you not only killed his part, you also disrupt the Evil one’s goal on creating legions. In short, when you did that, you picked a side." He revealed, pulling back the veil on the universe’s oldest war.

​"Picked a side?" Mirabella was confused, struggling to grasp a conflict of such unimaginable scale.

​"You don’t need to know too much... For now, this is enough." He said, dismissing the apocalyptic lore, and slowly opened his palm.

​"Because of your decision, and your side... Heavens chose to favor you."

​Mirabella watched as his palm glowed brightly, illuminating the dark space with a pure, primordial light that felt entirely untainted by the mortal world. The fabric of reality warped, and the next moment, a flawlessly cut, abyss-black Gemstone appeared on it. The stone radiated a dense, gravitational pressure that made her very soul hum with resonance.

​"This?" Mirabella was shocked, feeling the absolute dominion over death swirling within its facets.

​"I already saw your future, you will need this gemstone more than anyone. Not only that, you have been chosen by Heaven." He flashed her a warm, grandfatherly smile that contrasted with his god-like status:

​"Once you reach your true peak, I might even become your subordinate. But for now, I will wait for you."

​The glowing white chains binding Mirabella abruptly shattered, disintegrating into harmless light and freeing her. She blinked, still stunned, and slowly got to her feet, staring at the black Gemstone with a mix of reverence and disbelief.

​"Destiny aren’t fixed." She pointed out, staring at the Senior, a Sovereign who had carved her own path through blood and sheer will refusing to be bound by prophecy.

​"Luckily, I view every single destiny in your life, in every single decision, your life will take a different turn. I know every single turn, which all leads to one."

​’Why does it sound like a poem?’ Mirabella thought, carefully reaching out and taking the black gemstone.

​"Oh, and don’t worry about the last. There won’t be any trials."

​"What do you mean?" Mirabella asked in surprised, holding the invaluable stone close to her chest.

​The Senior stretched his hand to the side, effortlessly manipulating the space of the void. From the distant, starry expanse, her legendary blade, Sunder, flew towards him, landing smoothly in his unyielding grasp.

​"What I mean is, from now henceforth, you are Heaven’s child, anything related to Heaven will be free to assess by you. Not 100% free, all difficulties will simply be reduced. For the third Gemstone, there would be no trails, just go and take it." He gave her back her sword, as his physical body started glowing with an ethereal, blinding light:

​"Mirabella, we will see in the future. I hope you can break through the fourth world barrier and attain true strength by becoming a True Goddess. The age of Gods is awaiting you."

​Mirabella watched in silent awe as his body shattered into brilliant, drifting white particles.

​"When we meet again, you will know my name. Go and conquer the four worlds and become the Queen you are meant to be. We will... Be waiting."

​The resonant voice faded away, leaving Mirabella standing utterly alone in the silent void, stunned by the sheer magnitude of the revelation.

​’Heaven’s child? Thanks to this Heaven, I gained the Beast Empress Bloodline, which is now one of my trump cards. The Heaven, is it the origin of the world?’

___

​[Southern District, Gangnam.]

[Seonjeongneung Royal Tombs.]

​Back on earth, within the heavy, oppressive silence of the ancient Korean ruins, Adira and Toxin kept their vigilant guard. They watched intently as Mirabella’s comatose body finally moved. A sharp breath hitched in her throat, and then her piercing blue eyes snapped open. She blinked, and slowly lowered her gaze to the heavy, pulsing black Gemstone now resting physically in her hand.

​’I did it!! Thank you.’ She thought.

​"The trial is over. Congratulations participant."

​The towering black skeleton, its crimson eyes permanently flickering out, congratulated her. Having fulfilled its ancient mandate, it instantly shattered into a mountain of fine bone dust, which blew into the stagnant air of the cavern, leaving only an empty, ancient coffin behind.

​"Master! Master! Master!! That’s what you three have been saying from the very start!! I will disturb this Master and see what will happen then!!!"

​"....?!"

​BOOOOM!!!

​The heavy stone walls of the tomb violently shook, dust raining from the ceiling. Mirabella raised an elegant eyebrow, her senses instantly picking up the violent explosion and energy signatures erupting from outside the cavern’s entrance.

​"Um... Sorry Master, the Aeons are outside causing trouble. You said we shouldn’t kill them if we capture one in person, but they---"

​"You don’t need to explain, Adira. Let’s go see what’s happening outside." Mirabella smiled, a cold, confident smile. With a mere thought, she stored the priceless Gemstone securely inside her system’s storage, as she started walking deliberately towards the exit.

​"Master, about the skeleton."

​"No worries, I got it. Next, Vatican City."

{System Is Back Online.}