Chapter 247: The Sovereign Decree I

The heavy obsidian door clicked shut.

The sound was loud in the quiet room. The lock turned by itself, sealing the office.

Headmistress Amelia Veyrith was finally alone.

Her office was dimly lit. The air smelled like a storm, like rain and burnt stone. She sat still in her high-backed leather chair.

Her dark coat was still on her broad shoulders. Her white eyes, which had no pupils, stared straight at the ruined wall in front of her.

The wall was made of black marble. It was supposed to be perfect and smooth. Now there was a large crater in it.

The crater was still smoking a little. On the floor, there were pieces of wood everywhere. They were from her hundred-year-old wooden partition. It was destroyed.

Just ten minutes ago, Lynx Azarion was here.

Amelia slowly reached out her black-gloved hand. She touched the warm armrest of her chair. This was where Lynx had just been sitting. He had been lounging like he owned the place. Like it was his office, not hers.

A small, uncontrollable smirk slowly spread across her bloody-red lips.

"What the hell are you, Lynx Azarion?" she whispered softly to the quiet room.

No one answered. Only the faint smoke from the crater answered her.

She took a slow, deep breath. She let her aura calm down. Her aura was Eternal-rank. It was so strong it could crush people. She pulled it back inside her body, under her skin. The room stopped shaking.

She picked up her porcelain cup from her stone desk. The cup had black coffee inside. It was cold now. And she never put sugar in it. She swirled it once, looked at it, and then set it down flat with a soft click.

Then she looked at her desk. On the desk was her personal hPad. It was a high-grade device, much better than what students used. It was made of sleek glass and black metal.

With a smooth swipe of her dark-gloved finger, she turned it on.

The hPad flared to life. A bright blue light came from the glass screen. The light shone on her pale face and her white eyes.

She did not waste time. She opened her encrypted contacts. She tapped two names. These were not normal contacts. These were emergency sovereign contacts.

She sent an instant high-sovereign call signal. The signal would go across the entire empire in less than a second.

Within five seconds, the air above her desk started to shimmer.

Light gathered. Two massive screens made of light appeared in mid-air. They were crystal-clear projection screens. They were using spatial video link technology. It was like the people were really in the room.

On the left screen was Saintess Celestia.

She was in the Holy Temple’s central sanctuary. Behind her was pure white marble and huge stained-glass windows.

She was wearing her flowing divine robes. The robes were white and gold and draped around her slender frame. Her eyes were glowing golden. She looked calm, but she had absolute authority. Everyone in the continent respected her.

On the right screen was King Allister Veyrith.

He was the absolute ruler of the Aether Empire. He was also Amelia’s older brother. He sat on a grand throne. The throne was carved from black iron.

On his forehead, his golden royal sigil was shining brightly. Even through the hPad feed, his pressure could be felt. His Eternal-rank pressure made the light in Amelia’s office flicker softly.

"Amelia," King Allister spoke first. His voice was deep. It had a natural, metallic weight to it. "You summoned us on the emergency line. I assume this concerns the formal post-tournament declarations."

"Of course it does, brother," Amelia replied. She leaned her elbows on her desk and crossed her gloved hands under her chin. Her posture was relaxed but sharp.

"The Supreme Blessed Academy Tournament concluded two full weeks ago. Lynx brought the trophy home to Aether, and our empire officially holds the absolute right to restructure the competition rules going forward."

For ten years, the rules never changed. Now that Aether won, they had the right to change everything.

Saintess Celestia adjusted her silk white sleeves. A soft, graceful smile was on her lips.

"Indeed," she said. Her voice was gentle and holy. "The entire human continent is still recovering from the shock of our academy’s victory. The old annual system has grown chaotic, Amelia. What do you propose?"

King Allister leaned back on his throne. His sharp eyes fixed onto his sister’s feed.

"The annual format is wasteful," he said. "Preparing our top Blessed students every twelve months drains academy resources. It interrupts high-tier affinity comprehension. And it breeds petty desperation among the other empires. I propose we shift the tournament cycle to every two years."

He sounded logical. Two years would give them more time.

Celestia gently shook her head. Her glowing golden eyes softened.

"Two years is still too frequent, Allister," she said. "A two-year gap keeps the young Blessed in a state of endless militarized stress. They need time to refine their soul channels without international conflict hanging over their heads. Three years is a far more balanced interval for true spiritual growth."

She was thinking about the students health and souls.

Amelia listened to both of them. Then she let out a low, sarcarcastic snort. She picked up her coffee cup again.

"Two years is a waste of time, and three years is just an awkward middle ground," Amelia stated flatly. Her white eyes flashed with cool authority. "Four years. That is the only logical number."

King Allister frowned slightly. His heavy brow drew together.

"Four years? Amelia, that is the entire lifespan of a student’s academy career," he said.

"That is precisely why it works, Allister," Amelia countered smoothly. Her voice dropped into a sharp, commanding tone. She was now in her headmistress mode.

"A four-year cycle aligns perfectly with our four-year graduation track. It means every student gets exactly one chance in their life to represent their empire, either as elite Year 3s or Year 4s.

It completely stops empires like Void from hoarding repeated veteran fighters, and it forces all four academies to focus on deep, foundational teaching instead of rushing out combat monsters every twelve months."

She explained it simply. One student, one chance. No more veteran teams coming back year after year.

Then her smile turned darker.

"Besides... I have zero desire to deal with Void Blessed Academy’s political whining every single year. Four years lets them sit in their defeat and think about their pathetic choices."

Silence filled the three-way call for a moment.

Saintess Celestia looked thoughtfully at her screen. She was thinking about Amelia’s idea. Then she gave a slow, agreeing nod.

"Amelia’s reasoning is sound, Allister," Celestia said. "A four-year cycle gives the continent stability, and it allows true geniuses to mature without being rushed onto the battlefield."

King Allister remained quiet for three long seconds. He was analyzing the strategic metrics in his head. He was a king, so he had to think about politics, resources, and power.

Finally, he exhaled a heavy breath.

"Very well," Allister agreed. "Four years it is. However, a change to a decade old continental decree cannot simply be posted on an academy news board. We must present this to the other three empires."

"We won’t just present it," Amelia smirked darkly. "We will force them to sign it."

That was Amelia’s style. Not request, but force.