Chapter 922: Alternate Timeline: The Prison (1)

Irontraz Prison was not merely a prison.

It was a graveyard built for the living.

Across the world, when rulers wished to make certain that a criminal would never again see the sky as a free person, they sent that individual to Irontraz Island, a lonely patch of land no larger than six square kilometers, rising like a dark stone from the sea, with black walls, watchtowers, and iron gates standing at its center like the clenched fist of the world.

For fifty years, not a single prisoner had escaped.

That fact alone had become part of its legend.

People spoke of Irontraz Prison the way sailors spoke of whirlpools and mountains spoke of storms, with a mixture of fear and reluctant respect.

Once someone entered those walls, there were only two paths left before them.

Either they would die while attempting the impossible, or they would slowly wither in their cells until flesh gave way to bone and memory itself forgot their names.

No family visits were permitted.

No letters were exchanged.

No pardons were granted.

The island did not return what it swallowed.

Because many of its inmates were infamous figures whose names still inspired loyalty, fear, or fanatic devotion, there was always the possibility that followers would attempt a rescue. For that reason, the island housed more guards than prisoners, and every approach by sea was watched by patrol ships and fortified outposts, each manned by powerful experts.

The burden of maintaining such a place was enormous.

Yet Celestra did not shoulder it alone.

The surrounding empires, eager to keep their most dangerous criminals buried where no hand could reach them, paid generously to support the prison.

In this way, the kingdom held a subtle thread of influence over powers much larger than itself.

A tiny nation, by guarding the monsters no one else wished to face, had made itself useful.

But usefulness and honesty were not always companions.

The true King, Caleb Crescent, had never abused this arrangement.

Edward Crescent, however, was a different breed.

Where a righteous ruler saw responsibility, Edward saw a purse with a loose knot.

He repeatedly pressed Emperor Alexander and other sovereigns for increased funding, speaking of rising costs, stronger security, and greater threats, while quietly diverting a portion of that money into his own coffers.

The strongest guards, the five-star and six-star rank experts stationed in the outposts and aboard the navalships, received their full salaries.

The lower-ranking prison guards were less fortunate.

Their wages often arrived late and lighter than promised.

And a hungry man who feels cheated by his masters rarely guards another man’s chains with enthusiasm.

Besides, the inmates were heavily sealed, starved, and reduced to frail shadows of their former selves. To many guards, the prison had become a locked cage containing toothless beasts.

What could possibly go wrong?

That question, like a candle forgotten near dry straw, often burns longer than wisdom expects.

It was deep into the night.

The moon hung high above the island, draping the sea in silver, while cold waves whispered against the rocky shore.

Most of the guards were weary.

Eyes that should have been sharp had grown heavy.

Patrol routes that should have overlapped like woven threads had thinned until only a single warship cruised the surrounding waters.

At that very hour, two figures appeared behind a cluster of large trees near the prison entrance.

There was no flash.

No thunder.

One moment, the shadows were empty.

The next, Kiara and Zion stood among them, as though the night itself had shaped them from darkness.

Kiara looked around immediately.

The damp scent of earth and salt filled her lungs.

Ahead of her stood the outer wall, a towering barrier nearly fifty feet high, rising like a cliff carved by human hands.

The main gate, in contrast, was modest, no more than six feet tall and six feet wide, as if to remind visitors that pride was often wrapped in small doors and large walls.

Two guards sat on either side of the entrance.

Both were asleep.

One leaned back with his mouth slightly open, snoring softly. The other had his chin resting on his chest, his spear drooping in his loose grip.

Kiara stared at them and muttered under her breath. "Times like this really make me miss Noah."

From beside her came Zion’s immediate response. "Big Sister, Noah is a next-generation product, but in terms of skills, I can do everything better than him."

Kiara blinked.

Even in the darkness, she could almost imagine Zion’s stubborn expression.

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

There it was again.

That faint but unmistakable rivalry between her two android companions.

It was a new development, one she had not anticipated, although mostly it comes from Zion.

Still, this was not the time to dwell on it.

Her gaze sharpened.

Tonight was the perfect opportunity to test the true power of the divine weapon she had kept sealed for so long.

She opened her inventory and selected the sword.

A new translucent screen appeared before her eyes, depicting the information.

Aries, the sword of light (bound)

Owner: Zion

Grade: Celestial

Description: The sword, which was forged by Nadia, the divine blacksmith of planet Solais, belonged to the plane of light and dark. It is currently bound to Zion. During the forge, the blood drawn from the Light Emperor Dragon’s heart was used as a catalyst to bring the properties of the light attribute. Like other celestial-grade weapons, this sword has the capability to hold the ether energy of up to the God Realm (13-star).

Note: Only those who have either awakened Light attribute or have no compatibility with elemental attributes can use the following skills.

SKILLS LIST:

Illumination: Light up the surroundings. CD: 1 second/1 meter radius

Blessing: Heal your target. CD: Depends on the status and type of injury.

Expel: remove the curses on the target. CD: Varies on the cursing type and its effects

Eternal light: Emit a field of eternal light and temporarily blind the vision of everyone who witnessed it within the range. CD: 60 seconds/10-meter range.

Arc of Light: Slash at empty air and create an arc of light, cutting down everything in its path with 100% attack power of the user. CD: 0 seconds.

Light Beam: Absorb the natural energy from the surroundings and shoot a concentrated beam of light, destroying the enemy with 120% attack power. CD: Depends on the final attack power.

Light Dragon: Turn the sword into the divine dragon of light and attack the enemies with 140% attack power. CD: Depends on the final attack power

Passive Skill:

Aura of Light: All the stats will be increased by 30% when holding it.

***

"What the..."

The words slipped from Kiara before she could stop them.

Her back thudded softly against the tree trunk, shaking a few leaves loose. They fluttered down in silence, and she froze for a heartbeat, waiting to see whether the sleeping guards would stir.

They did not.

Only then did she exhale.

She had possessed this sword for quite some time, yet she had deliberately avoided examining its details.

It was easier that way.

Like a man who chooses not to count the gold he can never spend, she had feared that seeing its true capabilities would leave her haunted by regret that she gave it away to her Zion.

All she knew was that the system had once mentioned the weapon could raise Zion’s effective rank by an entire realm.

At the time, she had assumed that meant Zion would temporarily reach the seven-star rank after his future upgrade, and because she already possessed powerful abilities such as Lightning Clone and Thunderblast, she had considered the sword unnecessary.

Besides, she was not particularly fond of swords.

Some people danced across battlefields like poets.

Kiara preferred standing still and letting bullets and explosions do the talking.

But now that the truth lay before her eyes, glowing in clear letters, she felt as though she had discovered that the walking stick in her hand was actually a dragon sleeping in disguise.

All she could do was sigh.

Then she selected Equip.

The celestial sword dissolved into countless motes of radiant light and streamed into Zion’s body.

For a brief moment, his figure glowed from within, as though dawn itself had entered his frame.

Zion lifted his hand. A beautiful sword materialized in his grasp, its blade shimmering with a pale golden radiance. Energy surged from the weapon into his core.

Kiara watched the change unfold with widening eyes.

Zion’s aura swelled. His presence grew sharper, brighter, heavier.

With the thirty percent boost from Aura of Light, his combat power rose to 6.7.

He had even surpassed Noah’s stats just by holding the sword.

A broad smile spread across Kiara’s face. Well, it isn’t called a Celestial grade sword for nothing, after all...

Without wasting another second, she pulled two plain robes and two blank masks from her inventory.

As she handed one set to Zion, she chuckled softly.

"I really should thank Icarus Veyne for giving me this idea."

They quickly donned the disguises.

The black robes swallowed their outlines, especially hers.

The featureless masks cover their face.

Kiara adjusted her hood and turned to Zion.

Even with the mask concealing her face, her eyes shone with excitement and determination.

"Let’s go, Zion."

Zion gave a slight nod.