— GREAT EDRYAN, YEAR: 7294. SEASON: COLOR FADING.

  General Alexandria stared at the Standard Golem Suit as her liege stepped into it. A wide, bright grin was on his face while a contemplative expression remained on hers and that of her companions. Not many people were present. Only a few members of Lawruthian’s core staff, which included his Generals, his Spymistress, and several Imperius Guards. They found themselves in a private section of the training grounds.

  High hedges covered the outer edges, preventing any from seeing the interiors with ease, with a soft bed of green grass over everything else. The early morning sun rose while the chill of fall permeated the air.

  General Alexandria and Ameri studied the golem, inspecting it.

  “Standard Golem Suit…,” Ameri Oni mused. “Has he…?”

  “He recently experienced a class evolution. He now nearly matches my level and will quickly approach yours. Likely, in a one versus one, neither of us stand a chance now. If he’s somehow managed to get his idea of Golem Suits off the ground…”

  Alexandria’s eyes were wide. “How many miracles can one person create? What type of legend will they discuss in the future? And we…,” she swallowed, excited. “We get to be the ones to clear his path forward. Our names will be eternal!”

  As Lawruthian climbed within the suit, two figures shimmered into appearance next to the generals.

  Both women immediately made a symbol of the church, giving Margret Musa and Liana Drumian a salute. The two women smiled at them but kept to themselves, studying Lawruthian.

  Margret’s eyes were bright with curiosity, and she took a few steps closer while casually chatting with Liana. “He… actually did it? I know it’s Lawruthian, but I never expected our little golem-crazed fanatic actually to do it. If he can find a method to allow others to combine with golems…”

  Her words murmured off into silence. At the same time, Liana looked at the product and made comments of her own. “It’s only a 1 Star Golem Suit. Yes, 500 attributes are a lot, but…”

  Liana’s sentence never finished as several pieces of equipment merged over the suit. Margret squealed in excitement.

  “A dimensional gate? He actually has a dimensional gate, and he’s not even level 200 yet. This thing… (Examine)!”

  “Incredible,” Margret said. She nearly wanted to halt Lawruthian’s demonstration and begin questioning him on the properties of his creation. “He’s able to equip golem parts that supersede the total sum. A normal 3 Star Golem has 3,000 attribute points. This one has 4,500—a 1.5 times multiplier is being applied, making his golems stronger than anything put up against them. If he were to create another Calamity level golem…”

  Her breath hitched, and the excitement in her voice grew. Liana just smiled while continuously focusing on Lawruthian’s work. Once Margret got into a mood like this, there was no halting it. She continued to speak her thoughts.

  “This is highly useful and can create the illusion that an army of golems is far weaker, catching any opponents off guard, breaking down their intelligence networks. There’s so much it could do…”

  “ Body Sync ,” Lawruthian activated. His voice seemed to be merged with his creation as it also spoke in unison.

  Margret let out a muffled choke, and Liana looked at her in concern. The woman was nearly drooling, her eyes wide, and her posture unbefitting of a demigoddess.

  “Impossible,” Margret muttered.

  Liana frowned as the woman muttered it once again.

  “Impossible.”

  “What? What is it,” Liana asked, concerned. If anything was wrong, she was prepared to pull Lawruthian out of his creation, no matter the consequences.

  Margret didn’t verbally respond, just sharing a notification with Liana.

  “That’s,” Liana frowned, uncertain. “What is… that?

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Heh-ha-ha-ha!”

  Lawruthian laughed. He took a deep breath, feeling how his strength expanded and merged with that of the Golem Suits. This feeling was incredible, nearly matching his transformation into a dragon.

  “Heh-ha-ha-ha!”

  He laughed again. He just felt an extreme, childlike happiness from his accomplishment. “I did it,” he whispered. “ I did it. ”

  Alexandria and Ameri stood there, muted. Both used an inspection-type skill to see the changes brought by each stage. Alexandria’s eyes were rapidly flickering back and forth, her mind whirling from the implications. Immediately, she barked orders, changing the atmosphere from its stunned silence.

  “By my Authority as a member of the Monarchy Branch and Prime General of the Imperius Army. This area is SEALED . No one leaves, no one enters. Tobi, Imperius Knights—immediately apprehend all personnel within a 100-meter radius. NOW !”

  The Imperius Knights swiftly reacted, gathering any passing personnel, shining their Citizen Medallions, which held the special symbol of the Monarchy Branch. The area was locked down, no one in, no one out.

  Alexandria and Ameri walked forward, approaching the golem suit. They stayed roughly two to three meters away as Demigoddess Margret was already in the vicinity, animatedly chatting with Lawruthian to understand this strange suit before them.

  “You’ve actually managed to combine your attributes with those of a golem? Lawruthian, this isn’t possible. It shouldn’t be possible? How exactly,” Margret chattered, reaching forward to touch the suit and understand its principles. “You’ve managed to achieve the strength of a newly initiated Path Walker in a sense. Not unusual for you, but to do it twice using different methods is phenomenal!”

  Lawruthian laughed at Margret’s antics, a warm feeling in his chest. He sheepishly raised a hand and rubbed the back of the suit’s head. “It’s actually not entirely difficult. My skill, Calamity Crafting , gives out a passive named Body Sync , which, from my understanding and current feeling, aligns the golem’s attributes with those of your sol. In fact, looking internally, it’s like an outer core is wrapped around my sol.

  “This is only temporary, as every thirty minutes, 25% of the attributes degrade and fall off. You must also take into account the rapid drainage of the mana battery powering the device. It burns through mana like a running river. At most, this peak state will last for twenty minutes or less, with intense fighting. I’m assuming that as my level increases, this state will also increase until it entirely goes away. But… I may have to break through to become a Demigod for that to happen.”

  Margret took in the information, while more and more questions were generated as she responded. “This is good, very good. This skill, Body Sync , is imbued into the golem suit, yes? Then that means… oh Lawruthian…”

  Margret’s hands suddenly halted, and she looked up at the golem’s face with gentle eyes. How could she not understand the thoughts of her once young ward? The days they spent exploring the capital city were still fresh in her mind. Lawruthian’s first time seeing golems, his immediate resolution was to use them to solve a hidden danger of the country by freeing slaves. His continuous use and promotion of Mana Batteries ultimately shifted the direction of their state, pushing them into a technological advancement by several decades, if not a century.

  Yet still he persisted down this path. Still innovating, still opening up new possibilities from a single decision.

  In Edryan Under the Prime Sun, All Men are Free.

  She knew his efforts better than most. Margret would even say she was second to none except perhaps the Queen. The conversation they held yesterday was simple. Lawruthian directly explained his reasoning for preparing Edryan for war so early.

  “ If I don’t give you Path Walkers a chance… if you can’t gain levels to at least put you on the playing field… I’m afraid all our magi on the Path of Apotheosis will perish. ”

  Simple. Direct . His words were simple and direct and aligned with their hearts. Margret closed her eyes, thoughts tracing back to their battle against Aspect Rasheed. That was someone with the power of a God. Someone who made all their efforts seem like child’s play. Margret died . And, that death affected her deeply.

  The Path of Apotheosis was the Twelve Thrones opening up the bridge between the Mortal Realm and the Astral Above. A bridge that had to be traveled on with many others. Conflicts were inevitable, and the week would be taken advantage of first. In the current age, the magi were weak. Not possessing the same glory of their ancestors, which made the world tremble.

  Margret opened her eyes, tightly focusing on the young man before her. She seemed to peer past the golem suit and into its internals. He was so tall, so big now from that little boy he once was. His eyes were clear, his aura was resolute. This choice didn’t put any pressure on him; if anything, it seemed to free him completely. And, this new creation of his… its aspects are limitless.

  “Lawruthian, on behalf of the nation of Edryan. I reward you with Merit .

  “It perhaps doesn’t mean much, but truly, you’ve done nothing but put the country on your back ever since you were a child.” Margret’s voice was filled with emotion. Those very memories flashing through her eyes. “You’ve promoted Edryan into a flourishing society that I wouldn’t recognize in my youth,” Margret said. She bowed her head and softly added. “Thank you.

  “Is there anything Edryan can do for you?”

  Lawruthian was quiet. The golem’s chest opened, and the young man stepped outside of it. He looked at Margret and smiled.

  “No… no, there isn’t. It’s not what Edryan can do for me , but what I can do for Edryan. If men and women are to war for me, to die for me… then the least I can do is make the light of their sol a brilliant spark that lights up the night sky.”

  He turned back to the golem. “We should gather my Monarchy Branch. It’s time to discuss our future. It’s time to discuss the Twelve Thrones.”

  People moved swiftly, and the early morning developed into the early afternoon as everyone was assembled. The Monarchy Branch seemed to be the most mysterious of the five branches of government. They did not control the population and resources like the Overseer Branch. They weren’t in charge of the faith or military as the Templum and Bellum. Nor did the Monarchy Branch create the laws of the country and ensure they were followed, and if not, those who broke them were punished as the Judiciary Branch did.

  The Monarchy Branch was everything it was before the Class-Based Constitutional Monarchy came into existence. It was the direct supporting group of the Crown. It held their closest allies, friends, and the true power of the nation—Prestiges and Demigoddesses.

  Over the years of Lawruthian’s transition into a new being, the Monarchy Branch developed itself into the ultimate enabler. Its ability to move abruptly was far better than any other branch as its core members gathered. It existed to enable the Crown and those who stood at the country’s height.

  He gazed around, the Standard Golem Suit next to him, drawing curious gazes. When Lawruthian called, the Monarch Branch swiftly answered, including all of the Path Walkers of the Country. Even his mother, whose feelings were still complicated from the love her son showed, was present.

  They chose a small hall not too distant from his Imperius Hall, where the SGS was created. Lawruthian looked at those present. There was the rising New Greats of the Six Great Houses. Each had developed into a young man or woman with clear eyes and resolute ambitions. They were the next leaders of an era, those who came before them already vacating positions and handing over power.

  There were his core forces. His generals, the leader of his spies, Lily Maar, and figures like Karla and Simra. Friends and those he saw potential in. Bucca was present, having taken to her position as the President of Law’s Sweet Golems with ease. She was his wallet, and had ingrained the company into the furthest reaches of their society. They sold everything imaginable—clothing, foodstuffs, and of course, golems. NARC was a subsidiary of theirs, selling weapons to the country and outside, taking over the Edryani Family’s primary business. Queen Titiana had completely let go and allowed everything to fall neatly into Lawruthian’s lap.

  Many others were present, branches of the New Greats and those that supported the Monarchy first and foremost. The hall was filled with over a hundred important members, while twelve figures dazzled the rest.

  Twelve Path Walkers emerged in Edryan. Lawruthian’s gaze traveled to them.

  There was, of course, Queen Titiana and her former Heroes, but that only accounted for seven. The remaining five, however, were all related to the Queen in some manner.

  Heavenly Star — Caimen Loardstar , with his disciple Zie. The young man who nearly killed Simra was sitting comfortably, gazing around with curiosity. His master’s eyes were drawn to the Queen, constantly pursuing her affection.

  Sire Limitless — Pancratius Nepos , who managed to break through after the event of the Mountain of Final Hope, along with most of the others.

  The Huntress — General Y?ah . Y?ah was the former commander of the South Gate Army and helped Queen Titiana rise to the throne.

  Swaying Lilac, Jumping Lilies — Kubrat Musa had returned from the NARC headquarters. Her scheduled appointment with the prince was still days away, and this drew her attention from the promising research facilities.

  Steadiest Faithful — Femi Gamal , youngest sister of Marna Gamal and former Vice-Principal of Imperius Academy. The woman managed to break through surprisingly while teaching.

  Lawruthian’s gaze settled as he understood all of the dynamics present. Yes, they were members of the Monarchy Branch, but do siblings always get along? There were factions within a faction. Those who were closer to one side or another, steadily controlled by his mother in the years of her rising. The Queen’s ability to play the hearts of men was second to none. Perhaps only the Goddess could challenge her. Lawruthian was never really good at such things. He preferred to be direct in some ways or not mentioning things to them at all as he ran his calculations for the future—just like how he didn’t even gather his core staff to announce his intentions of war.

  “Good, those who are important have arrived,” Lawruthian began. His eyes drifted to Madria, and the two shared a smile. “I’ve gathered you here today to discuss our future and the Twelve Thrones . This Game they play… will likely lead to the complete destruction of the Mortal Realm.”