The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 455: He is Here

Aldrian had already teleported west and continued moving without pause. Many people in Padina began to question his generosity—why had he spared the lives of the troops who tried to block his path? From their perspective, those soldiers were clearly his enemies. It would’ve been reasonable for him to kill them without hesitation.

However, even though they showed no intention of surrendering, he merely deterred them, using his overwhelming strength not to kill, but to prevent them from advancing toward the capital. It was as if his magnanimity was so vast that he would forgive people who weren’t his true targets, even when they stood against him.

This made many people wonder—what kind of person was this mysterious swordsman? Was he naïve? Or did he have a deeper reason for acting the way he did?

True to some of their guesses, Aldrian spared those who tried to block his path because he had his own reason. He even went so far as to display his overwhelming strength not to kill them, but to make them surrender.

After returning from the Rosalind Barony, he had taken time to reflect on his actions within the empire. Since that day, he had chosen to restrain himself, deciding not to slaughter large groups so easily. It was a decision made not only for the sake of others, but for his own good as well.

When he thought about his future actions in this empire, he knew that, under normal circumstances, he would have to shed a great deal of blood. The second prince’s faction was filled with enemies, and he had already envisioned the battles that awaited him. If he were to step into the capital to confront the second prince directly, it would undoubtedly turn into a massive bloodbath.

True to that, he got information that the capital had already become a gathering point for a huge army under the second prince’s command.

The number of troops in the capital could easily reach hundreds of thousands if they were all gathered. That massive force consisted of the second prince’s main army, bolstered by the noble families who supported him. Aldrian knew that once he approached the capital, he would have to face this entire army alone.

And that didn’t even include the other resources at their disposal—artifacts, or something like flying fortresses, which would surely serve as support for the troops. If things reached the worst, he would have no choice but to kill every last one of them and destroy everything in his path.

And that, in truth, would be the right thing to do.

However, if he did all that bloodshed, then the aftermath would be something outside of his control, and it could be detrimental in the future. Why did he think the future could be affected if he just killed and killed?

The answer was the prophesied time.

That huge number of soldiers and resources was something needed for the future, when the prophesied time came. He did not know what kind of thing would happen during that time, but if a great war like the one from three million years ago erupted again, then he would need all the manpower of the continent he could get.

If he just killed hundreds of thousands of people and destroyed all of those resources, then the Atria Empire would basically have no firepower left to defend itself when the time came. Even if he succeeded in killing the second prince, the empire wouldn’t have enough strength to face the prophesied time, because the civil war would have already shredded their military might.

Each noble house already expended all of its power because of this war.

Aldrian didn’t want that to happen. It was already enough that he had killed nearly a hundred thousand people since stepping into the Atria Empire. Any more loss would do more harm than good.

He decided to take a different approach with these bastards who were simply following orders from their superiors. He would force them to surrender on their own. He would make them bend the knee and lose the will to fight him, so that he wouldn’t have to kill them.

To achieve that, he had to show them his power right before their eyes, a power that would bring despair, a power that would crush all hope. A power that would make them see themselves as nothing more than ants trying to shake a giant tree.

That was what he had done so far, and that was exactly what he would do in the capital. His focus was on the second prince and Grand Duke Donovan, and if that traitor was in the capital too, then all the better.

However, if there were still some stubborn people who kept bothering him even after he showed them his "kindness," then he would have no choice. He would still need to make an example out of those who refused to back down.

Aldrian continued his journey toward the capital without much trouble. Unlike his journey from Bermin to Padina, he didn’t encounter any bandits or anything that caught his interest. It all made sense, since he was already near the capital, and only crazy people would be looking for trouble in this area.

Besides, with the massive force gathering in the capital, anyone with bad intentions would have to keep a low profile in this part of the empire.

----------------------------------

Two days later, the situation in the capital was already at the highest state of alert. The city barrier had been activated, and hundreds of thousands of troops were positioned on the eastern side of the city. Six flying fortresses hovered in the sky above, ready to provide support for the ground forces.

All civilian activity had come to a halt, as the people waited for the arrival of the mysterious swordsman.

Many stayed inside their homes, ready to take shelter if the battle reached the city. But others stood by their windows, watching and wondering about the outcome of the battle that could decide the future of the empire.

The imperial family had been pushing their propaganda, trying to frame Aldrian as a tyrant who would kill without mercy and claiming he would likely slaughter everyone in the city if he won the battle. They had done everything they could to tarnish his image, hoping to turn public opinion against him and keep the people from even thinking about supporting him.

However, how could the second prince possibly control the opinions of everyone? Aldrian’s reputation had already been established since his battle with the Hydra in Balin city, and his achievements only continued to pile up.

Many saw the imperial family’s attempts as futile. To them, Aldrian had become an idol, a hero. He shone too brightly for the imperial family to dim his light with slander.

Many questions began to surface in the minds of the people. If Aldrian succeeded in this battle, then what would happen to the Atria Empire? In the end, Aldrian’s image remained strong in the eyes of the people, and the imperial family’s propaganda became little more than a joke.

While commoners pondered their future in the empire after the battle, the second prince and his forces had already reached peak readiness. They were simply waiting for Aldrian to arrive.

At this moment, Prince Wilmar stood atop the eastern city walls. He wore low divine-grade armor, an artifact taken from the imperial vault. Clad in that suit and draped in a red cape over his shoulders, he looked gallant.

A low divine-grade sword, also an artifact of the imperial family, hung at his waist, further enhancing his commanding presence.

Standing beside him were Grand Duke Donovan and a robed figure who concealed all of his features. The figure was, in fact, Cardinal Carsius. He had the Heaven’s Punishment Spear strapped to his back, wrapped in cloth to hide its shape, although its overwhelming aura still leaked through. Many of the troops glanced at the mysterious figure, wondering who he was, as they could clearly sense the powerful presence he radiated.

There were other strong presences as well. In total, eight emperor-stage cultivators and nearly a hundred king-stage cultivators were gathered in this part of the city. Hundreds of thousands of troops stood in orderly formations outside of the city walls, with flying fortresses hovering above behind them, ready to fire their lightning cannons if needed.

Prince Wilmar kept his eyes fixed on the east. He had been waiting for Aldrian to arrive, confident in his calculations that this would be the day.

After hearing that Aldrian had reached Padina two days ago, he was certain that, with his incredible speed, today would be the day he appeared at the capital.

He had ordered the troops into formation hours ago, determined not to make any mistakes, even if his timing ended up being slightly off. It was better to be prepared too early than to be caught off guard.

Sweat trickled down the foreheads of many soldiers. They had been standing in position for hours, fully equipped, all while tension filled the air. How could they not feel nervous, knowing they were about to face the man many already called a one-man army?

Many commanders still thought that all this preparation was an exaggeration, too excessive just to face a single man. But others saw it differently. To them, it was proof that the second prince truly regarded Aldrian as a serious threat—someone worthy of this level of readiness.

And if the second prince believed the mysterious swordsman deserved such treatment, then just how powerful was that man?

Even if the enemy were a peak emperor-stage cultivator, it was unlikely that such a massive response would be prepared.

After a few more minutes of waiting, Cardinal Carsius suddenly turned his gaze in a specific direction.

"He is here," he said.

Upon hearing him, many emperor-stage cultivators focused their senses toward the east. True to what Cardinal Carsius had said, they detected a lone figure flying in their direction—not too fast, yet not too slow either.

It was as if he deliberately wanted to be seen, showing himself openly without the slightest concern about being noticed or detected.

Before long, a lone masked figure arrived, stopping in the sky directly in front of the massive army, where all could clearly see him. He hovered in the air, his gaze fixed on the sea of soldiers before him.

At that moment, he looked like a lone ant standing before a crashing wave.

Yet many knew that this man was someone who could even split the sea.