Chapter 99 – The Blade of Judgment
The gates of Luther Fortress loomed ahead—tall, dark, and silent under the storm-kissed sky. Lightning flashed behind Jean as she dismounted Whitney, her divine companion letting out a quiet growl. Beside her stood Silvia, silent and watchful.
The soldiers at the gate hesitated for only a moment. Then they fell to one knee.
The Emissary of Light had returned.
But this time, not as a student or a shadow.
As a claimant.
Inside, the great hall buzzed with tension. Heirs, envoys, and high knights stood around the towering iron table where once the Patriarch ruled with unyielding command.
At its head now sat a figure of age and fearsome power—Charles Luther, the Blade of Iron Years, and the most powerful swordsman alive after Martin himself.
His white hair was untouched by time. His eyes were molten steel.
"You came back," Charles said, voice like gravel over fire.
Jean met his gaze. "To end this."
He rose slowly, sword resting across his shoulders like a crown.
"Then prove yourself. Not to me. To the blade."
---
The chamber cleared, forming a ring.
Jean drew Luxclade. Its light clashed with the elder's aura, which flared gold-red—Transcendent Aura.
Charles didn't waste words. He attacked.
Their swords met in a blinding flash—light against age-honed fury.
Jean was faster. He was stronger.
But she had something more.
She had purpose.
Every strike she blocked, every step she held her ground, the divine light in her core surged—Celeste's voice whispering calm through the storm.
Charles pushed harder, blades ringing like bells of war.
Then, Jean stepped past him—slid under his final slash—and placed Luxclade to his throat.
She didn't strike.
She just spoke.
"I don't want your throne. I want your blessing. The world is burning. And I need the Luther Clan to stand together."
Silence.
Then Charles dropped his blade.
He knelt.
> "Then go, Jean Luther. As my heir. As the next Matriarch of the Sword."
---
Cheers erupted across the fortress.
Silvia smiled quietly.
For the first time in generations, the Luther bloodline stood unified.
And war waited beyond the mountains.
---
Far to the east, the Magistery unleashed their final scheme.
The Dragons stir.
And Antares begins to wake.
---