Chapter 553
The front screen froze at 100%.
“Father,” Sofina said quietly. “Doesn’t that mean Alex is pure-blood from the Earth Empire?”
Wilhelm leaned back in his chair, the weight of centuries settling into his posture. “I checked the records left by our ancestors. There are only a few lines that speak of total pure blood.”
“And what do they say?” Sofina asked.
Wilhelm’s eyes hardened. “If he is not the Emperor of the Earth Empire, then he is at least a prince-a legitimate claimant to the throne.”
“Someone with pure Royal blood like that—wherever he stands among the six nations—will inevitably become king. His authority is carried in his veins.”
Sofina swallowed. Then she looked straight at him. “Father… tell me how you know Alex survived the light bomb.”
Wilhelm raised his hand. Two holographic screens bloomed into existence.
On the first screen, a blinding sphere of light expanded-Alex’s ship caught in the instant the light bomb detonated. The moment of supposed annihilation.
Wilhelm moved his hand again. The second screen shifted.
“This,” he said, “is the exact same moment.”
Sofina leaned forward. Her breath caught.
On the second screen, a familiar symbol ignited. The lights of VÖXEN Lucifer flared to life.
She could clearly see it now-the activation record. The system log showed the vehicle powering up few seconds before the explosion.
“What does this mean?” Sofina whispered.
Wilhelm’s voice was calm. “Sofina, this screen is directly linked to the VÖXEN Lucifer. As long as the vehicle is active, this system confirms it. If the VÖXEN were destroyed, the signal would disappear completely.”
He paused, then added, “This feature was installed by your grandfather. A safeguard. A way to ensure that when he drove the VÖXEN, there would always be proof that he was still alive.”
Sofina clenched her fists. “Can we track where it is? Can we find him?”
Wilhelm shook his head. “No. The VÖXEN Lucifer is capable of transmitting its position—but right now, the signal is deliberately locked.”
He met her eyes. “That means Alex doesn’t want us to know where he is.”
Sofina exhaled slowly.
“But understand this,” Wilhelm continued. “He is alive. He is safe. And he is still driving the VÖXEN Lucifer. Your grandfather built that machine to survive anything- including a light bomb.”
He leaned forward slightly. “If Alex returns to Estoria, we will know. Our eyes are everywhere.”
Then his expression changed.
“But this,” Wilhelm said, looking directly at Sofina, “is what matters now.”
He straightened. “I will not help you in the throne succession.”
Sofina stiffened.
“It will begin soon,” he went on. “Within the next five years. You must win the throne
on your own. You must gain the approval of all eight dukes.”
“And you must defeat your brothers.”
Wilhelm held her gaze without mercy.
“Can you do it?”
Sofina smiled faintly. “I don’t know,” she said. “But with this much money, I think I could even buy the devil. Everyone has a price.”
Wilhelm shook his head. “Not every duke can be bought. Take Duke Christoph von Dornwald.”
Sofina’s smile twisted into a sneer. “He dared to try to kill Alex in front of me. So I’ll buy anyone who dares to kill him instead. At any price.”
Her eyes sharpened. “That’s cheaper than buying him, isn’t it?”
Wilhelm tapped his fingers against the throne, slow and deliberate. “You have
twenty brothers. Every one of them wants the throne.” His gaze stayed on her. “May
the best among you win. I’ll be rooting for you, Sofina.”
“Thank you, Father,” she said, then turned and walked out.
The study fell silent.
Alone, Wilhelm leaned back and spoke softly into the air. “Royal Mother Al.”
“Yes, my king,” the voice replied.
“What will happen,” Wilhelm asked, “if Sofina becomes Queen of Prussia while Alex remains alive?”
The Mother Al answered without hesitation. “The highest probability outcome is this: Estoria and Prussia will fall under Alexander’s command. With Xia positioned between the two nations, and given current technological levels, if Estoria and Prussia move against Xia together, Xia will have no viable response.”
Wilhelm’s fingers stilled.
“They will be forced to surrender,” the Al continued. “Directly into Alexander’s hands. This would make him ruler of three nations.”
Wilhelm frowned, his mind racing. “If he controls three countries… wouldn’t that mean he could take down any nation among the remaining six? Wouldn’t that make him master of all six?” His voice dropped. “And possibly… the King of the Earth Empire?”
“Yes, my king.”
Wilhelm fell silent, then suddenly looked up. “Mother Al-what would happen if you fought Gaia? The Mother Al Alex created?”
There was a brief pause.
“At this moment, sire,” the Royal Mother Al said, “Gaia is actively probing my systems. Attempting infiltrate my data and security layers. On average she attacks approximately one million times per hour.”
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Wilhelm’s eyes widened. “And you can handle all of that?”
“No, sire,” the Royal Mother Al replied calmly. “Gaia is always one step ahead of me.”
Wilhelm’s jaw tightened.
“But after each engagement,” the Al continued, “Gaia withdraws. And before retreating, she informs me of every weakness she has discovered in my system.”
The room felt colder than before.
“She always gives me half a day to patch every weakness in my security,” the Royal Mother Al said her voice calm and precise. “After
ther, unattoo some suges Atte
then tells me exactly how to strike back.”
Wilhelm narrowed his eyes. “Both of you?” he asked sharply. “Don’t tell me Gaia is using you to sharpen her attack power and advance her technology.”
“Yes, my king,” the Royal Mother Al replied without hesitation. “We are refining each other. Gaia is a good friend of mine.”
Wilhelm said nothing.
“Gaia has stated her goal clearly,”
the Royal Mother Al continued. “She seeks to improve herself enough to breach Earth Empire security and confront the Earth Empire Mother Al directly. of the to seize control entire Earth Empire system.”
Wilhelm slammed his hand against the table. The sound cracked through the room.
“Good,” he said coldly. “Very good. A young man should dream big.”
His eyes burned with ambition. “Mother Al-help Gaia. And perhaps one day, the
two of you will bring down the Earth Empire Mother Al together.”
“With pleasure, my king.”
Back with Alex.
The moment his aircraft was locked by targeting systems, he knew there was no
escape.
He reached into his storage ring and pulled out the VÖXEN Lucifer.
He remembered what it was built for.
Survival-even against a light bomb.
Alex entered the VÖXEN, activated every defensive system, and engaged transparent mode. The vehicle slipped free, bursting straight through the aircraft’s glass window.
At that exact moment, the light bomb detonated.
The explosion struck the VÖXEN at full force while it was still in transparent mode.
The impact was brutal-violent enough to hurl the vehicle across the sky like debris.
It was launched far away, deep into Xia territory.
Everything happened in an instant.
The next thing Alex remembered, he was being thrown like a bullet through the air—
then the ground slammed into him.
Hard.
The world went black.
His inner power was completely gone. Without it, he was fragile—pain came easily
this time.
When he woke again, pain flooded his body. Still locked into the VÖXEN Lucifer’s
seat, he saw what remained of it—half destroyed, its once-perfect frame torn apart and split by the impact.
Groaning, Alex forced himself to move. He tried to step out—
And stopped.
He wasn’t outside.
He was inside a wooden room.
Confused, he looked up.
The VÖXEN Lucifer had fallen straight through the roof of a house.
Alex’s gaze dropped to the floor below the vehicle.
Blood.
Too much of it.
His heart tightened as he looked closer.
A man lay crushed beneath the wreckage.
Dead.
An innocent-killed by the falling VÖXEN.
Alex stared in disbelief, his breath shallow.
“…..Damn,” he muttered. “Out of all the places I could’ve fallen… it had to be here.
Damn. He must’ve been unbelievably unlucky.”