The Verdant Nexus was alive with energy, the air thick with an unseen weight. The System had not yet spoken, but Selene could feel it stirring, a presence preparing to alter the very foundation of the Boundless Continent.

  She stood before the Fae Circle, her golden gaze steady as the runes pulsed with power. The time had come to summon once more.

  The glyphs beneath her feet flared. The air rippled, twisted.

  《System Alert: The Fae Circle Has Been Activated》

  《Summoning Two Fae Lords》

  《Summoning Tier 2 and Tier 3 Fae Lords…》

  The first to emerge was swift, silent, and sharp. A figure of twilight and shadow, wrapped in a mantle that flickered between existence and nothingness. Their form was fluid, shifting subtly between shapes, yet always remaining humanoid.

  Their voice was a whispered echo, as if it existed just at the edge of perception.

  “I am the Fae Lord of Dusk.”

  A Tier 2 Fae Lord.

  “My domain is transition, unseen paths, and the moment between light and dark.”

  “I command the Twilight Stalkers, the Shadebound Walkers, and the Veilborn Hunters.”

  Selene studied them. A being of liminality, movement, and secrecy. Another perfect addition to her growing court.

  “You will serve in my court.”

  Dusk bowed, their form flickering slightly. “As it is spoken, so it shall be.”

  Then the circle pulsed again.

  This time, the figure that emerged was vast and looming, yet shifting in a way that made it impossible to focus on them fully. Their form seemed to adjust constantly, adapting, refining, altering.

  When they spoke, their voice was layered, as if they were many beings speaking as one.

  “I am the Fae Lord of Evolution.”

  A Tier 3 Fae Lord.

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  “I command the Adaptive Swarm, the Fleshforged, and the Ever-Changing Kin.”

  “My domain is growth, mutation, and the reshaping of the self to surpass all limits.”

  Selene’s eyes gleamed. A Fae Lord of constant refinement.

  Perfect.

  “You will serve in my court.”

  A pause. Then, the shifting mass of Evolution bowed.

  “As it is spoken, so it shall be.”

  The power settled. The circle dimmed. The summons were complete.

  And just as the air began to still—

  The System spoke.

  《System Alert: The Trial of Kings Begins》

  《Phase One: The Claiming of Kings》

  《All Lords must now decide the boundaries of their kingdom.》

  《Each Lord must claim no less than three territories. More may be claimed, but all land chosen must be defended until the Trial concludes.》

  《At the end of the Trial, only Lords who remain standing within their chosen lands will be acknowledged as true Kings.》

  The words hung in the air like a decree from an unseen god.

  Selene felt the shift immediately. The Boundless Continent was no longer just a battlefield of Lords.

  It was now a battlefield of Kings.

  ---

  The Nexus erupted into motion. Fae Lords gathered. Vassals murmured. The weight of the decision pressed on every Lord on the Continent.

  But Selene?

  She was smiling.

  She turned toward Strategy. “How long until the others begin claiming their lands?”

  Strategy barely hesitated. “Most will claim the minimum. Three territories. Enough to survive, not enough to overextend.”

  Selene nodded. “And the ambitious?”

  Strategy exhaled. “They will claim too much. They will see this as an opportunity to declare their strength before the fighting begins. But land means nothing if it cannot be held.”

  Selene agreed. This was not a contest of immediate power.

  This was a contest of foresight.

  She turned toward the great table of the Nexus, where her territory was displayed in shifting lights.

  Her Verdant Nexus was the center of her empire. Ironveil was now under her control.

  She could claim more.

  She could take much more.

  But taking land was not the challenge.

  Holding it was.

  ---

  She reached out, placing her hand over the map.

  The System responded.

  《Lord Selene has begun claiming land.》

  A pulse of energy surged outward.

  The Verdant Nexus. Ironveil.

  And two more regions—one to the east, one to the west.

  She did not claim recklessly.

  She did not reach beyond her grasp.

  She claimed land that could be fortified.

  Land that could be held.

  As the map adjusted, notifications began to pour in.

  《Lord Vargis has claimed four territories.》

  《Lord Estara has claimed three territories.》

  《Lord Callion has claimed seven territories.》

  Selene’s eyes flickered.

  Callion had overreached.

  Seven territories was too much, too soon.

  He would fall before the Trial was even over.

  She glanced toward Foxes, who was already reading the list of names.

  “Start gathering information on these Lords,” she ordered. “I want to know who our biggest threats are.”

  Foxes grinned. “Already on it.”

  Selene turned back to the map.

  The game had shifted.

  She had made her claim.

  Now, she would wait.

  Wait for the Lords who had taken too much.

  Wait for the Lords who thought they could hold what they could not.

  And when the time was right—

  She would erase them.

  Because this was not just a trial of Kings.

  It was a trial of who deserved to rule.

  And Selene had already decided.

  Only one would remain standing in the end.

  Her.