Chapter 506: Rulers of the Lower Domain

Before Klaus could respond, the Old Saintess spoke, her voice calm and weathered like the whisper of ancient winds brushing through forgotten ruins.

“Because I can’t,” she said simply, the words holding more weight than their quiet delivery suggested.

Max frowned, confusion tightening his brows.

“Why?” he asked, a thread of frustration creeping into his tone. It didn’t make sense to him. If she was as powerful as the stories claimed—if she truly held the strength of someone from the Middle Domain, someone who had lived for ten thousand years—then why not just unleash a fraction of that power and end Drevon’s existence?

One death, and the war would crumble into dust. Peace, or something close to it, could finally return.

The Old Saintess exhaled softly, the sigh steeped in weariness that only a long life could carry. “Have you ever seen me use my strength before?” she asked, her pale eyes meeting his with a quiet intensity. “No, you haven’t. And there’s a reason for that.” She paused before adding, “I simply can’t use my strength in the Lower Domain.”

Max blinked, surprised. Now that she mentioned it, he realized it was true—he had never witnessed her display anything even remotely resembling Divine Rank power.

“Why?” he asked again, this time more cautiously.

The answer didn’t come with anger or irritation, but with a second sigh that felt heavier than the first. “Because of the Rulers of the Lower Domain,” she said, her tone lowering to a near whisper.

The name hung in the air like a forbidden secret. Max’s eyes narrowed, unfamiliarity flashing across his face.

“Rulers of the Lower Domain?” he repeated, frowning. It was a term he’d never heard before—not in the ancient texts, not from any guild, and certainly not spoken aloud by anyone of power.

The Old Saintess gave a slow nod, her gaze drifting into the distance as if recalling truths too ancient for most to grasp.

“Rulers of the Lower Domain…” she repeated, her voice laced with the gravity of long-buried knowledge. “They are officials dispatched by the Four God Nations—those vast, divine empires that reign far above the Middle Domain. Each of those godly nations sent a fraction of their authority, a sliver of their might, down here to the Lower Domain. Their purpose is simple: to supervise, to observe, and if necessary, to enforce order.”

Her voice grew firmer as she continued. “To put it plainly, if a being stronger than the Expert Rank—say, a Divine Rank expert like myself—were to descend from the Middle Domain and attempt to interfere in the affairs of the Lower Domain using divine power, they would be marked. The Rulers would respond. Swiftly. Without mercy.”

Her eyes turned back to Max, solemn and unflinching. “We’re not just talking about opposition. The moment such power is used to change the fate or balance of this realm, the Rulers treat it as a violation of domain law. And those who break that law… they are hunted down by the forces of the Four God Nations themselves. And their fate is death—no questions, no appeals, just absolute judgment.”

She paused, letting the silence speak before finishing. “That’s why the small but terrifying forces stationed here by each of the Four God Nations are called the Rulers of the Lower Domain. They don’t rule openly—but their presence alone keeps those like me from ever drawing our blades, no matter how great the danger.”

“Four God Nation…” Max murmured, a deep frown etching across his face as he processed the weight of the Old Saintess’s words.

He hadn’t expected the Four God Nation—the mightiest empires that stood like towering pillars above all realms, the strongest powers in the Acaris—to care so deeply about what happened in the Middle Domain, let alone extend their watchful eyes all the way down to the Lower Domain.

But the more he thought about it, the more he understood. What they were doing wasn’t tyranny—it was protection. It was control forged out of necessity.

He could only imagine the disaster that would unfold if someone—say, a warrior at the Master Rank, a level that was barely impressive in the Middle Domain—descended into the Lower Domain unchecked.

Their power would be overwhelming, far beyond anything the experts here in the Lower Domain could resist. If that person carried evil intent or even reckless ambition, cities would burn, guilds would collapse, and rivers of blood would stain the land. The balance of the entire realm could be shattered in a single day.

So, in a way, what the Four God Nation had established was not just law but stability. They didn’t interfere in the Lower Domain’s conflicts or politics. They didn’t meddle with the rise and fall of guilds or empires.

But what they did do was make sure no foreign hand from above reached down to twist the fate of the Lower Domain for their own gain. And in Max’s eyes, that was a rare kind of discipline—a terrifying kind of justice, yes—but also a necessary one.

‘Is that the reason even Lucien doesn’t act in the Lower Domain?’ Max wondered silently, the thought brushing through his mind like a passing breeze.

Lucien, for all his mystery and immense power, had always kept his hands off when it came to direct involvement in the affairs of this realm. Now, perhaps, Max finally understood why.

He turned toward the Old Saintess, his thoughts shifting. “I thought the Black Dragon Palace was once the strongest power on Planet Acaris… Even if they have weakened overtime… Can’t they be at the same level as the Four God Nation?” he asked, his brows drawn in visible confusion.

He remembered her telling him once that the Black Dragon Palace was the oldest and most revered force in Acaris’ history—a place whose very name inspired fear and respect. Even if it had lost some prestige over time, Max had always assumed it still held enough weight to command reverence.

But from what he was seeing now, that clearly wasn’t the case.

The Old Saintess gave a slow, almost tired sigh, the lines in her face deepening with memory and regret. “Time changes everything, kid,” she said, her voice lined with the quiet resignation of someone who had watched centuries erode the might of legends.

“We were the strongest. A name that no one dared challenge. But now… we’ve slipped. Forgotten among the newer, shinier powers. Reduced to mediocrity, ranking just beneath the Four God Nations’ lesser arms. We’re no longer feared—we’re simply remembered.”

She paused, her gaze narrowing as it settled on Max with newfound intensity. “But that doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.”

Her voice firmed, quiet resolve cutting through the haze of time. “The palace can reclaim its former glory—if you help us. If you use that power of yours to evolve the bloodline of our members to the next level. Just like what you did with the Black Lotus Guild here in the Lower Domain.”

Her words hung in the air with purpose, not as a plea, but as a declaration of hope. A forgotten legacy could still rise again… with Max at its center.

Max glanced at her quietly and said. “That’s my plan when I get to the Middle Domain but for now I need to head into the Inheritance Tower.”

“Inheritance Tower? For what purpose?” Klaus asked suddenly, seeing Max came all the way to Valora Continent from the Lost Continent just to visit the Inheritance Tower.

Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!