The System had been silent for too long.

  For weeks, it had merely observed.

  Watched as Selene did what no one thought possible.

  She had not just defeated her enemies.

  She had erased the concept of resistance itself.

  She had not fought for control.

  She had become control.

  And now, the System could not ignore her any longer.

  ---

  As Selene stood within the Verdant Nexus, golden eyes gazing over the lands that now belonged to her, the air shimmered.

  A pulse of pure authority rolled through the land, through the very fabric of the world itself.

  And then—

  The System spoke.

  ---

  《System Alert: A New Ruler Has Been Acknowledged》

  《Selene, Sovereign of the Lower Sylvan Expanse, has secured total control over her Dominion》

  《All opposing Lords have fallen or pledged allegiance》

  《Phase Three of the Trial of Kings will now begin》

  ---

  A hush fell over the Verdant Nexus.

  The Fae Lords stirred, the weight of reality shifting around them.

  Selene remained calm.

  She had expected this.

  Phase Three.

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  The next step in the System’s grand design.

  The air around her hummed, and before her, a new map unfolded.

  Larger.

  More detailed than anything she had seen before.

  And now, for the first time, she saw the true shape of the world.

  ---

  The world was not one battlefield.

  It was a tapestry of conflict.

  A grand game that had only just begun.

  Selene’s Verdant Nexus was merely a small region.

  One of many.

  And above them?

  There were the Greater Territories, regions where the strongest Lords from each Dominion would soon be forced to clash.

  Beyond that, there were the High Realms, where only the victors of the Greater Territories would remain.

  And at the peak of it all?

  The Supreme Throne, where the strongest ruler of the entire world would be determined.

  Selene traced a finger over the map, her golden gaze unreadable.

  The world was massive.

  And she had only conquered a fraction of it.

  For now.

  ---

  The System continued.

  《Phase Three: The War of Rulers》

  《Each confirmed Ruler will now be forced to face the other Rulers within their Greater Territory》

  《The battles will be waged in three stages》

  《First, each ruler must eliminate or subjugate all remaining Lords within their assigned battlefield》

  《Once only one ruler remains in each battlefield, they will be transported to the War of Kings》

  《The War of Kings will be a tournament-style battle》

  《The strongest Ruler will ascend to the next Realm》

  《The others will be eliminated》

  ---

  Selene smiled faintly.

  So that was how it would be.

  The world was not just a contest of nations.

  It was a series of trials.

  One by one, the weak would be purged.

  Until only the strongest remained.

  Foxes chuckled. “So we get to do this all over again?”

  Strategy exhaled. “No. We get to do something much harder.”

  Sovereignty’s gaze flickered. “Before, we only needed to conquer a fragmented region.”

  She gestured toward the new map.

  “Now, we must do the same… against those who have already proven themselves.”

  ---

  Selene remained still.

  She understood the design.

  Each Greater Territory would soon descend into chaos, as the remaining rulers fought to seize total dominance.

  Only one ruler would remain standing in the end.

  And then, when each Greater Territory had its final champion…

  They would be forced into direct combat.

  A tournament of one-on-one battles.

  A war not fought with armies.

  But with power alone.

  Selene’s smile widened slightly.

  She did not fear combat.

  But she knew what this meant.

  The Fae could not fight those battles for her.

  And that?

  That was interesting.

  ---

  The world had changed.

  And Selene changed with it.

  The Verdant Nexus was no longer a mere territory.

  It was a kingdom.

  An empire of balance and inevitability.

  And beyond her borders, other rulers prepared.

  Some would fight.

  Some would kneel.

  And some…

  Would vanish before they ever had the chance to enter the next war.

  Selene closed her eyes.

  The game was moving again.

  And this time, there was only one throne that mattered.

  The throne that would decide who ruled the world.

  And in the end, there was only ever one answer.

  Selene.

  The Last Ruler Standing.