Martial Era: Starting With The Strongest Talent

Chapter 249 249: Leaving In Style

Cornelia barely had time to process the quiet that had just settled when both Ivy and Remedy froze. Their phones vibrated sharply in their hands, and the shift in their expressions was instant and unmistakable.

Ivy's relief vanished. Her eyes widened as she scanned the screen, her breathing turning uneven.

"We need to go back," she said quickly, her voice tight with urgency, all hesitation gone in a second.

Remedy didn't argue. She glanced at her own phone, her gaze hardening before she turned to Cornelia.

"I'm sorry," she said, already stepping back. "We have to leave. Right now."

Cornelia frowned slightly, her calm expression sharpening.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice steady, but there was weight behind it. Something serious had just broken whatever peace they had.

"It's Tristan," Remedy replied without delay, her tone firm. "It's in danger." Ivy stepped forward and handed over her phone. Cornelia took it, her eyes scanning the report in seconds. The words were clear, brutal, and impossible to ignore, an evolving Level 5 extinction-class rift.

Ivy pulled the phone back, nodding once as if confirming it was real. The situation had already escalated beyond discussion.

Cornelia exhaled slowly, then nodded. "Then it really is urgent," she said, shifting her attention back to Remedy. "Do you need my help?"

"Just get us through border control," Remedy replied immediately. "That's all we need." Her answer came without hesitation, already focused on the next step instead of the problem itself.

Cornelia raised an eyebrow slightly, but before she could respond, the air behind Remedy distorted. A second later, a massive white dragon materialized, its presence filling the space with overwhelming pressure.

The creature was larger than before, its scales gleaming as it lowered itself beside her. Remedy moved without pause, stepping forward and climbing onto its back, then grabbing Ivy's arm and pulling her up behind her.

"The border control here is strict," Remedy added, her voice steady as she settled into position. Cornelia gave a small nod. "Alright," she said. "I've got you covered." There was no hesitation in her voice either, only quiet confidence as she prepared to act.

Outside the DD Enterprise building, the city moved like nothing had changed. People walked, talked, and carried on with their lives, unaware that everything was about to shift in an instant.

Then the building exploded outward, as the white dragon burst through and shot into the sky at terrifying speed, its massive wings tearing through the air as it ascended.

Within seconds, the sector's defenses activated. Multiple targeting systems locked onto the dragon, alarms triggering across nearby control centers as the anomaly was flagged immediately.

Unlike the mid-tier regions, security here was ruthless. A high-speed unidentified dragon wasn't just unusual, it was a threat, and the system responded exactly as designed.

Inside one of the sector's command centers, an operative tracked the target, his hands moving rapidly as the lock finalized.

"We have visual," he reported, turning toward the center of the room.

At the center stood a monarch-rank martial artist, his presence dominating the space without effort. The operative hesitated for a fraction of a second before speaking again.

"Orders, sir?"

The monarch didn't even look rushed. "Invite them for dinner," he said calmly, his tone almost bored.

The operative blinked, confused, his fingers hovering. The monarch's gaze shifted slightly. "What else would you do?" he added flatly. "Shoot them down."

"Yes, sir!" the operative responded immediately, snapping back to focus as he prepared to execute the command.

But before anything could fire, the sky changed.

In an instant, the entire area transformed. The clear expanse of air twisted into a vast mountain range, towering peaks replacing open space as if reality itself had been overwritten.

The monarch's eyes widened.

"A domain…" he muttered, stepping forward as his own power surged outward in response.

He pushed against it, his domain expanding to resist the intrusion, but it shattered on contact. Overpowered and Completely suppressed. His expression shifted from focus to shock.

"A divine domain…?" he said under his breath, disbelief creeping into his voice. "Who in the hell…"

"Sir," the operative cut in quickly, his voice tense. "They've left the sector."

As suddenly as it had appeared, the domain vanished. The mountains faded, the sky snapping back to normal as if nothing had happened at all.

The monarch stood still for half a second, then disappeared.

He reappeared high in the sky, scanning the distance instantly. And then he saw her.

Cornelia hovered there, unmoved, her presence calm against the chaos she had just unleashed.

The monarch's shock deepened as realization set in.

"It's you," he said, his voice low, no longer calm.

The monarch hovered in the sky, his gaze locked onto Cornelia as the last traces of her domain faded completely. His expression hardened, the initial shock settling into controlled suspicion as he studied her without blinking.

"Why did you interfere, Lady Dextrum?" he asked, his tone firm but cautious. The title carried weight, and despite his authority, there was a clear shift in how he addressed her.

Cornelia's eyes flickered briefly at the name, a faint reaction she didn't bother to hide. Still, her posture remained relaxed, her presence steady as if none of this had required any real effort from her.

"They were with me," she replied simply. The monarch narrowed his eyes slightly, watching her closely. His thoughts moved quickly behind that still expression, recalculating everything he thought he knew about her strength and position.

The fifth Lady of the Dextrum… and she can deploy a divine domain? The realization hit harder than he expected, but he kept it buried beneath his composed exterior.

He exhaled slowly, letting the tension settle before shifting back to protocol. Personal thoughts could wait. Rules, however, couldn't.

"You understand there will be a fine," he said. "Interfering with sector security is a violation. If those you assisted are deemed a threat, liability falls on you."

Cornelia didn't react immediately. She held his gaze for a second longer, then gave a small, dismissive shrug, as if the entire situation barely registered as a problem.

"There won't be an issue," she said. "I doubt those two would waste time endangering our sector."

She paused briefly, then added with a faint smile, "As for the fine, send the bill to my dear husband." The casual tone made it clear she wasn't concerned in the slightest.

The monarch studied her for another moment, weighing her words. In the end, he gave a short nod. There was nothing more to gain here.

"Understood," he said. His voice was neutral again, the decision already made as he stepped back, letting the matter settle without further resistance.

The next moment, both of them vanished from the sky.

The sector returned to normal as if nothing had happened.