"Or else what?" Aron interrupted calmly, his tone steady yet tinged with irritation.

The lady froze, clearly taken aback by his audacity. then, in the blink of an eye, she vanished from his sight.

Boom!

Aron barely had time to react before the golden-armored woman reappeared in front of him, blocking the punch of the furious maid who'd just tried to cave his head in.

The shockwave alone sent a rush of air that nearly knocked him off balance.

If that hit had landed… yeah, he'd be a red stain on the floor by now.

The maid crumpled to the ground, head bowed so low it hit the floor with a thud. ""F-Forgive me, Your Highness! I was blind! Please take my head for my insolence!"

"Leave," the golden-armored lady said coldly, her voice carrying the weight of command.

The maid scrambled up, trembling. "As you wish, Your Highness." She shot Aron a glare so venomous it could've melted steel before scurrying away.

Aron sighed, watching her retreat. "Such a difficult woman," he muttered, shaking his head.

The princess turned to him at last.

Aron straightened and spoke first. "I assume you just saved my life for the second time. I'm immensely grateful. If there's anything you need from me, feel free to ask, but for now, I've got some unfinished business. Mind telling me where I am?"

He said it as if nearly dying two seconds ago had been nothing more than a mild inconvenience.

The princess blinked, then smiled faintly. "I don't know if you're pretending or genuinely fearless… but I like your guts."

Suddenly, Aron felt an invisible weight pressing down on him.

It was as though the air itself had decided to crush him.

His knees threatened to buckle, but he stood firm, refusing to kneel.

The pressure intensified.

Veins stood out on his neck, his eyes turned bloodshot, yet he didn't look away from the princess.

"Hm." She stepped closer, her expression calm, almost curious.

"Quite impressive. A human with no trace of mana or cultivation, and you can withstand a fraction of my pressure? You're more interesting than I thought."

Standing before him, she let her aura press through him like a storm, then said evenly, "And you'd better understand this.. your life and death belong to me now, whether you like it or not."

The pressure disappeared in an instant.

"Huuuuuaaaah…!" Aron exhaled heavily, his body drenched in sweat.

The princess reached into a pouch at her waist and pulled out a small stone tablet engraved with runes.

Without ceremony, she tossed it to him. He caught it reflexively.

"After three days of rest, you'll be taken to the training camp. You'll become one of my soldiers, and begin repaying your debt." Her tone left no room for negotiation. Then she turned on her heel and strode toward the door with imperial grace.

Still catching his breath, Aron turned the tablet over in his hand, deep in thought. "And when will my debt be considered repaid?"

The princess paused mid-step, her back to him.

For a heartbeat, she was silent.

Then, as she walked away, her voice drifted back like a fading echo.

"When I become Empress of the Seven Kingdoms."

Aron watched her go until she disappeared from sight.

Moments later, another maid, dressed identically to the previous one, entered the room, standing silently by the door like a guard.

He sighed again. "Great. A babysitter."

Not that he intended to run.

Even if he could, what good would it do? From what the princess had said about "cultivation" and "mana," this definitely wasn't Solara anymore.

He glanced at the faint blue screen that appeared when he tried inspecting her.

[Another world system detected. Obtain &$−&# to update.]

Now he understood what it meant to be "banished by his origin world." Escaping wouldn't make any difference.

The wiser move was to understand this world first, and find a way back to Solara later.

They really thought banishment would stop him? How naïve.

Still, he couldn't ignore the sluggishness in his body.

Ever since he'd woken up, it felt like he was carrying the weight of a world on his shoulders.

His level advancement had been revoked, an annoying side effect of his banishment.

At least his talent and all its functions were still intact.

He'd gained over 18,600 years of lifespan from the talents he'd loaned before his coma, combined with the bonuses from his rank increases.

That alone was enough to make him feel relieved.

He wouldn't have to worry about lifespan for a long time.

What did worry him, though, was his strength advancement.

From the short encounter earlier, he could already tell that the power level in this world was nothing to scoff at.

Even a servant here was strong enough to easily kill him.

And though he didn't show it, any man's pride would take a hit after being overpowered by two different women without being able to resist.

...

..

.

Author note:

If you've read this far, then it's clear you're loving the journey just as much as I enjoy writing it.

Every scene, every twist, every chapter you read is built with time, effort, and passion. I pour that same energy and tension into each update because I want you to feel the weight of the choices, the thrill of the fights, and the despair of a dying world.

But here's the truth: stories don't grow on their own. They grow because of you, the readers who stand beside them. And on Webnovel, your Powerstones, Golden ticket and engagement are the heartbeat that keeps a novel alive. Each support you cast isn't just a number on a chart. It's a signal that you want more, that you believe Aron's story deserves to climb higher, to reach more people, to carve its name into the rankings where it belongs.

Your encouragement decides the pace of this journey. Together, we can push this story through the chaos, step by step, one stone, one ticket, one chapter at a time.

So thank you, for every stone, every ticket, every moment you've given this story. You are the reason Aron's world lives and grows.

Let's walk through the apocalypse together.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.