Panic in Padokea, a Thousand Kneel at Heaven's Arena!

In the Republic of Padokea, the endless sky was cloudless, clear, and blue. The whole expanse glowed a deep blue of extraordinary purity and grandeur. Warm, bright sunlight fell quietly over the bustling city.

Skyscrapers stood shoulder to shoulder. Traffic filled the streets. Ordinarily, this vast, ancient modern metropolis presented a scene of

prosperous, peaceful everyday life. Countless ordinary people

hawked their wares on the streets, their calls rising above the din. Then—crack!

A terrifying spatial rupture exploded ten thousand meters overhead, shattering the stillness. The deep, muffled sound rolled across the blue sky, which had been calm as a mirror until a blinding golden fissure

tore it open. Vast sheets of lightning flashed wildly inside the rift. Golden light burst forth as turbulent spatial currents and golden thunder ravaged the air,

instantly vaporizing the soft white clouds nearby. Roar! Nine immense dragon cries shook the heavens, powerful enough to shatter the souls of living beings across countless worlds.

They erupted together from the depths of the fissure high above.

Nine Golden Giant Dragons, each ten thousand meters long and clad in pure-gold scales, raised their heads and roared. Treading on ripples of golden space,

they slowly emerged from the collapsing rift. Their long cries rang out as they drew the Great Empire's immense, sky-blotting Golden Emperor Carriage.

It rumbled downward through layer after layer of space. Its pure-gold wheels spun rapidly, and wherever they passed, the crushing weight of their power

ripped space apart, leaving broad trails of black void. The dragons hauled the carriage down through the sky, bearing the boundless holy radiance of the Great Empire

and bathing half of Padokea in a sea of gold. ... At the same time, inside every air-defense installation and military base in the Republic of Padokea, alarms shrieked.

Every modern