CHAPTER 749: GRAECIA WORLD (II)

The first thing Vlad felt upon arrival was a wave of nausea so intense it nearly brought him to his knees. His stomach churned, and his vision spun. But before it could overwhelm him, his Depravita Constitution kicked in, stabilizing his body almost instantly and suppressing the symptoms. The True Depravita of Wrath let out a slow breath, regaining his composure.

"Impressive," Konstantine said with a faint smile, nodding with approval. "Even High Legends often lose their lunch the first time they use an Interstellar Teleportation Formation. You adapted extremely fast."

Vlad turned toward the Superior Legend and gave him a small, polite smile before turning his gaze toward their surroundings. They stood in the middle of a vast, ancient forest rather than in the heart of a city.

However, that made sense. No wise civilization would allow interstellar teleportation to land strangers directly inside their capital. That would be tantamount to inviting enemy forces—or worse, catastrophic weapons—straight into their heart.

"Follow me," Konstantine said, his voice calm and assured. Vlad nodded in reply, and the two of them ascended into the sky.

Within minutes of flying at high speed, Vlad saw it—the wall.

A structure so colossal it seemed to reach into the clouds, dwarfing even the greatest cities he had ever encountered. These were no mere stone defenses; they were monuments.

What caught Vlad’s attention, though, were the scars along the wall’s exterior. Some were minor—sword slashes, claw marks. But others were truly terrifying: enormous indentations the size of islands, as if entire worlds had been hurled against it.

Vlad was no stranger to power. The Doomsday World had taught him much about the cosmic hierarchy. But some of these marks were left by beings far beyond Superior Legends.

Konstantine noticed the expression on Vlad’s face and gave a knowing nod.

"I felt the same way when I first saw it. It’s beyond anything most beings can comprehend."

Vlad turned his gaze toward the Kylon King, his curiosity piqued as Konstantine began to explain.

"Today, the Graecia Empire is so powerful that even the Lords of Hell and the Abyss think twice before engaging it directly. But it wasn’t always so. Long ago, Graecia was one of the many factions in the universe. Just another contender. But even then, the Emperor—Alexandros—was already a paragon."

Konstantine’s eyes gleamed with admiration as he continued, clearly moved by the history he recounted.

"His talent was so immense, his legend spread far and wide. But power led to envy and it reached the point where forces from the Light and the Dark attacked. During those chaotic times, countless worlds fell. Billions died. Eventually, the enemy reached the capital... they stood where we are now, pounding at these walls."

Though Konstantine had not been part of the empire during that ancient conflict, his voice carried reverence for the moment he described.

"When all hope seemed lost, Alexandros returned to the battlefield as a beam of white light. He had somehow broken into an entirely new realm of power. With that power, he sundered Lords, led the counterattack, and butchered billions of invaders. He drove them back across the stars, reclaimed every lost world, and even destroyed the homelands of those foolish enough to challenge Graecia."

Vlad’s eyes widened. A deep sense of awe rose in his chest. He had heard tales of Alexandros before—myths whispered among legends. But to stand at the place where history had bled into legend, where the impossible had become real... it stirred something primal in him.

The two men continued flying until they neared the towering outer walls. As they descended, they landed near a smaller, more accessible gate—just five meters tall—near the massive defensive perimeter. Vlad’s eyes narrowed as he noticed people entering and exiting the city freely. There were no guards visible, and it appeared, at first glance, to be completely unprotected.

But his instincts said otherwise.

Extending his spiritual senses, Vlad felt it—two entities. Their energy signatures were immense, almost perfectly masked. They were perched near the walls, their presence so well-hidden that even someone like him could barely detect them.

"Two... perhaps even more," Vlad thought. "And both at the absolute peak of the Superior Legend level."

He didn’t comment aloud. Instead, he followed Konstantine calmly, blending in with the flow of people.

As they passed through the gates and into the capital, Vlad finally laid eyes upon Constantinopla—the imperial heart of Graecia.

The city was vast, stretching for hundreds of kilometers in every direction. Towering buildings lined the skyline, built in a grand fusion of classical medieval design and advanced magical and technological sophistication. Crystal towers glowed with arcane energy, while airships soared above canals and cobblestone streets. There was beauty, structure, and above all—order.

It was a civilization that had stood the test of millennia and emerged not only intact but perfected.

Vlad admired it all briefly, but he was not here to sightsee. Just as he prepared to take to the skies and continue toward the central regions, he noticed Konstantine remained grounded.

"Everyone," the Kylon King said quietly, "no matter how high their status, must walk the First Circle of Constantinopla. It is tradition. A way to remind all of us—rulers and peasants alike—of where we came from."

Vlad paused and nodded in understanding.

In a universe filled with immortals and ancient beings, humility was a rare trait. The act of walking—even if only symbolically—served as a powerful reminder. Power could blind. Status could corrupt. This tradition was a safeguard against arrogance.

The two continued forward, moving with supernatural speed despite appearing to walk at a leisurely pace. In just thirty minutes, they covered thousands of kilometers, crossing bustling districts, merchant quarters, sacred gardens, and fields where children practiced arts both martial and arcane.

Eventually, they reached the Inner Wall.

Unlike the outer wall, this one bore a closed gate, and in front of it stood an old man—or so it seemed. Upon closer inspection, the figure was clearly a wood puppet, humanoid in shape but filled with mechanical precision.

As Vlad and Konstantine approached, the puppet’s eyes snapped open, revealing two lenses that shimmered with endless streams of data and runic calculation.

The automaton analyzed them for a moment. Then, without a word, it stepped aside.

The gate rumbled open, granting them access to the Inner Circle of Constantinopla—the very heart of the Graecia Empire.