SSS Class Awakening: Start With A God-Level Choice System-Chapter 177: They Stand Against Me

Silence lingered for a moment longer.

Empress Lysandra Astrielle Valtoria leaned back slightly against the throne, her fingers tapping once against the armrest.

The sound echoed faintly through the hall.

"Ainsworth," she said, calling his name directly for the first time. "Do you know where you are standing?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"And do you understand what it means to declare yourself as the lover of a Valtoria Crown Princess?"

"I do."

Her gaze sharpened, though her expression remained calm. "Then answer me this. What is it that you intend to give my daughter?"

The question was simple.

Yet it carried weight far heavier than status or courtesy.

Ainsworth did not answer immediately.

Elyndra felt his grip tighten slightly around her hand.

"I will stand with her," he said. "In the throne succession trial. In the Otherworld Missions. And in every consequence that follows."

"That is vague," Lysandra replied.

"It is deliberate."

The Empress studied him for a brief moment longer.

Before Ainsworth could continue, Elyndra stepped half a pace forward.

"Mother," she said calmly. "He is not here to negotiate."

Lysandra’s eyes shifted to her daughter.

"Oh?"

Elyndra met her gaze without flinching. "I chose him. That alone should already tell you what kind of man he is."

Valerian Noctis Valtoria finally spoke, his tone mild.

"You sound confident."

"I am," Elyndra replied.

The Prince Consort smiled faintly, then looked back at Ainsworth. "You are aware that supporting her means standing against her sisters."

"Yes."

"And possibly the entire court."

"Yes."

Valerian nodded once, as if satisfied with the answer.

Lysandra fell silent again.

After a moment, she spoke. "Very well."

She rose from the throne.

The pressure in the hall shifted subtly as she descended the platform, her footsteps unhurried but deliberate.

When she stopped, she stood only a few steps away from them.

"Then prove it," she said.

"Not with words."

Her gaze turned sharp.

In response to the Empress’s test, Elyndra tightened her grip on Ainsworth’s hand and looked into his eyes.

As if understanding what Elyndra wished to convey, Ainsworth merely smirked before releasing his Conqueror’s Will.

At the same time, Elyndra released her Ruler’s Aura.

The two pressures intertwined, forming a tremendous wave that surged through the throne room and easily dissipated the pressure Empress Lysandra had been exerting.

Not only that, the overwhelming force caused Lysandra to stiffen in place, her movements momentarily restricted.

Sensing his wife’s predicament and unwilling to let her lose face, Prince Consort Valerian released his own aura and mana pressure to assist her.

However, Ainsworth and Elyndra did not give him the chance.

They activated the Soul Resonance divine ability granted by their God-Level Lovers talent.

With their powers and classes shared, Elyndra’s aura surged violently. Her power level rose to Five-Star SSS-rank Awakener, and her Ruler’s Aura intensified until it stood on equal footing with Ainsworth’s Conqueror’s Will.

The pressure in the throne room skyrocketed.

Even an Extraordinary SS-rank Awakener like Prince Consort Valerian found himself unable to move, let alone assist his wife.

Although their combined pressure was more than enough to force both of them to their knees, Ainsworth and Elyndra did not go that far. They merely restricted their movements.

This was a display of power, not hostility.

And more importantly, the people standing before them were not enemies, but family.

At the very least, Ainsworth was not disrespectful enough to force Elyndra’s parents to kneel before them.

After a brief moment, Ainsworth and Elyndra retracted their Conqueror’s Will and Ruler’s Aura.

The suffocating pressure vanished, and the atmosphere within the throne room returned to normal.

Ainsworth spoke calmly.

"I am Ainsworth Arthurford. The youngest Five-Star SSS-rank Awakener, and the Second Strongest in this world."

"Frankly speaking, Elyndra’s sisters and the court officials who oppose her are not people I am standing against."

"They are the ones standing against me."

"The Second Strongest."

"I have defeated SSS-rank Demon Kings, counterinvaded the Monster World and the Demon World solo, and saved the Archmagister Supreme and let him owe me favors."

He looked directly at Empress Lysandra.

"Is this proof enough?"

The throne room was silent once more.

This time, it was not tension that filled the space, but weight.

Empress Lysandra did not speak immediately.

She simply looked at Ainsworth.

Then at Elyndra.

After a long moment, she exhaled softly.

"...You are bold," she said.

Valerian Noctis Valtoria let out a low chuckle. "Bold is an understatement."

His gaze lingered on Elyndra, a trace of something complicated flickering in his eyes. "You truly chose well."

Lysandra straightened.

"Very well," she said to Ainsworth. "You have proven that you possess the strength to stand beside her."

Lysandra’s gaze shifted to Elyndra.

"For a Crown Princess," she said slowly, "you are already prepared."

Elyndra did not reply. She simply stood straight, her posture composed.

"You understand governance. You understand balance. You understand restraint," Lysandra continued. "You know when to negotiate, and when not to."

As Elyndra’s mother, how could Lysandra not know her own daughter’s capabilities?

The fact that Elyndra stayed as the Crown Princess meant Lysandra thought highly of her.

After acknowledging her daughter, Lysandra’s eyes flicked briefly to Ainsworth.

"And now, you also possess something no succession trial can measure."

Silence stretched.

"The throne succession trial exists to filter weakness," Lysandra said. "To eliminate those who lack the ability to hold the empire together."

She took a step back, returning toward the platform.

"But when absolute power stands openly behind the Crown Princess," she added, "the trial loses its purpose."

Valerian’s expression did not change, though his eyes sharpened slightly.

"The court will not dare oppose her," he said. "Those who try will not survive long enough to regret it."

Lysandra did not deny it.

"In fact," she said calmly, "continuing the trial would only invite bloodshed."

Her voice remained even, but the meaning was clear.

"The kind that cannot be controlled."

She looked directly at Elyndra.

"Your sisters will understand this," Lysandra said. "Those who are sensible will withdraw."

"And those who are not?" Elyndra asked.

Lysandra’s eyes turned cold.

"Then they will learn why I am sitting on this throne."