Prologue

Darkness.

In this world, darkness seems to be the eternal theme.

After endless darkness, there appear to be many fragmented images, but whenever they occasionally emerge, they are torn apart and then devoured by the darkness.

The darkness has lasted for too long, as if it has been ten thousand years, and it will continue on, until the end of the world.

Legend has it that when the world reaches its end, there will be an irresistible apocalypse, cleansing the entire world and beginning the next cycle.

Suddenly, the darkness trembles violently, as if it truly is about to reach its end. As a dim red light cuts through the world, the moment of ending arrives.

And so, he slowly opens his eyes.

What appears in his vision is row upon row of dark red characters. As he sees them, their meaning naturally surfaces in his mind.

"Malfunction detected, troubleshooting in progress..."

"Resetting mission information..."

"Mission unit: Imperial Guard First Division, Dragon Cavalry Battalion."

"Mission area: Second Nebula of the Yubotan System."

"Mission objectives: Search for the Gate of Darkness; search for the People of the Ruins; eliminate the rebels."

"Note: Mission information is top secret. Do not disclose mission details to any Imperial institution or individual. Upon completion, return directly to the Special Intelligence Office of the Imperial Capital Military Headquarters."

"Mission executor codename: ..."

"Eleanor Clark."

This name is like a switch, instantly unlocking long-sealed memories. A voice begins to echo continuously in his consciousness:

"I... remember now... I am a colonel of the Imperial Guard, the youngest colonel in the history of the Empire..."

"I am about to go to the edge of the world, the land of exile, to... wipe out all the rebels there..."

"A hundred years have passed, and no one has ever completed this mission. But I, but I can. Because I am the fourth prince of the Empire, I must defend my country, protect my people, because I am... Eleanor Clark!"

This name echoes like thunder, instantly filling him with boundless strength, and with it, endless rage.

He throws a punch forward, slamming hard into the pod cover, shattering the display screen flashing with red characters! With a creak, the pod cover slowly opens, old and rusty like an ancient iron door.

He grows even angrier. The Imperial Guard is the most elite force in the entire Empire, and the Dragon Cavalry Battalion is the elite of the elite. Since its founding, this unit has existed specifically to clean up the messes left by other units. Any mission that can't be handled is always thrown to the Dragon Cavalry first.

As a prince of the Empire and the fourth commander of the Dragon Cavalry Battalion, all his supplies are the best—some equipment is even unique, with no second piece in the entire Empire.

Yet, for a mission to seize the Gate of Darkness from the rebels, the life-support pod provided is in such poor condition that even the hatch is a rusty defective product. The logistics department dares to embezzle from Eleanor Clark himself?

His eyes narrow, cold killing intent radiating from within. Perhaps, after wiping out the rebels, it will be time to deal with those useless fools in the logistics department.

He slowly sits up, his movements slow and smooth. After such a long period of hibernation travel, his body needs time to recover.

He fought in his first battle at fourteen, took on missions independently at fifteen, and became commander of the Dragon Cavalry Battalion at nineteen. He has experienced countless long-distance journeys and is thoroughly familiar with the recovery process.

While following the standard procedure to move his body, he recites a long string of command codes, then says, "Equipment self-check."

A gentle mechanical female voice sounds.

"Armor: Glorious energy battle armor, status: damaged, cause of damage: maintenance system energy supply interrupted;"

"Melee weapon: Dragon Fang sword, status: damaged, cause of damage: maintenance system energy supply interrupted;"

"Ranged weapon: Lightnight battle rifle, status: damaged, cause of damage: maintenance system energy supply interrupted;"

...

A string of reports leaves him stunned. After a long moment, he forcibly suppresses his anger and shouts, "Is there anything that still works? Speak!"

The female voice, unchanged, replies: "Main energy battery status: intact, remaining energy: 0.001%. At current system operating status, can be maintained for 5 minutes."

He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and struggles to suppress the urge to smash the pod to pieces with a punch. But it is truly difficult; only after several minutes does he open his eyes again and step out of the pod.

All around is darkness, with only a faint light in the distance. By the dim glow, he discovers he is inside a cavern. The stone walls show no signs of human work; it appears to be a natural cave.