Sky Break Empire....

In the grand towering pyramid belonging to the royal family of Sky Break Empire, the structure consisted of several floors inside, at the topmost section, which was the private section of the royal family.

The walls were tall and smooth. Soft light entered through narrow openings, and the air inside felt calm.

Rominus Skybreak, ruler of the titans, sat on his seat in a dimly sunlit hall, but right now, instead of being an emperor, he was more of a concerned father. He sighed and looked at Galeion standing at a distance with a cold and neutral expression.

The hall was silent. Only the faint sound of breathing could be heard.

"So you want to raid an ancient ruin with your allies??"

"It’s just a broken structure of the past, we are just going there to explore, not raid," Galeion said.

His voice was steady, and he did not look away, unlike usual.

"Don’t try to fool me, brat. I was once a 16-year-old blind, reckless, and foolish young man too."

"I am not blind," Galeion said lightly.

Rominus shook his head and sighed repeatedly; in fact, he sighed so much that Galeion felt his father was stuck in a loop.

The silence between them stretched further.

"Can I go now?" Galeion asked.

"That’s not the right question. The right thing to ask is whether you will stop if I tell you to."

Galeion stayed quiet, leaving Rominus a bit annoyed.

His expression did not change even one bit.

By the end of another minute, Rominus nodded his head. "Ok, fine, you can go."

A small smirk bloomed on Galeion’s face, and he left the hall at once. His footsteps echoed briefly. Then they faded away.

Rominus sighed again. "At least say your greetings before you leave," but Galeion was already gone. He leaned back slightly.

He looked at the exit from his seat for a few seconds before saying, "Follow him."

Just then, several shadows flickered in the room, and several presences left the room with the intention to safeguard the prince. They moved as if a gust of wind had risen in the room. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Just then, Rominus’s personal assistant arrived and bowed. "My lord, you have guests."

"Who?"

The butler took a breath. "Principal Andrea and General Marcus."

"Bring them in," Rominus said before adjusting his posture.

A few hours later...

The discussion had already been going on for a while. The mood had grown tense as Andrea and Maximus had told him the crux of the situation.

"No." Rominus shook his head.

Marcus slammed the table and stood up. "Even after knowing he is Rudra’s son, you won’t help him?" he shouted at Rominus.

The sound echoed in the hall.

Rominus looked at Marcus calmly. "You are mistaken. After the fall of the Solaris Empire, things have changed. I don’t want to jump into a war that I am sure we will lose, and I want you all to divert your attention from invading the Holy Sun towards rescuing Rudra’s family and all your allies. We will still be able to handle the aftermath."

Andrea heard Rominus and shook her head. "Not possible. Winston is insistent on killing Anne; he has arranged a whole spectacle for the same." Her tone was firm.

"Things are already down the drain. The only thing we can do is resist with all our might," she continued.

"And then what? Get perished under the hands of the primarchs? And even if we manage to handle them somehow, then what about the light god Lux? Who knows what he will do when he sees that we went against his authority?" Rominus spoke, trying to reason with them.

"Gods can’t descend on Aris," Marcus reprimanded, but he was interjected by Rominus. "Even without descent, they can do irreversible damage to the ones they consider enemies here."

"Goddess Nera will protect you!!" Suddenly, a fourth voice rang in the room, drawing the attention of Rominus along with the duo.

The door of the room opened up, and Elion stepped inside.

Both Marcus and Rominus stood and greeted him, while Andrea excused herself since they had already conversed today. She stood and nodded at Elion silently.

A brief silence followed.

Rominus snapped his fingers, and a fourth seat appeared for Elion, who now took a seat and started persuading Rominus.

"Goddess Nera would not allow any harm upon the titan race. I am sure of it," Elion spoke with a voice that carried confidence.

Rominus, being a proud believer, nodded. "But still..."

"The Storm Dragon, Patriarch Minglong, and the whole Long clan of dragons are moving to assist us," Elion revealed, shocking the three.

The room fell silent again.

Rominus turned speechless. He was confused as to why the dragons were insisting on this reckless plan. Was he missing something?

He frowned slightly.

Elion then explained everything he needed to slowly shift the stance of Emperor Rominus on this situation. His talent, ’Crimson Moon Manipulator (SSS)’, worked with full force. The discussion continued for some time.

By the end of the discussion, Elion looked at Rominus. "You can’t go against the church directly, but you can go against demons, right?" he asked with a smile.

His words perked the attention of both Marcus and Rominus.

"What are you suggesting??" they asked.

---

Sylvaris Empire...

The Elven queen Selena sat in her study, busy with some document work. The room was neat and organized.

Scrolls and books were placed carefully.

Suddenly, a maid knocked on the door.

"Your Majesty, the girls have arrived."

"Bring them here."

A few minutes later, the door of Selena’s study opened up. Three teenage girls entered; they were Katherine, Kara, and Leila. They were here to check upon and accompany Seraphine with her bloodline awakening ritual. They looked around curiously.

Katherine and Kara, being from imperial families, were personally familiar with other people’s experiences of how painful such rituals were, while Leila had some idea. As her girlfriends, they decided to spend some time with her in the Sylvaris Empire.

As the three girls stood in front of Selena, she smiled and welcomed them to the empire. She gave them a few instructions and told them to stay carefree and feel at home.

Her tone was gentle.

As the small talk ended, Selena excused them, but as soon as they were about to leave, her voice sounded.

"Katherine, can you wait for a moment?"

Kath paused, and her eyes widened as she felt a chill in that tone. She froze in her place, trying to figure out what she had done.

A bad premonition rose in her heart. She felt the stare of Selena on her back. She gulped nervously, and as the other two girls left her alone in the room, she slowly turned around, only to see the Empress fidgeting with a book in her hand.

Katherine’s eyes widened. She recognized that this was the same adult novel she had gifted Sera.

The color on her face faded as she looked at the serene smile of Selena hiding her true emotions. Her heartbeat quickened.

Katherine knew she was in big trouble.