The Golden Vanguard faction was regarded as the strongest, and for good reason.

Among all other factions that existed, they alone had three Supreme Lords in their ranks, their quantity capable of compensating for a possible lack of quality by overwhelming the other factions.

The first to notice the appearance of the three Supreme Lords were Eliza and Elina.

After exchanging a glance, they lowered their heads in respect toward their superiors.

At the front stood Gloria, a woman with a stature of 170 centimeters. Her eyes gleamed with a mesmerizing golden light, while her golden hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall.

"Stop worrying about formalities, and raise your heads." Gloria exclaimed with a smile. It was always a pleasure to be reunited with comrades.

To one side of her stood Emanuel. A deep scar ran from his forehead to his upper lip, yet his eyes appeared full of vigor, fixed on Persephone in case the unpredictable woman got any funny ideas.

On Gloria’s other side stood Solomon. A light beard clung to his face, while brown hair reached his back.

"Is that why you were late, because you don’t care about formalities?" Persephone threw a hateful remark the first moment she could. "Apparently, the pristine image of the Golden Vanguard doesn’t translate to their actions... pity."

"Unlike you, Persephone, we tend to the needs of many people." Emanuel replied, his voice steady. "But of course, words like compassion, tolerance, and generosity are not in your dictionary."

Persephone giggled. "Sounds to me like you’re just hiding your shortcomings behind your so-called moral rights."

"We had a briefing with King Arthur." Solomon explained calmly. "Admittedly, the fault lies with us. From now on, we will take greater care to ensure such a slip-up never occurs."

"Tch!" Persephone clicked her tongue in displeasure. "Boring."

She longed for the moment these Supreme Lords would respond with some bite, just so she could have a justified reason to crush them in return. Yet, as usual, they did not have it in them to stand their ground.

The reason why Michael and his soul weapon, Devil, had piqued her curiosity was because they seemed willing to do whatever they wanted, regardless of the consequences.

"Now is not the time to aggravate them." Noctis whispered once he confirmed no one could eavesdrop. "We will have our time soon enough. For now, exercise patience."

Persephone smiled faintly. A dangerous glint appeared in her eyes.

"I know."

The Lords proceeded to familiarize themselves with one another, along with their battle styles. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

In total, there were twelve of them... Thirteen if Devil’s existence was included. Their numbers opened up many potential opportunities for the battles waiting ahead.

However, they were all tense considering what awaited them ahead. Although each of them was considered a genius, they were still going to challenge an existence equivalent to not one, but two entire realms above them!

Since Francesca answered directly to the Emperor, she was naturally put in charge of the operation.

"Remember, our mission is to stall for time, nothing else." She reminded them.

Persephone erupted into laughter.

"Cut the crap! You know full well that most of us agreed to come under the pretext of killing the Titan and absorbing its spiritual essence!"

She paused deliberately, letting the weight of her next words sink in.

"We. Kill."

There wasn’t room for disagreements.

Francesca remained unreadable.

"You may do as you see fit. As long as the Titan is contained until further notice, I shall not intervene."

Before departing, they left behind the communication devices strapped to their wrists.

Even though they had been crafted from special materials capable of withstanding extreme temperatures, the inferno the Sun radiated was simply too intense.

Michael made sure to contact everyone and informed them of his status, explaining that from that point on, until further notice, communication would not be possible.

Once the preparations were complete, they set out toward the star that had borne life on Earth.

The astonishing scale of the Sun became more apparent the closer they got.

Solar flares spanning many times the width of Earth erupted occasionally from the fiery star.

"Flying at top speed would feel like I am not covering the perimeter at all." Michael mused out loud.

It was unclear how well hidden the Titan tier portal was amid the surface of the Sun. All they knew was that the more time it stayed open, the more Titans could potentially emerge.

Once the heat reached dangerous levels, the Lords left the space shuttle on autopilot, parking it beyond the reach of the solar flares, and manually flew the rest of the way.

It would do no one any good if their transportation vehicle was ruined.

Sure enough, following the exact coordinates they had been given, the domain of influence MSAP-8 commanded came into view.

The area MSAP-8 governed was truly astonishing, its expanse larger than the entirety of Earth’s habitable terrain.

Ahead loomed a colossal kingdom, formed entirely of blinding light and soaring flames.

And amidst it all, an Iskra Titan waited.

Meanwhile, far away from Michael’s position, the Emperor stood unwavering upon the surface of the Sun.

The heat, capable of melting almost any material in existence, did not deter his movements in the slightest.

Raising his crimson gaze, the Emperor looked at the enormous body of the Titan looming overhead.

Surrounded on all sides by countless light entities, they all seemed eager to bring him to his knees.

Remaining utterly unfazed, the Emperor let out a deep sigh.

"These creatures don’t possess blood. Getting rid of them will take a while..."

A slight smile tugged at his features. His gaze shifted to his palm.

The Emperor felt it coursing through his bloodstream...

Bio-augments, which had been injected into his body, enhanced his physical capabilities while simultaneously synchronizing with the spiritual energy already present within him.

The Mad Scientist had done it.

Although still prototypes, these devices bestowed the Emperor with even greater power.

He was absolute.

It was quite fortunate that the Titan tier portal had emerged. It essentially served as the perfect testing ground.

The Emperor cracked his neck, his smile widening.

"Let’s see how long they can hold out."