"...Lady Elinor, your visit has brightened my day and lit up the entire planet, I am truly honored."
Caesarâs words were poised like a sword in its sheathâpolite on the surface, but honed just beneath.
"Hehe~"
Elinor pivoted gracefully, turning her entire body toward him. Her movement was felineâfluid and full of intent. She gently bit the tip of her index finger in mock flirtation.
"A simple smile wouldâve convinced me."
A faint smileâbarely more than a twitchâformed on Caesarâs lips.
"When one watches battlefields burn and inhales the scent of death daily, the eye loses its taste for beauty the moment it finds it. Thatâs all, my lady."
Tap... tap...
Her heels echoed against the floor as she slowly circled him, her tails drifting behind her like trails of firelight through fog.
"Fascinating..." she said softly.
"No fear... no awe... I sense only irritation. As if my presence is an inconvenience youâre forced to tolerate."
Then she brought her fingers to her lips and let out a quiet, mocking laugh.
"It seems war hasnât just scarred taste for beauty, itâs corroded your ability to feel at all."
"Are you implying that I should fear you, Lady Elinor?"
Caesar tilted his head slightly, his eyes locked on hers without blinking.
"Why would I fear a supposed ally? As I recall, we were the ones who supplied you with vital intelligence regarding the coming storm. We continue to provide you with arms and resources. Even your World Cataclysms âassigned to us by your own decreeâ still receive their generous salaries without lifting a blade. If anything, I expect
gratitude
."
Elinorâs expression remained poised, but her gaze turned colder.
"As for the intelligenceâweâve yet to confirm whether itâs anything more than an embellished rumor. Even I havenât detected the slightest ripple, how would you know about it? As for your weapons? Youâve never sold us anything that matches what your own soldiers wield. Your surplus is always what you hand down to the desperate. And your resources? We
pay
for them. This isnât charity."
Her nine tails stirred more forcefully behind her.
"And those World Cataclysm you speak of? Theyâre the only reason your Empire isnât ashes."
"On the contrary," Caesar said, his voice now laced with an edge.
"If not for my fatherâs excessive patience, you wouldnât have received a shred of that information. I wouldnât have shared it at all, especially not for free. And to be honestâ"
He raised his chin slightly.
"âa part of me hopes you
ignore
our warning. When the clock strikes midnight, Iâd love to see whose ârumorsâ were closer to the truth."
He took a step away from her, deliberately widening the space between them.
"As for the weaponsâyou choose lower-grade gear because your warfront budgets are a shadow of whatâs required to maintain a force like ours. And the resources? We indeed sell you
our excess
, but we do it at
half
the market rate."
Then he turned fully, his cape sweeping behind him like a banner.
"As for your World Cataclysms... They have been thanked, paid, and treated better than most of our own officers. Youâre welcome to retrieve them with a kiss on top."
A muscle twitched at the edge of Elinorâs jaw. Her blood simmered.
A mortal. A child in the grand scheme of cosmic history. Barely at the edge of Emperor class, and yet speaking to
her
like she was an irritant.
"Thatâs not very kind," she said, her tone dropping an octave.
"You abandon your allies the moment a newer, shinier alliance comes knocking? Do you think your
old
ally wonât take offense?"
"Tsk~"
Caesar cast a glance over his shoulder, a deep scowl on his face.
"And what about some accountability from
your
side? Since the day we launched this campaign against the Iron Boar Empire, weâve been practically
begging
for additional supportâdaily. Whether to hold the line or to push forward, all we requested was a few World Calamities to stand in the backlines, snack on appetizers, and
watch
. Not to fight. Just to watch. Yet how often did you answer?"
His voice rose slightly, filled with restrained fury.
"Weâve managed to conquer only
four planets
in 170 yearsânot for lack of strategy, not for lack of strength, but because of your chronic negligence. Every time we advanced, we were forced to pause for
years
, sometimes
decades
, just to wait for backup that never came. And when it finally did? They stayed a single dayâthen vanished. Every time we loose our gains overnight and paid for it with blood."
Elinorâs gaze sharpened like a drawn blade. Her tails stilled. Her voice became frost.
"We have more important fronts. Or have you forgotten how many enemies we face? Are we expected to freeze all our operations... because
you
want to expand your precious little empireâone that doesnât even
belong
to us?"
"Nonsense! Do you take us for children whoâll be pacified by such words?"
Caesarâs voice thundered through the tent.
"We have detailed intel on every single World Cataclysm under your bannerâtheir positions, their assignments, your active fronts and campaigns. If you had lent us even
half
of your available forces when we needed them, we wouldâve conquered at least
twenty planets
by now. The Iron Boar Empire wouldâve been
utterly crushed
!"
"Weâre not obligated to move at
your
whim," Elinor snapped back, her tone tight with irritation.
"Any grand empire has its own hierarchy of priorities. And donât delude yourself into thinking the Iron Boar Empire will collapse so easily. The closer you push an empire like that to the brink, the more theyâll unleash their hidden weapons. Corner even a gentle kitten long enoughâand itâll bare its fangs."
"Seems to me," Caesar raised his voice, pride swelling in every syllable,
"that the top priority of the Great Nine Paths Empire is to contain the growth of the True Beginning Empire. And secondly, whatâs the problem if they
do
unleash their hidden weapons or retaliate ferociously? Weâll crush them regardless. I dare say, only an army sent by a Behemoth could stand against oursâand even then, we would still emerge victorious!"
Elinor exhaled slowly.
Her eyes narrowed, studying him.
That
aura
âit wasnât normal. Dominating. Heavy. Unnatural.
A fourth-stage Law wielder shouldnât be able to apply this kind of pressureâ
not to her
.
She had met his father once, speaking casually with her eldest sister as though they were old friends, even though her sister could erase him from existence with a mere gesture. But his arrogance made
sense
. He was on the cusp of being a Great Truth Chosen.
But this young man?
Where was his overwhelming confidence coming from?
Was it that
black flame
he once used to chase off a World Cataclysm?
Or... Is the source of arrogance, is his father?
Elinorâs voice turned cold.
"...I actually came today to inquire about your
new allies
. The source of the World Cataclysms that have been popping up among your ranks lately. But now I see your opinion of the Nine Paths Empire runs deeper than I thought."
Her golden eyes glinted.
"That... could be dangerous."
"As long as my father stands behind us, our allies are infinite.
He favored you once, and chose you over many. Thatâs all there is to it, you are not that special."
Caesar responded with icy calm.
"And please, donât concern yourself with threats coming from our direction. In factâthis might be good news for you. Tell
Her Majesty
that we wonât be requesting reinforcements ever again. Sheâs free to refocus her efforts on other warfronts. As for usâweâll move forward at
our own pace
."
Elinorâs brows drew together in clear displeasure.
"Bold words. But can you
back them up
?"
Her voice dripped with doubt.
"The fewer planets the Iron Boar Empire holds, the
more
World Cataclysms theyâll concentrate into each one. And the
more
planets you claim, the more youâll need to defend. I donât know who your new allies areâ but no one gives
unconditional support
the way we have!"
Clickâ
The flaps of the command tent suddenly parted open.
In stepped the bald old man, his posture now far more resolute.
"Your Highness Caesar," he declared, voice loud and firm,
"I accept your terms. The Maizer Family, with all seven of our World Cataclysms, is ready to pledge full allegiance under your banner. We await your orders."