Sector 99 â Middle Region â Three Years Laterâ
"..." Aro slowly inserted his soul sense into a small metallic card resting between his fingers. For three long seconds, the room fell into a tense silence as his aura flickered faintly, scanning the contents again and againâonce, twice, thriceâlike he couldnât believe what he was seeing.
Then, all at once, his composure shattered. He rose to his feet with violent force and hurled the card forward as if it were a spear. The metal shard cut through the air, slammed into the thick wall of his chamber, and buried itself deep within. His chest heaved onceâtwiceâand then he roared at the top of his lungs,
"FUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKK!!!"
Flora startled at the outburst. "My dear, what happened?" She immediately placed aside the delicate ornaments sheâd been arranging and stood up. It was rareâalmost unheard ofâfor her husband to lose control like this.
"Itâs that son of a bitcâarrrgh!" Aro stopped himself mid-curse as the awareness of his wifeâs presence hit him. Grinding his teeth, he kicked the nearby table holding their hot drinks, sending it crashing into splinters. Steam and shards scattered across the floor as he growled,
"Itâs
Caesar!
That insufferable bastard drives me mad!
He drives me absolutely insane!!
"
Flora blinked, her tone caught between confusion and concern. "What did he do this time? You havenât seen him for
centuries.
Thereâs no communication between you two at all. Why does he still occupy your thoughts this much?"
"Who else am I supposed to measure myself against, Flora? His Majesty?" Aro scoffed, pacing restlessly. "Heâs beyond comparisonâan unreachable existence. Or should I compare myself to that plague,
Sakar?
Iâd be thankful if that creature doesnât end up erasing us all one day."
He moved again, his robe parting slightly as his powerful physique flexed beneath. "The truth isâno one matches me in strength or status except Caesar. But unfortunately..." he stopped, glaring at the floor with burning resentment, "...his
luck
eclipses mine by light-years!"
"His
luck
?" Flora narrowed her eyes, curiosity tinged with disbelief.
"Yes! Havenât you been keeping up with whatâs been happening?" Aro snapped his fingers in agitation. "First, he secured
Renara
because of those internal issues they had. Then, when I finally thought Iâd reclaimed my position as the true spearhead and was ready to challenge him fairlyâwhat happens? The
Empress of the Pit of Destruction
herself starts working for him! She even slaughtered
Nexus States
on his behalf! You remember her, right? The one who nearly annihilated us all on the coronation day?"
His expression darkened as he turned sharply toward her.
"That woman nearly wiped our entire faction from existence if not for His Majestyâs golden shard. Yet somehowâ
somehow!
âshe went to Caesar
willingly
and now serves under him. So now that damn man has
two spearheads!
Two!"
Flora let out a slow sigh. "All of this, yes, I know. Youâve told me again and again. What made you recall all that now?" She stepped closer and gently laid her hand on his arm, trying to calm him.
"Itâs because of whatâs happening in
Middle Sector 100!
" Aro shoved her hand away, his aura flaring violently as sparks of energy flickered around his shoulders.
"Many of the powers there have fallen into complete dormancy. Many of the factions there have split into two campsâthose who support and those who oppose the
Crumbled Dreams Empire
in the neighboring
Middle Sector 101.
Armies have been sent across sectors, either to aid or to destroy. The rest have locked themselves behind their planetary barriers, terrified of the cosmic war thatâs already tearing through that region."
He slammed his palm down onto the edge of the bed with a thunderous
BAM!
that echoed through the chamber.
"And nowâ
now!
âthe
Shadow Swords
have provided the
Centennial Cradle Empire
with a comprehensive list of every power that took part in the war against the
Crumbled Dreams Empire.
They handed it over on a silver platter! Can you imagine? Theyâve basically done all the hard work for Caesar! He doesnât even need to mobilize his full army against them!"
Aro clenched his jaw, his expression twisted in fury. "At this very moment, Caesar and his allies are systematically dismantling those weakened powers one after another while their main forces are still away. All he has to do is send
Renara
or
Helen
with minimal reinforcements to crush their Planetary Emperor, then dispatch a fleet or two to clean up the remaining planetsâand just like that, he expands his empire effortlessly!"
He began pacing again, his heavy footsteps echoing off the marble floor, rage still burning behind every motion.
"And you know whatâs
truly
laughable about it all?" he said, half-laughing through his anger. "At the
same time,
those very armies are being
obliterated
in
Middle Sector 101
by the
Crumbled Dreams Empire!
Theyâre being crushed with precision, with no chance to retreatâbecause the
Shadow Swords
are guiding them right into killing fields!"
He turned back toward her, his voice trembling with a mix of rage and disbelief.
"The
Crumbled Dreams Empire
doesnât even realize theyâre being
used!
They think theyâre fighting their own cosmic warâbut in truth, the
Shadow Swords
are pulling their strings, using their hands to eliminate the
Cradle Centennial Empireâs
enemies. Every single time Caesar selects a target, the
Shadow Swords
discreetly lead the
Crumbled Dreams Empire
right to that army of that power to destroy them first!"
"...." Even Flora was left speechless for a few moments, her hands instinctively rising to cover her mouth. The weight of Aroâs wordsâand the fury that filled the airâhung heavily between them.
What in the heavens was happening right now in the neighboring Middle Sector 100?
The thought sent a chill down her spine.
But after a few seconds of stunned silence, she took a deep breath, straightened her posture, and regained her usual calm composure. Her voice came out soft yet steady, carrying the wisdom of someone whoâd learned to balance passion with reason.
"Aro... you know you canât blame His Highness Caesar for all of this," she began carefully. "And you certainly canât blame the
Shadow Swords
either, can you? They didnât choose for the cosmic war to ignite in
Middle Sector 101.
Itâs not as if they conspired for this to benefit him. Iâm certainâabsolutely certainâthey wouldâve aided
us
in exactly the same way if the war had broken out near
our
borders in Sector 98."
"I
know
that!" Aro snapped, his fists trembling at his sides. The air around him stirred faintly, responding to his spiritual frustration. "I
know
theyâre not at faultâbut still..."
He turned sharply toward Flora, meeting her gaze with eyes that burned like twin storms. "Donât you see it, Flora? Isnât it obvious how ridiculously lucky he is?! Strategically, heâs no Sakaarâhe could never match that monsterâs cunning in battlefield! Politically, heâs not even near
my
level! And yet somehow, every single time, he manages to achieve the same resultsâor worse, to
outperform
us!"
Floraâs expression softened, a hint of amusement flickering in her eyes despite the tension. "You underestimate the man who has stood beside His Majesty for his
entire life,
my dear."
She crossed her arms lightly. "His Highness Caesar himself once admitted that ever since that fateful day His Majesty found him, theyâve been inseparable. His Majesty personally taught him everythingâhow to read, how to write, how to lead, even how to
think.
Tell meâhow could someone live beside such a being and
not
absorb a few traits along the way?"
Aro froze mid-breath. For a brief instant, the world seemed to stop around him. Then, as realization dawned, his expression twisted into disbelief. His eyes widened, and he muttered through gritted teeth,
"Damn it...
how did I not notice that before?! Even his damned bitch of a mother left him at His Majestyâs feet, of all people!"
"
Hmm!!
" Floraâs eyes narrowed sharply as she placed both hands on her hips, the tone of her voice taking on that familiar edge of disapproval that always managed to pierce through Aroâs temper.
"Tsk... spare me your ideals and morals for today, please!" he growled, waving his hand dismissively. "Iâm not in the mood for them right now!"
He stormed toward his royal wardrobeâa towering structure of crystal and goldâand flung it open, revealing rows of luxurious garments. His fingers skimmed through the fabrics impatiently as he muttered under his breath,
"I swear it feels like Iâm not racing
against men
anymore... but against
fate itself!
Against something that keeps pushing me down no matter how hard I climb!"
"Youâre
not
in a race against anyone!!" Flora shouted from behind, her voice echoing through the grand chamber. "You keep chasing phantoms of competition that only exist in your head!"
"I told you to spare me the sermons today!" Aro snapped back, raising his voice as he pulled out a magnificent blue robe adorned with shimmering silver patterns. The fabric caught the light like liquid starlight as he began changing his clothes.
"Iâm the one responsible for
receiving the Seed!
" he barked while tightening the robeâs clasp. "Iâm the one entrusted with the
Black Wasps
to accelerate my planetary expansion! How do you think itâll look when the deadline arrivesâand His Majesty discovers that
Caesar
, has surpassed me in progress?!"
He paused, breathing heavily, then shouted in frustration,
"Damn it all!!"
Without waiting for a response, he resumed dressing, fastening each part of his attire with sharp, practiced motions. "That blasted war raging in
Middle Sector 101
is going to give the
Cradle Centennial Empire
an enormous boost," he continued bitterly. "At this rate, I wouldnât even be surprised if Caesarâs expanding at
twice
âno,
three times
âthe pace of my own territories!"
He fastened a broad belt of dark leather around his waist as the finishing touch, his movements brisk and impatient. Then, without another word, he stormed out of the room, his cloak flaring behind him like a shadow of his fury.
"I need to find a way to
match his pace
âno, to
surpass it!
I refuse to fall behind any longer!"