Chapter 451: The Tension Reaches Its Peak (2)

"I can’t confirm it directly. That’s why I need the help of the Singularity of Light. Would you assist me, Singularity of Light?"

Everyone was surprised. Almost subconsciously, they turned to look at the Singularity of Light standing beside Adalen.

"The Singularity of Light?" Ragan furrowed his brow. "What do you mean, Miss Shion?"

Shion smiled casually and explained, "As I said earlier, I don’t have any powerful mages by my side. However, the Singularity of Light is here, right? So I want to ask him to examine this recording stone. Although the Singularity of Light cannot use magical power, someone as strong as him should be able to sense any abnormalities. Am I right, Singularity of Light?"

Her gaze shifted to the old man with golden hair.

The Singularity of Light was about to speak when Lyra stepped forward, her expression cold.

"I am a Celestial Mage. I can help you."

Ragan nodded in agreement, but Shion remained unmoved.

"I’m sorry, Mage Lyra. It’s not that I’m underestimating you, but the magic arrangement on this recording stone has an extremely powerful special mechanism. It requires three or more Celestial Mages to open it. That’s why it’s better for the Singularity of Light to do it."

Lyra gritted her teeth, irritation flashing across her face at Shion’s words.

Seeing this, Shion let out a deep sigh and tossed the recording stone toward her.

"If you don’t believe me, then do it yourself. Everyone can see it clearly," she said casually.

Lyra caught the recording stone and examined it carefully.

Under everyone’s gaze, she began to exert all her power to break the magical seals embedded within it.

Second after second passed, yet the recording stone showed no signs of change.

Lyra’s face paled, embarrassment creeping into her expression.

"How about it? Do you believe me now?" Shion smiled playfully.

Everyone took a deep breath, their faces filled with disbelief.

At first, they had thought Shion was exaggerating the recording stone’s capabilities.

Unexpectedly, her words proved to be true.

Inevitably, they began to think that Cassian couldn’t possibly be wrong.

If even someone as strong as Lyra couldn’t break the seal or alter the magic formation inside, then how could Cassian have done it?

Even so, matters had already reached this point. No matter the reason, it had to be resolved.

Lyra lowered her hand and shook her head helplessly.

"I’m sorry," she said, looking up at Shion.

"It’s fine." Shion waved her off. "Please hand the recording stone to the Singularity of Light."

Lyra nodded and walked toward him.

"Please help us, Singularity of Light," she said respectfully.

Despite being one of the seven Celestial Mages, she still showed proper courtesy before the Singularity of Light.

After all, the man before her was one of the most powerful figures in the world.

The Singularity of Light took the recording stone and then turned his gaze to Ragan.

With a casual smile, he said, "Your Majesty, to be honest, I never wanted to get involved from the start. This matter has nothing to do with me or the Holy Empire of Valtanir. I believe you understand what I mean."

Ragan narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

This was exactly why he didn’t want the old man to interfere. The Singularity of Light would never act without a price.

Moreover, the conflict at his birthday banquet had already fractured their strained relationship.

"No, I’m not asking anything from you." The Singularity of Light chuckled softly. "This time, I’ll do it for free. After all, the Great Velmora Empire is the home of my daughter and my grandson, Adalen."

He patted Adalen’s shoulder beside him.

Adalen flashed a proud smile. Standing under everyone’s gaze, especially with his grandfather at his side, felt empowering.

His grandfather was one of the seven Singularities. Despite the embarrassing incident in the past, his prestige had not simply faded away.

’This man is truly clever. He’s using this situation to promote his grandson in front of the neutral nobles,’

Gustav whispered, nodding in admiration.

Not only that, the Singularity of Light deliberately emphasized the word "free," humiliating Ragan in front of the assembled nobles.

It was like a slap to Ragan’s face, highlighting his inability to handle the situation on his own and forcing him to seek help.

Ragan’s face flushed red, but he kept his emotions in check. Losing his temper now would only make things worse.

"Thank you for your willingness to help, Singularity of Light," he said coldly.

His teeth were clenched so tightly that the strain could be heard in his voice.

The Singularity of Light and Dariel, standing near Adalen, could not suppress their smiles.

Opportunities like this—to humiliate Ragan—were rare.

There was no way the two of them would let it slip by, especially the Singularity of Light, who still harbored resentment over the embarrassing incident at Ragan’s birthday banquet.

Once satisfied, the Singularity of Light focused his gaze on the recording stone in his right hand.

Boom!

A terrifying golden aura erupted from his body. Violent air pressure swept in all directions, forcing everyone to shield their faces with their arms.

’Damn it! Don’t let him find it!’

Cassian gritted his teeth, fear seeping into his voice.

He hadn’t expected Shion to hand the recording stone to the Singularity of Light.

This development was completely beyond his expectations.

’Demon Emperor Zerathos, can you do something? Act quickly! We’ll both die if everything is exposed!’

He roared in his mind, his voice trembling.

Zerathos remained silent, unable to respond. The Singularity of Light was simply too powerful.

Even at his peak, Zerathos wasn’t sure he could defeat him, let alone now.

"It seems there’s no other choice," Zerathos muttered coldly. "Cassian, when the time comes, hand your body over to me. If he discovers the truth, we’ll escape."

’Escape?’

Cassian was stunned.

’Are you insane? If I run, what about the battle for the throne? What about my dream of becoming emperor? No! I won’t go!’

Zerathos exhaled slowly and sneered.

"Then tell me—do you think you can still become emperor if you don’t run? After all the slander you’ve spread, do you really believe you can win the battle for the throne? Don’t be ridiculous. You’ll only die for nothing."

Honestly, he didn’t care about Cassian’s ambition to become emperor.

All Zerathos wanted was to seize Cassian’s body as soon as possible and regain his peak power from a thousand years ago.

However, he knew that was impossible.

So, he had no choice but to follow Cassian’s wishes—despite them being nearly impossible to fulfill.

"Ugh..." Cassian was at a loss for words, his expression dark.

He didn’t want this to happen. He wanted to win the battle for the throne and become emperor.

"Don’t worry. Losing doesn’t mean you can’t achieve your wish. Later, I’ll help you become emperor—not just of the Great Velmora Empire, but of the entire continent. You can trust me," Zerathos’s reassuring voice resounded in his head.

Cassian fell silent, then once again imagined the scene of all races bowing before him.

Compared to becoming an emperor like his father, ruling the entire continent was far more tempting.

In the end, he swallowed his doubts and nodded firmly.

"All right... I agree."

Whoosh!

The aura surrounding the Singularity of Light vanished in an instant, turning into a gentle breeze.

Under everyone’s gaze, he opened his eyes and slowly shook his head.

"There’s nothing strange about this recording stone."