1299 Hello, Comrade
Varian frowned as he replayed the latest info.
In a shot taken from one of the planets in the capital star system, a beam of light shot into space, extinguishing what appeared to be a green star.
It seemed simple to a layman but only the stronger celestials understood the horror of the visual. Even across the screen, Varian's body reacted with goosebumps at the destructive power of the beam.
A peak rank 7 couldn't even fight back!
Upon closer inspection, however, that single beam seemed to be built of two or three smaller beams.
'Even the smaller beans can seriously hurt peak rank 7s, what the fuck did Jataur do to get these? Having a bomb that can detonate the entire star system and seriously injure Prince Rudolph is impressive, but this…this is scary.'
After seeing this, Varian had to admit that he seriously underestimated the prowess and determination of the duke.
If he had gone to war recklessly, trying to end the Zions over his past with abyssals, he'd have paid a hefty price, perhaps even death.
Thankfully, he was using the princes despite the whole plan now hanging on a delicate balance.
The princes should have invaded Zion, had their fight, faced the traps, overcome them, and returned victorious.
That was it. That was the plan.
Members of the kingdom would be sent to seal off any possible space cracks and the matter would be considered over.
The highlight of the Princes' foreign exploits would overshadow the entry of the Human Province into the Kingdom.
Even though Prince Rudolph survived, Varian didn't know if Prince Merov did. Perhaps he's still alive.
After all, a crown prince candidate would definitely have life-saving treasures. And this was Merov—the favorite contestant in the race! He should definitely be alive…right?
"If he's dead, hell will break loose. But even if he survived, I don't see any positive outcome now. Two princes nearly dying…this is too big of a danger to just forget. The solar system could likely come under tight surveillance."
Varian lamented how the plan deviated so quickly. But it's no use fretting over spilled water.
'Whatever the case, I still have to kill Prince Rudolph, his pimp maid.' His gaze turned from the screen displaying Hortus to the one displaying the Zions in the locality.
At the edge of the solar system, Prince Xoler faced the shaky, unstable space crack.
"Prince, it's dangerous." Sage Nevar said in a calm tone, without the slightest of anxiety.
"The homeland is under attack."
"We have a mission to complete. We don't know why those princes are even attacking us. Maybe finishing the mission will reveal Black Rose's plot in pushing them to atta—"
"Everyone will be dead by then," Xoler could hear his voice cracking, on the verge of both anger and grief.
"I will trust the Duke on this matter. He must've made adequate preparations foreseeing this danger. That's also why he isn't in the public eye for a while. We need to finish our mission and that's how we can hel—"
"I'm sorry. The priority of protecting my people comes first." Xoler's voice turned indifferent, cold, and even hostile.
Sage Nevar raised a brow. "Then I will not stop you, Prince. But know that you are unfit to be a soldier, much less the leader of the armed forces."
Xoler laughed at the words of 'Sage Nevar'—the war veteran who had served and retired from the kingdom's army.
"Soldier? Leader? What use are these titles and professions if they can't even protect those that should be protected? I'd rather be a nameless street fighter." The harsh response elicited only silence.
Sage Nevar didn't lash out with anger nor did he show any displeasure because of the Prince's words. Instead, he simply gestured him to the space crack, telling him to leave.
And that's why Prince Xoler felt even more revolted against this man who was so drowned in his own beliefs that he couldn't even consider himself wrong for a moment.
"Good luck with your mission, Sage. May you capture that bastard Baldur responsible for this mess."
"Good luck to you too, Prince. May the duchy remain prosperous and safe."
Despite the friction, the two bid polite farewells and separated.
The space crack fluctuated violently after the Prince left but somehow remained. Sage Nevar used his space powers and stabilized it from further collapse. But he couldn't stay here forever.
'Baldur, Baldur, Baldur…' The veteran muttered the name like a fanatic and decided to dig up all the information prior to this point.
Oleg went missing. Baldur went missing. The whole mission was a trap dug out for them.
But why go to such lengths?
Oleg gains his throne, sure. But what would Baldur gain?
If Abyss Emperor's story of Black Rose was true, then it makes sense. What if it wasn't? Then who was playing this game?
'I need to find Baldur for everything!' The veteran's eyes widened as he recalled a piece of information.
'Baldur had already been in this civilization before the envoys arrived.' Sage Nevar used his comm to hack into humanity's records and quickly estimated the place he could now be hiding.
'Hortus!'
The Zion powerhouses didn't want to disturb the solar system until now because they feared it'd alert the princes nearby. But Nevar couldn't care about it less after everything.
The maids were frequently patrolling to find the invaders. They were only keeping to themselves as they wanted to focus on their Princes.
But once the candidates return, the search would intensify and there's little chance he could remain hidden.
A ring popped out of Nevar's storage and it shielded him from all surveillance and senses.
Even as he landed on Earth, and walked into the entrance of Hortus, no one noticed him. The guards too were unaware as an intruder entered their sacred land.
To Nevar, the world seemed to go dark for a long breath before the light returned. He found himself standing on green fields by the side of a small stream.
To his utter surprise, a young man stood in front of him with two young women.
Nevar's aura channeled itself without him needing to will it and he instinctively took on a defensive posture.
'Who are they? How did they know about my arrival? What are their plans?'
Nevar faced many difficult situations on the battlefield over his career. He came close to death many times. Experience had been a harsh teacher but he had been a willing student.
Unlike how others could've reacted, He didn't panic in the face of the unexpected nor did he attack instinctually.
Rather, he tried to find a reasonable explanation for his current situation and a possible way out while remaining as calm as possible.
The one with blonde hair was very, very cold. Her blue eyes were telling him to stay the hell away or pay the price. The rank 7 aura she exuded wasn't a pleasant finding.
The woman with brown hair, on the other hand, looked at him with outright disgust, as if she was staring at trash thrown on the streets. She too had a rank 7 aura.
The young man remained in place looking at him with a…friendly smile? His aura…was it rank 4, rank 5 or rank 6? It certainly shouldn't be rank 7, right?
This lineup stumped even the veteran who felt tremendous pressure.
Sure, as a mid rank 7, he had confidence in taking the two apparently low rank 7 women down and the man who seemed to be at rank 6 at best.
But it'd be a terrible mistake to judge your enemies based on what they show in their home field.
"Well, well, well!" The young man clapped with a bright, friendly smile.
Sage Nevar prepared himself for a battle, deciding one of the two moves depending on the situation.
Capture the man and hold him hostage. Or use an attack on him as a decoy to actually attack one of the two women.
Varian raised his hand and the space around Nevar began to shake, in anticipation of the attack.
Instead of any attack, his fist simply landed on his heart position and he slammed it three times.
The space power around him fluctuated in a particular fashion, something that'd take decades of training to replicate.
"Praise The God Emperor!"
Nevar froze in his tracks.
It was the standard salute and the standard praise of recognized warriors.
…of the Jai Empire!
