Step Step

Lord Glacion advanced through a long corridor that cut across an open area between several connected structures. His posture was steady, his back straight, and his footsteps measured with the precision of someone accustomed to remaining vigilant at all times, but his expression was not clear. A faint trace of hesitation lingered behind his eyes despite the calmness on his face.

"...I’m still not sure about this."

"Lord Glacion, there’s no need to think so much about it." Serfon quickly moved to his side, matching his pace with ease. "We’ve achieved a tremendous accomplishment by bringing the Continuous Chaos Wing under the authority of the Grave Empire, and we did it through the many obstacles. It’s an achievement worth celebrating, and one that very few people could have made possible!"

"What does that have to do with making a personal visit to Lord Robin?" Glacion asked hesitantly, his brows knitting slightly. "The Shadow Swords have probably already informed him. They usually know everything before the rest of us."

"They informed him, yes." Serfon displayed a broad grin. "But don’t you want to be there while I tell him the details? Don’t you want His Majesty to praise you, even a little? Come on, there’s no need to be shy. I saw the way you talked about him that day!"

Serfon’s smile stretched from ear to ear.

A full week.

That was how long it had taken him to reach an extremely comprehensive and precise agreement with the two brothers and establish an oath that was neither harsh nor overly lenient, despite countless arguments, revisions, and last-minute demands.

Not as harsh as the one accepted by most wing leaders, yet not as open as the one Glacion had received...

In the end, they had provoked the Empire into mobilizing its forces and diverting attention and resources toward them.

That was their punishment.

"....."

Glacion’s steps slowed for a moment.

He wanted to tell Serfon that he didn’t care and didn’t want to go, but it was indeed an opportunity.

Meeting Lord Robin after having contributed significantly was far better than seeing him for the first time because of a summons, a failure, or a problem that required solving.

Still, he did not forget to glance sideways.

"Why are you coming with me?"

"To receive my share of affection, of course. Hehe." Serfon laughed without the slightest embarrassment. "Wasn’t I the one who finalized the agreement despite all the obstacles? It’s a chance to remind His Majesty that I exist. A simple ’well done’ will be enough. It’ll raise my standing. This is nothing to be ashamed of!"

By this point they had already reached the portal.

Serfon stepped forward and began discussing coordinates with the guards, arranging for the closest gate leading to His Majesty’s location while casually exchanging greetings with several familiar faces stationed there.

"Don’t listen to him. It’ll be obvious you’re going there just to hear a kind word like that fool. Preserve your dignity and return to where you came from. Donara isn’t a place you can visit simply because you feel like it."

"...?"

Glacion sharply turned around.

It was Holak.

The man was walking behind them like a small mountain.

Many of the obstacles Serfon had mentioned were coming from Holak and no one else.

Instead of leaving with Glacion, he had refused and remained behind, continuously attempting to create problems, introduce complications, and force Serfon to reject proposals that otherwise might have been accepted.

He was the reason the negotiations had stretched to seven entire days.

At the same time, he was also the reason the two brothers lost many privileges and were forced into a more difficult oath. Had Serfon been alone with them, he would never have secured such a demanding agreement.

His overbearing attitude and relentless attempts to sabotage the negotiations had placed enormous pressure on the brothers and convinced them to settle for less.

That thing wanted war like a starving man who had not seen meat in years.

As for what exactly was being prepared for them...

They had no desire to learn the answer.

"Haha, Lord Holak is joking." Serfon stepped between them before either side could continue. "Donara is an extremely important planet, but anyone who has sworn an oath upon His Majesty’s tablets may visit it. I took one, as the commander of the Third Army in the Young Belt, and Lord Glacion took one when he first joined. So naturally, we’re allowed to go!"

"...I’m not surprised by this arrogance and carelessness. I’ve already seen you use both with Lord Omes and Lord Omira." Glacion began looking Holak up and down with a critical gaze. "But from what I can see... you’re merely a Martial Emperor in body and energy. So I’m curios, where exactly did you get this completely inappropriate attitude?"

Holak’s brows knitted tightly.

"It comes from the absolute truth that I’d knock an entire row of teeth out of your mouth with one punch if we were at the same level."

Bzzzt

"If? How adorable." Glacion smiled faintly, then turned and walked toward the gate without slowing his pace. "You’ve encouraged me to go. Now I want to see what that planet Donara actually contains, and what kind of place could make people speak about it with such expressions."

By the end of that sentence, Glacion vanished into the formation, his figure dissolving into spatial light before disappearing completely.

"Don’t upset yourself, Lord Holak. This is all beneficial to the Empire, and Lord Glacion meeting His Majesty will only help the Couse." Serfon clasped his hands together and began sweating slightly. He could already feel the irritation radiating from Holak and knew from experience that remaining within kicking distance was becoming increasingly dangerous.

"Save the flattery until we reach the Boss, and get lost!" Holak lifted a leg and kicked Serfon toward the portal with enough force to launch him several meters through the air.

"Whaaaa—!!"

Bzzzt

For a brief moment, Holak found himself alone.

He released a long breath and closed his eyes, trying to settle his thoughts and suppress the lingering frustration that had been building for days.

After the loss of confidence he had suffered during the battle against the Executioner, he wanted to prove to the Boss that he was still useful, that the title of personal guard had not become completely empty, and that he was still capable of standing where he belonged.

And what better way to demonstrate that than by destroying an ancient millennial empire like this one and delivering a victory worthy of remembrance?

But that damned ice cube and that damn scaled snake!!

Every time he thought he had found an opportunity, one of them appeared to complicate matters.

"Argh!" Holak took two more steps and disappeared into the portal.

Bzzzt

Distortion

<Hm? My consciousness is awake? That isn’t supposed to happen during travel through a spatial gate—ARGHHH!!!>

Distortion Distortion

Holak felt his body compressing and stretching.

He felt overwhelming pressure assaulting him from every direction.

He felt his tough internal organs twisting and nearly tearing apart.

His bones creaked.

His muscles spasmed.

Even his vision became unstable for a moment as spatial energy surged around him in violent waves.

Then, just as he felt his end was inevitable—

Bzzzt—Poof

"Damn it!!" Holak felt solid ground beneath his feet. He immediately pushed himself upright and began inspecting his body from head to toe. "What happened? What happened?!"

"Shhh!!"

"Who are you shushing, you son of a—"

Holak wanted to scream at whoever had made that sound, but when he raised his head to search for the source, he saw a strange sight.

There were bizarre golden suns illuminating the heavens.

More than that, they had turned the color of everything into gold.

The mountains were gold.

The clouds were gold.

Even the air seemed tinted by a faint golden brilliance.

One sun was shaped like a scale.

Another resembled a serpent devouring its own tail.

And another took the form of a gear with a broken tooth.

That gear bore three rings engraved upon its frame, while the inner region at its center contained a triangular shape that slowly revolved, emitting an ancient and profound feeling that was difficult to describe.