Beyond the Bloodline-Chapter 271: A Message in Blood

Miranda was furious.

Not her typical mild irritation, but full-blown anger.

Shattering the Universe’s barrier was her way of venting it.

The reason? She had uncovered a scheme orchestrated by the giants. More specifically, it was the doing of one particular giant—Eldros, the one currently serving his tenure as the Master of the Zanerth universe.

Miranda recalled Malecor approaching her some time ago with a warning about Eldros’ plans (Chapter 212).

At the time, she had dismissed it entirely as her brain was too preoccupied with thoughts of Jamie to focus on anything else.

But now, with a giant as talented and fortunate as Vaelon—one who had achieved Higher Dimensionality even before entering the Cosmic Realms—getting involved, ignoring the situation was no longer an option.

To put it plainly, Eldros’ scheme revolved around seizing control of territories belonging to Estea and the Argent Empire.

Individually, the targeted territories weren’t particularly significant, but the sheer number of them was outrageous. If Eldros succeeded, he would have amassed enough galaxies to form his own Intergalactic Empire.

The ultimate goal of his plan was to create an Empire greater than Argent and on par with Estea, one capable of displacing Estea and Argent from their dominant positions in the Universe.

This ambition aligned perfectly with the ideology of ’Zanerth.’

As the consciousness of a Universe trillions of years old, ’Zanerth’ adhered to the principle that no single power should hold supreme control within the Universe.

Having witnessed the rise and fall of countless Intergalactic Empires, ’Zanerth’ had seen even those that expanded beyond its bounds, forming Inter-Universal Empires, eventually crumble for a multitude of reasons.

These Supreme Empires, despite their conquests, always fell—bringing widespread devastation and weakening the Universe’s overall power in their collapse.

In response to these patterns, the logical existence that was ’Zanerth’ concluded that since no power could last forever, no one power should dominate.

To safeguard the Universe’s stability, ’Zanerth’ favoured a balance where multiple powers shared equal territory and influence.

This way, if one fell, the rest could sustain the Universe without catastrophic repercussions.

However, Estea posed a problem.

The current Estea was far too powerful.

In every metric that defined an Intergalactic or Universal Superpower, Estea surpassed all others by an alarming margin—even surpassing Argent, which Miranda and Jamie had built together.

To ’Zanerth,’ Estea was a glaring red flag.

Having witnessed the Esteans rise and fall repeatedly over eons, ’Zanerth’ knew both the progress they brought in their ascension and the destruction they left in their decline.

One such fall, hundreds of billions of years ago, had even led to invaders from another Universe!

Because of this, ’Zanerth’ sought to prevent the Esteans from maintaining supreme power.

Secretly, it had been aiding Eldros as much as it could within its restrictions. But even if the Esteans understood ’Zanerth’s perspective, they would never willingly relinquish their power.

Estea had countless enemies ready to pounce at any sign of weakness. Why would they voluntarily lower themselves to the level of other Empires, creating opportunities for their rivals to unite against them?

They wouldn’t.

This impasse led to the current predicament.

Sensing that ’Zanerth’s intentions aligned with his own ambitions, Eldros grew bolder in his actions.

And daring to target the territories of her Argent Empire, as well as those controlled by the Estean Werewolves, was what infuriated Miranda.

If Eldros planned to take over, it wouldn’t be peaceful. Lives would be lost—her people’s lives.

There was no way Miranda would sit idly by and let Eldros have his way.

But things weren’t so straightforward.

Eldros held his tenure as Universal Master due to the rotational system dictated by an Agreement—a pact between the Universe’s Great Powers.

It was the greatest compromise that Estea and these powers could reach in response to the ideology ’Zanerth’ had.

A system designed to ensure balance, it dictated that no single race or entity could dominate the position of Universal Master indefinitely.

This time, it was the Giants’ turn, and Eldros had risen as their representative.

This Agreement was forced with the Great Powers of Zanerth—those currently within Zanerth and those beyond.

It was the reason why those above the level of Race Emperors—Monarch Realm Existences—were not allowed to hold the positions of Main Entities and Universal Master.

That was the reason for the tenure system, ensuring that the Main Entities and the Universal Master rotated among the races every cycle.

It was also the reason Miranda couldn’t simply march to Zanerth-O1, the universe’s administrative core, and rip Eldros from his seat of power.

She wasn’t afraid of Eldros. In truth, she didn’t even consider him a threat.

But her respect for the more ancient and powerful Cosmic Realm Giants—the very ones who had co-signed the Agreement—stayed her hand.

Figures like Jamie’s great-grandfather, a being whose strength even Angela had described as "troublesome to deal with," carried weight in her mind.

Miranda was on good terms with them, and that relationship wasn’t something she would jeopardize lightly.

Still, Eldros’ tenure didn’t grant him immunity.

Respect for the agreement didn’t mean Miranda would tolerate overreach or recklessness.

If Eldros thought his position gave him carte blanche to orchestrate schemes against her or Jamie, he was sorely mistaken.

Since she couldn’t remove him outright, she would deliver a warning—a message so clear, so unequivocal, that not only Eldros but every Giant under his influence would think twice before crossing her again.

With that thought, Miranda’s perception shifted. From her higher-dimensional vantage point, the Universe sprawled out before her like a multi-layered map, just like how a mortal looked at a digital map on their phone.

Effortlessly, she "panned" across the vast universal expanse, her fingers—figurative in action but no less precise—sweeping aside the barriers of distance.

In an instant, her focus landed on the Perileos Galaxy, and without the need for physical movement, Miranda’s form materialized directly before the Brigadier General commanding the invasion.

Her abrupt appearance shocked the man, but Miranda didn’t care as she began speaking, her voice cutting through the confusion that painted the Brigadier General’s face as he processed her sudden appearance.

"How many galaxies are within this sector?"

The Brigadier General, still taken aback by her sudden arrival, remained frozen for a moment. But in the next, he instantly regained his composure and responded.

As it was a sector he was responsible for, he knew this information offhand.

"Exactly 3,258, Your Majesty."

Miranda’s gaze swept over the area, her expression unreadable. Her hand moved to the butterfly-shaped fascinator in her hair—a cherished gift Jamie had given her years ago.

She infused the Nexus Fascinator with cosmic energy, activating its ability to lock down space as she spoke with finality.

"Send word back to Orilan. I want the First Knights Division here yesterday. Inform them that they have exactly 3,258 minutes to kill every single Giant Emperor in this Sector."

Miranda had already confirmed their involvement in Eldros’ machinations and knew they were all hiding here to avoid detection.

None were innocent. All of them were complicit. All of them would die.

The Brigadier General’s head snapped upward with wide eyes, but he didn’t dare question Miranda. He immediately bowed and turned around, rushing to carry out the command without delay.

3,258 minutes.

54.3 hours.

2.26 days.

That was the time allotted.

And within that time frame, 75 Giant Emperors died.

◇　◇　◇

The second week of December began like any other in the vast expanse of the Zanerth Universe.

To the countless civilizations scattered across its galaxies, it seemed destined to be another ordinary stretch of days—major incidents confined to their sectors and largely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

But in the first two days, the mundane was disrupted by an event that was MAJOR in every sense of the word.

Soldiers of the Argent Empire slaughtered 75 Giant Emperors within 48 hours.

Seventy-five Monarch Realm Existences.

Powerhouses who had surpassed the Deity Realm, reaching the apex attainable without Cosmic Superiority.

They were all killed under the direct orders of the Argent Empress herself.

Everyone on the Intergalactic Stage knew who the Argent Empress was.

The Violet Inferno.

The Odd-Eyed Wolf goddess.

The Second of the Six Estean Hybrids.

She had ordered this massacre, and the First Division of Argent’s Knights were ever eager to carry it out.

Accompanying the bloodshed was a single, unapologetic message: "If you want someone to blame, blame Eldros."

The simple yet devastating message had implications rippling outward to every corner of the Zanerth Universe.

Miranda had laid the massacre squarely at his feet, making it clear that the giants’ suffering was a consequence of his actions.