SSS Awakening: Rebirth of the Strongest Vampire God-Chapter 712: I want to marry Blood God

The emperor leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh. "Every time you say that, it ends with half my court fainting and the other half sharpening knives."

Alzara ignored his remark and continued cheerfully. "Father, I want to marry Blood God, and I want you to formally acknowledge him as the new Emperor of the Great Western Desert Empire."

Damon almost did a double-take. Straight to the point. She did not even sugarcoat her words. He smiled helplessly as he watched the Emperor’s reaction.

The old man froze completely. For a long moment, he just stared at his daughter as if he were trying to decide whether he had misheard her. "...What?" he asked flatly again.

"I want to marry Blood God," Alzara repeated calmly, as if she were asking for more bread. "And I want you to acknowledge him as the new Emperor of the Great Western Desert Empire."

The emperor slowly turned his head, first to Damon, then back to Alzara. His eye twitched. Then his other eye twitched too. "You’re asking me," he said carefully, "to hand over my empire to a vampire... because you want to marry him."

"Yes," Alzara said, smiling brightly. "Exactly."

The emperor closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You really didn’t waste any time, did you?"

Alzara smiled brightly. "You just swore on your honor, Father. I’m simply helping you keep your word."

The emperor leaned forward and pressed both palms against the table. "Do you have any idea what consequences something like that would have? How many people will try to kill him?" he demanded. "How many will try to kill you?"

Alzara didn’t flinch. "Yes."

"I know I said I would stand by him as an ally, but this is different. The entire empire will revolt! The entire light faction will lose their minds," the emperor continued, voice rising despite himself. "The nobles, the temples, the old families, every single one of them will see this as madness. A Dark Faction vampire on the throne? They won’t just protest. They’ll rebel."

"And?" Alzara asked calmly.

The emperor choked. "And?" he echoed. "That ’and’ is a bloody and brutal war! They will go to any lengths to bring him down and our empire along with it!"

Alzara finally lost her cheerful tone. She sat up straight, eyes sharp. "Father, the empire is already on the brink. The hidden orders were rotting it from the inside. The Light Faction is fractured, pretending to be united while stabbing each other in the dark. The Abyss is circling. Dark Faction is already moving into our lands. You know all of this. You’ve been fighting fires everywhere at once."

The emperor clenched his jaw. "...That doesn’t mean I hand my throne to a vampire."

"It means you choose the strongest shield before the storm hits," Alzara replied without hesitation. "Blood God doesn’t cause chaos. Chaos follows him because he ends things that should have ended long ago." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

She gestured subtly toward Damon. "They will rebel, yes. They will try to assassinate him. They will scream about tradition and purity." Her eyes hardened. "And he will crush them. Just like he crushed the hidden orders you were too careful to touch."

Silence fell over the table.

Damon finally spoke, his tone even. "You don’t owe me a crown," he said. "But if I wear it, no one will take it from me. Not that you have to worry about it, because I do not plan on wearing this one. I only need it temporarily for something. After that, I am planning to let my Queen here rule over these lands."

The emperor stared at him, mouth slightly open.

"...Your Queen," he repeated slowly.

"Yes," Damon said without hesitation.

Alzara didn’t even try to hide her smile. She straightened a little, chin lifting, looking every bit like someone who already saw the crown resting on her head.

The emperor let out a dry, incredulous laugh. "You’re telling me," he said, rubbing his temple, "that you want to borrow my empire, use it to crush every enemy bold enough to stand in your way, then hand it back to my daughter like a finished project?"

"That’s a crude way of putting it," Damon replied calmly. "But accurate."

The old man looked at Alzara. "And you’re fine with that?"

"Not totally. I mean, I would prefer if I were staying by my hubby’s side. I do not have that much interest in ruling anything. I will probably ask you to continue ruling on my behalf, Father." She smiled sweetly.

The emperor stared at her as if she had just struck him with a second lightning bolt.

"So if I actually end up giving you the throne...You would rather push the throne back onto me?" he asked slowly.

Alzara nodded without the slightest shame. "You’re good at it. And you actually enjoy paperwork. I don’t."

The emperor leaned back again, staring up at the ceiling as if asking the heavens what crime he had committed in a past life to deserve this conversation.

Damon let out a quiet chuckle, not wanting any part in this discussion. This was between the father and the daughter pair. He was just an audience member enjoying the show.

The emperor dragged a hand down his face. "So let me summarize," he muttered. "You want to marry a vampire, crown him emperor, use him to crush every threat circling the empire, then have me continue ruling while the two of you go off and do... whatever it is you do."

"Yes," Alzara said brightly. "That sounds right."

Silence followed. Then, to everyone’s surprise, the emperor started laughing, a tired, incredulous laughter that carried years of pressure with it. "I spend my life guarding a throne," he said between breaths, "and in the end, no one actually wants the damn thing."

"When your mother was alive, she drove me crazy. And now you," he continued, laughter fading into a rough sigh, "have somehow managed to outdo her."

Alzara’s smile softened. "Mother would’ve liked him," she said without hesitation.

"Yes," the emperor smiled. "She would have. She was a sucker for chaos in all its glory. If she were alive... "

The emperor leaned forward again, elbows on the table, fingers laced. "You know," he said slowly, "if I agree to this, history will paint me as either the greatest fool or the only ruler who saw the storm coming early enough to act."

Alzara met his gaze. "Trust me, father. You will not regret this decision."

That earned her a sharp look and then a reluctant smile. "It looks like my daughter has already decided. What more can I say? My fondness for my daughter is not a secret in this Empire. I cherish her more than I cherish my own life."

"Even when the Umbra’s Hand targeted her, I protected her at all costs. But in the end, I somehow kept failing. Even after the Umbra’s Hand was wiped out, I still failed to protect her in my own house."

"Just like her, I have also consistently failed the Great Western Desert people all these years. I couldn’t do anything to stop their nightmares."

"But you..." He continued quietly, turning his gaze to Damon, "...you walked in and ended things that haunted this land for generations. What I tolerated out of necessity, you destroyed without hesitation." He let out a breath that sounded almost like relief. "Maybe these bones really are too old."

Alzara frowned. "Father-"

He raised a hand to stop her. "No. Let me finish." His eyes remained on Damon. "I spent my reign maintaining balance. Compromise after compromise. Secret deals. Turning a blind eye when I shouldn’t have." His lips tightened. "That is not victory. That is survival."

He straightened slightly. "If the deserts are to be cleansed, then perhaps they need a blade instead of a shield."

The emperor looked back at his daughter, "You’ve chosen your path," he said softly. "And you’ve chosen your man."

Alzara nodded without hesitation. "Yes."

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, then opened them with resolve. "Very well," he said. "I won’t make this public yet. Not until I prepare the ground and silence the loudest snakes." A faint, dangerous smile appeared.

"But from this moment on, Blood God is the new emperor of this glorious Empire! May you bring our enemies to heel and our land a future free of rot," he finished solemnly.

Damon’s eyes widened in shock. He was patiently waiting for the father and daughter pair to finish their conversation so that he could start his bargaining, but he didn’t expect the man to actually accept everything just like that.

Even a system notification popped out to confirm the man’s words and intent.

[Ding! You have been acknowledged as the Emperor of the Great Western Desert Empire. You have gained temporary control over all imperial territories, laws, and authority.]

Damon stared at the screen in silence. "...You’ve got to be kidding me," he muttered under his breath. He then pulled up the list of territories under his control, and the Great Western Desert Empire was right there at the very top.