The Transcendent Godslayer-Chapter 85: The "Negotiation"

Clouds drifted high above, heavy with torment, unleashing their sorrow upon the earth below.

The rain fell in violent sheets, as if vying with the scorching sun for dominance over the sky, its heavy pelts drumming against rooftops.

Lightning slithered across the heavens, lashing out with crackling fury, while thunderclaps rolled in sudden bursts, startling the unprepared and shaking the very air.

A jagged bolt struck one of the metallic railway tracks suspended high above the ground. Yet before it could make impact, it collided with a transparent dome, one that only revealed itself upon contact.

For a fleeting moment, shimmering runes rippled across its surface, looking like glinting lights in the air, before fading once more into invisibility.

No one could truly comprehend the sheer number of lives and infrastructures that had been saved by the existence of these protective domes, scattered across most of the continent.

With lightning flashing incessantly above, and with the continent bristling with towering mountain peaks and sky-reaching structures, it was as though the entirety of civilization here, had dared to challenge the heavens.

Small wonder, then, that the skies responded with such wrath, hurling bolts as if in irritation.

Perched atop one of the tallest peaks in the continent of Ash, was a colossal citadel—so vast its highest spire pierced the clouds. Lightning danced perpetually across its reflective roof, as though the structure mocked the storm above, daring the heavens to strike again.

"Silas, I would truly appreciate it if you calmed down and explained what just happened," a voice called out, calm yet firm.

Silas ignored the call entirely, striding toward the massive double doors, intending to leave the place, the "negotiations" could wait. Behind him, Eudora trailed feeling the same urgency as well.

Unfortunately, as they reached the giant double doors, two halberds crossed before Silas neck, blades carved with glowing runes, their edges gleaming under the ambient light. The tips hovered dangerously close to his throat, that any careless movements could have them decapitating him.

Silas stopped, staring at the weapons, and then their wielders. For a few moments, an unreadable glint burned in his eyes.

The actions of the Fourth Ascension ascendents stationed as guards, had been unnervingly casual. They hadn’t spared him so much as a glance. The motion had been so perfectly timed, it was as if they had rehearsed it for months just for this moment.

This was the power of an Ancient family that had a deep foundation and has existed for a long time. Although the Crimson family was powerful, that lacked the same pool of resources other Ancient families had.

Even now, the guards remained statuesque, their gazes fixed straight ahead as if nothing else existed.

"What is the meaning of this?" Silas asked at last, his tone neutral. Behind him, Eudora’s expression had darkened, her lips curled into a cold scowl.

"I mean no disrespect," the voice replied again, this time tinged with frost, "but what happened just now was... terrifying. I need assurance that my people are safe."

"If I were responsible," Silas said, finally turning back, "do you truly believe you’d still be alive?"

He retraced his steps until he stood once more before the speaker... a man who looked entirely human, save for his bronze metallic skin. Draped in luxurious golden robes, he sat on a cushioned stool, a game board spread out before him.

A game board with which he had invited Silas to a match, while they carried out the negotiations, under a guise of leisure.

Although they called it negotiations, it was more like an interrogation and accusation for the attack on the Crimson family, as well as the disappearance of Kallen. If not for Lyra’s father, the Valgorians would have never agreed to such.

"I doubt you could use something like that repeatedly," the man mused. "There must be a cooldown—or perhaps it’s a one-time consumable. Still... I might be willing to let this go if you told me more about it... for the right price of course."

His eyes twinkled.

He was lean, far more so than most of his kind. The Valgorians were known for their steel-forged bodies—hulking, metallic titans in human form.

"I have nothing on me," Silas replied smoothly, "and I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ll be leaving now. My family may need me."

The man’s expression darkened.

"I welcomed you with open arms. Offered our best tea. Treated you with sincerity. I even kept this as a private discussion between us, rather than involving the full Valgorian Counci... and this is how you repay me?"

He stood, his voice rising.

"You must think I’m weak. That my Avalon family is weak. That the Valgorians are easy to push around. I should have known... from your attitude, it seems you don’t even hold us in regard at all."

Eudora stepped forward now, her gaze like ice.

"It is clear your Valgorian race has a flair for conflict. Unless you’re blind, you should’ve noticed we were also paralyzed under that pressure..."

Her voice trembled slightly, the memory still fresh in her mind.

The weight that had pressed them all down. A force so overwhelming it had made every being present feel like a grain of dust in a passing storm.

"If we were behind that," she continued, teeth clenched, "you wouldn’t be alive to whine about it now. And whatever objective we had... would’ve been fulfilled."

"Fulfilled your objective, huh?" the man snapped. "I see... So that’s it. No wonder you’re in such a hurry to leave. You came here to steal from us—using underhanded methods. Seems the Crimson family is full of thieves."

Silas, who had reached the doors again, paused.

His eyes narrowed.

In an instant, a swarm of guards poured into the room, weapons trained on him. Spears hummed with energy. Guns clicked. Even a sniper’s red dot glowed faintly on his chest.

They didn’t have to announce it. He got the message loud and clear.

"Steal from you?" Eudora bellowed as though she had heard the most absurd statement in the world. Then seemingly realizing something, her voice became dangerously low.

"Are you saying you have Kallen?"

The man however did not reply.

’Good:, Silas thought.

With a smile that wasn’t a smile, he turned back to face the man.

"It was my mistake to indulge you, Master Avalon," Silas said, bowing slightly. Then, standing tall, all formality vanished from his voice.

"If it’s war you want..." His gaze turned razor-sharp.

"Then war you’ll get."

The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel