Chapter 115: Chapter 115: The Rite of the Apex

Chapter 115: The Rite of the Apex

The suffocating silence of the Grand Hall was finally broken by Seraphina Thorne.

She stepped in front of her brother. Her perfect composure was completely gone. Her eyes darted between my armored form and the terrified delegates around the room.

"Lord Grik," Seraphina pleaded, her voice tight with panic.

"A death match is barbaric. We are civilized rulers. The Zenith Academy can offer immense reparations. We can give you gold, ancient artifacts, or even territory. There must be a diplomatic alternative."

I looked down at her through the glowing visor of my Ironclad helmet.

"The Rite of the Apex has been invoked," I stated coldly. "There are no buyouts. There are no political loopholes. Once the challenge is issued, the ancient magic of this continent binds it."

I shifted my gaze back to Valerius. He was breathing heavily, his white suit pristine but his pride deeply fractured.

"He has exactly two choices," I continued.

"He steps into the arena and fights me himself, or he chooses a proxy to die in his place. If he refuses both, the continent strips his soul and his lands automatically. That is the law."

Valerius stared at me. His political panic began to slowly fade, replaced by a dark calculation.

He remembered our first encounter. He remembered me retreating from the overwhelming pressure of his psychic attacks.

He felt the immense power of his own C Grade core humming beneath his skin.

He was an Incubus Lord, a master of mind magic, and he was standing on the absolute verge of awakening his own Law of Control.

In his twisted mind, there was absolutely no way a mere Goblin could defeat him in a direct duel.

He convinced himself that I was just hiding behind a thick suit of mechanical armor.

"I will not hide behind a proxy," Valerius spat, stepping out from behind his sister. He summoned a glowing rapier into his hand. The blade hummed with lethal psychic energy.

"You ran from me once, Goblin," Valerius sneered, his confidence returning like a toxic tide.

"I accept your barbaric challenge. I will cut that arrogance out of your chest myself."

The moment Valerius accepted, a suffocating pressure settled over the Grand Hall. The rulers seated around the circular table exchanged knowing glances.

Warlord Bloodfang leaned back in his obsidian chair, his skin pulsing with a molten glow. "It has been a long time since I have seen a Rite of the Apex invoked," the Warlord rumbled, his voice like grinding tectonic plates.

"I remember when I had to fight my own blood brother for the throne. I invoked the Rite of the Apex. He had all the political power, and he was also quite strong."

He paused to sip on his vine and then continued.

"That is why he was on the line for succession. But he was not strong enough. Not strong enough to protect his crown and himself. I snatched it from him in front of thousands of people. It was a deadly match."

He looked around the table, a fiery amusement in his eyes.

"You all must have had your own experiences to share, right? Come on, now. You should share those experiences to the youngsters here. They are hot-blooded and one of them will die. A story before death sounds quite right."

Madame Vespera seated across from him smirked. Her eyes were sharp and unforgiving.

"I was challenged to the Rite of the Apex once," she noted, her voice carrying a venomous elegance.

"It was presented as a condition for me to marry him. I accepted and decimated that fool in an instant. Foolish bravado!"

"Yes," Lord Crimson chuckled darkly. "You all have experienced the Rite happening, but none of you must have experienced it being rejected, do you?"

Everyone looked at Lord Crimson. The aristocratic ruler swirled a glass of blood wine, his crimson eyes reflecting the tension in the room.

"In all my life, I have witnessed that phenomenon," the Vampire Lord spoke softly, his voice chilling the room.

"It happened when Duke Belphegor, my father, had rebelled against the then Vampire King. The Vampire King refused the challenge, as he believed it to be some superstitious ritual. But as soon as he rejected it, his body was encompassed in darkness."

The hall went dead silent as the rulers listened.

"Dark clouds covered the sky for a week straight," Lord Crimson continued.

"The dark mist that covered him never left him for a week. And then, after the seven days passed, the mist disappeared."

He paused to take a slow sip of his wine. Madame Vespera leaned forward. "What happened to the previous King?" she asked.

"He disappeared along with the mist," the Vampire Lord replied, his gaze locking onto Valerius.

"But the ancient scholars of the Vampire Orchard say that his existence itself was annihilated, and he was denied reincarnation itself! Believe it or not, it was absolute horror."

Lord Crimson stood up along with the blood red vine in his hands.

"I, Vampire Lord Crimson, stand here in the Kingdom of Iron and Steam together with the Rulers’ representatives that rule this Continent. In the name of the First Demon Emperor who banded together the warring tribes of the Demon Continent, in the name of that brave man, I stand here as a proud witness to this Rite of the Apex! Victory to the Brave!"

As he finished, the other Rulers stood up and raised their glasses as well!

"VICTORY TO THE BRAVE!"

Seraphina swallowed hard, her face entirely drained of color. Valerius gripped his rapier, his knuckles turning white, but he did not retract his words.

The world itself was now their judge and executioner.

"The Colosseum," Valerius demanded, his voice strained from the pressure of the Rite. He pointed his blade at the doors.

"We settle this in the Iron Colosseum. Let the entire Forge watch their false King fall."

I slowly rolled my broad shoulders. The heavy gears of my armor ground together with a metallic finality.

"Lead the way," I rumbled.