Bloodbound Codex: I Grow Stronger in Secret

The entire interior of the Basilica fell completely dead silent as everyone’s eyes remained fixed on Zaakrax, the Dragon Emperor. For Solaris, Eliana, Thorsin, and Azarion, the shock came purely from the realization that he had reached the same level as an Ancient, meaning he had gone beyond the Special Ex-rank, a Rank that none of them had even known existed until now.

For Sylvaris, however, the shock came from an entirely different reason. It was the fact that Zaakrax had been able to use such a complex Technique despite having only recently reached this level. Sylvaris could clearly feel that the Aura surrounding him was similar to the one she had possessed when she first reached this level long ago, which meant she knew he had only just stepped into it, but if that was the case...how had he managed to execute that Resonance Technique through his words?

Her eyes remained indifferent as she pretended that the shock wasn’t there, while internally her mind continued running through every possibility, ’What kind of Monstrous Talent does he possess? Even if he is a Dragon, isn’t that Talent too much?’ She then looked at the expressions of the others and quickly understood what was happening, ’I see, so they were Unaware of his strength.’

With a quiet sigh, Sylvaris dismissed those questions for the moment and looked toward the others, ”Now, the others. Introduce yourselves...”

One by one, everyone began introducing themselves. Solaris went next, stating her name and explaining that she belonged to the Greatest Angelic Family, the Clamorious Family, which had ruled over Celestara for more than two centuries.

After her came Eliana, who introduced herself and explained that her surname originated from the very first Elf birthed by the World Tree itself. The Rosomolios surname wasn’t simply a family name, but one that possessed a deeper connection to the World Tree, making it one of the oldest surnames in the entire World.

Thorsin followed after her, explaining that his surname, Morlado, had originated from a normal Noble Family that had risen from its original status after crafting one of the greatest Relics to ever exist. Although his origin was unusual compared to the others present, he was still a King who had reached the same level as all of them, even surpassing the Human King in strength, and the respect he possessed now had completely overshadowed his humble origins.

Finally, it was Azarion’s turn. He spoke without hesitation, ”My name is Azarion Embersun. Although I do not know where my surname originated from, as there was no record of it in my Father’s or Grandfather’s belongings, I believe it originated from one of the most prominent Families centuries ago.”

The moment he finished speaking, Solaris, Eliana, and Thorsin turned toward him with their teeth clenched, all three having the same thought, ’Damn Bastard, you tried to attack our Continents from the shadows. If not for the Treaty...I would have killed you here and now!’ They had been called to this meeting largely because of him, the very person who had started everything and caused such a massive disturbance across the world.

Even so, they couldn’t ignore the strange change in his demeanor. Something about Azarion felt different from before, and the eerie feeling coming from him made all three of them cautious despite their anger. Before they could think about it any further, however, everyone’s attention shifted toward Velmira, who began speaking without wasting any time.

”I am Velmira Ashenworth, one of the Revenants of the Human Continent. My surname originates from the Greatest Family in the entire history of the Human Continent—Laberion Ashenworth, the very first King of the Continent itself.”

The moment she revealed that name, buried deep within the History of the World, even Zaakrax was shocked for the first time in his life. His eyes widened as he turned toward her, his pupils contracting from the sheer weight of the name. He knew exactly who she was talking about.

Hell, he had even fought that Man.

Back when both he and that man were Special Ex-rank, Zaakrax had lost. Yes, he had lost, and not merely by a small margin. The Dragon Emperor who could defeat the combined forces of all the current Kings and Queens without even breaking a sweat had been defeated terribly by a single person who stood on the same level as him. A drop of sweat ran down Zaakrax’s chin as only one thought occupied his mind, ’His surname was Ashenworth?!’

Only now did he finally learn that man’s full name. After losing to him, Zaakrax had searched for information about him, but he had found almost nothing beyond the name by which everyone knew him. There had been no clear record of his family, his origin, or even his surname.

Velmira’s left pupil shifted toward Zaakrax for only a moment before moving away again. She already knew that he feared that man. He feared him enough that after their battle, he had never challenged or confronted him again until that man eventually died under unknown circumstances.

Sylvaris watched Zaakrax’s expression for a long moment, and from the reaction alone, she could understand the weight that name carried. For someone as arrogant as the Dragon Emperor to show genuine fear simply from hearing a surname meant that the person behind it had been far more terrifying than she could assume.

However, another detail immediately caught her attention when she recalled both Azarion and Velmira’s introductions, ’She said the first King was Ashenworth, then how is Embersun the King now? Shouldn’t Velmira be the Queen? Hmm...Interesting.’

On the other hand, Seraphiel, who stood just behind Solaris, had a tiny smile on her lips. She was beginning to realize that coming here had been one of the best decisions she could have ever made, because she was learning information that wasn’t written in any Records, Relics, or History books throughout the entire World.

For her, that alone was nothing short of a Miracle.

Although Seraphiel still felt that same eerie sensation when she looked toward Azarion, similar to what all the other Rulers had felt, she dismissed it for the moment and shifted her attention toward Velmira, who seemed somewhat... similar to Atlas at this moment.

’I wonder how he is doing...’ The thought came naturally as worry settled deep inside her heart. She knew Atlas was strong, absurdly so, but sending him into a place that remained completely mysterious even to the Rulers was dangerous by itself. No matter how strong he was, there was simply no way to know what could be waiting inside the Ruins of Eclipse. And although he hadn’t gone inside it yet, she was already worried to the extreme.

She shook her head and pushed those worrying thoughts aside before turning her attention back toward Sylvaris, who had already begun speaking again, ”Alright, now that the Introductions are done, we shall get to the main point of this meeting.”

Everyone nodded in response, their attention once again falling completely upon her, ”The Oath of Treaty between all the Continents...we will be severing it.”

”Right here and right now.” Her voice spread throughout the entire Basilica with absolute clarity, and the moment those words reached them, every Ruler sitting around the table widened their eyes and frowned simultaneously.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

The silence that followed was completely different from the one that had existed when Zaakrax revealed his true Cultivation Rank. That shock had been caused by a single revelation, but this time the statement itself affected every person sitting around the table because the Oath of Treaty wasn’t something that belonged only to the Church or the Ancients.

It was an agreement that bound every Continent in Eliomor.

Solaris’s fingers tightened slightly against the armrest of her chair as she stared at Sylvaris, her expression becoming serious, ’Sever the Treaty? Why now?’ The Treaty had existed for countless years, and although its exact origins were buried deep within History, its purpose had remained clear enough to prevent the Continents from directly turning against one another.

Eliana was thinking along the same lines, her eyes narrowing as she carefully watched Sylvaris’s expression. ’There has to be a reason, someone like her wouldn’t make a decision of this scale without a reason.’

Thorsin’s face became unusually grim as well. Unlike the others, he didn’t immediately speak because he understood exactly how much chaos could follow if the Treaty disappeared. The Dwarven Continent had remained relatively stable for generations because the agreement prevented the other Continents from openly targeting it, but without that restriction, every resource and territory dispute could become an excuse for conflict.

Even Zaakrax, who had remained indifferent throughout most of the meeting, finally leaned back slightly in his chair.

His eyes narrowed as he looked directly at Sylvaris.

He didn’t seem angry.

Instead, he looked interested.

’So, this is the real reason we were called here...Interesting.’

- - -

[A/N: Only one today, forgive me but I am really tired after working all day]