CHAPTER 302: LAWS OF THE DOMAIN

Returning to the high court of the Grand Pyramid, Caius found Old Bones and the Arachne Sovereign waiting for him. Raised upon the stone dais, he held out his hand. Golden solar light and dark spatial void mana swirled together in his palm, condensing into a sleek, dark obsidian information crystal.

With a soft flick, Caius tossed the gem.

The Princess caught it gracefully between two clawed fingers, while Old Bones placed a hand against its surface. In an instant, the memory stream transferred into their consciousness, the full tactical layout of the 300,000-strong Nerathil army, the crushing weight of Malthuurn’s wrath, the location of the insectoid origin realm, and the lingering echo of Altan of the Gale’s battle.

As the memory faded, neither Old Bones nor the Princess showed even a flicker of doubt. The scale of the oncoming invasion was staggering, but as they looked up at Caius, standing unbothered with a cold, absolute confidence in his eyes, their own conviction solidified into iron. If their Sovereign saw an incoming horde of three hundred thousand as mere prey, then so did they.

Caius turned his golden-and-obsidian gaze directly toward the Arachne Princess.

"The Shadow Wasps were once a proud species before the Rot enslaved them," Caius said, his voice resonant. "Once we shatter Malthuurn's vanguard, you have an entire insect realm to free from the rot."

The Princess snickered softly, her eight jewel-like eyes flickering with wicked amusement as her pedipalps clicked behind her lips.

"Free?" she purred, her sultry voice dripping with dark irony. "They will make excellent food for the brood."

Caius narrowed his eyes slightly, his Tri-Pupil Eye flashing with sovereign authority. "No mass genocide. You may rule them like a tyrant, but you do not slaughter for pleasure. Every living subject is a resource of my domain."

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A coy, predatory smile curved her lips. She stepped forward with mesmerizing grace, invading Caius's personal space until the faint heat of her ether core washed over him. Her multi-lensed gaze locked onto his as she leaned in close to his ear.

"As you wish, my lord... king," she whispered softly, her breath hovering against his skin before a teasing glint lit up her eyes. "But will you gift to me the realm for my pleasure?"

She didn't wait for Caius to answer. With a playful, lingering glance, she turned on her heel with a sweep of her obsidian-chitin mantle, vanishing into a tear in space to return to her pyramid.

From the shadow beside the throne, Old Bones let out a low, raspy chuckle.

A subtle shudder ran down Caius's spine as he adjusted his high collar, glancing sideways at his deadpan steward.

"What are you laughing at?" Caius muttered.

"Nothing, My Sovereign," Old Bones replied smoothly, his silver-grey eyes gleaming with dry amusement. "Only that keeping a divine arachne sovereign on a leash appears far more exhausting than facing three hundred thousand rot-monsters."

Caius cleared his throat, tapping the armrest of his obsidian throne to bring the room back to absolute seriousness. He gestured toward the dark memory gem in Old Bones's hand.

"Make copies and give them to the captains," Caius ordered coldly. "Tell them this is what we will face."

Old Bones paused, his silver-grey eyes narrowing slightly as he weighed the psychological weight of the crystal's contents. "Will that not lower their morale, My Sovereign? Seeing an invading host three hundred thousand strong, led by a Rot Sovereign who survived a realm-shattering blast, may break the spirit of the younger lodge recruits."

A cold, ruthless smirk spread across Caius’s face, his Tri-Pupil Eye flaring with tyrannical ambition and hunger for power.

"If their spirit breaks, they are unfit to stand in my legion," Caius said, his voice ringing with absolute dominance. "Besides... I will fight them alone if I have to. Three hundred thousand corrupted cores... I will simply turn their cores into fuel to feed my next stage."

Hearing those words, any lingering concern vanished from Old Bones's mind. The dark elf steward bowed deeply, crossing his arm over his chest with absolute reverence.

"I will make the copies at once, My Sovereign."