Chapter 510: Unexpected Surprise

"...you are free to find out the answer yourselves i and no one here would stop them." She gave a light shrug before the smile on her lips widened just a little more.

"Though..." she added, "...I would still advise against it." Her platinum eyes slowly shifted toward Razeal for a brief moment before returning to the others.

"I really wouldn’t recommend trying to take that weapon from him." She let out a soft laugh, almost as if she herself found the situation amusing.

"This kid..." She shook her head with helpless amusement. "...is kinda sketchy."

Several World Regents quietly raised an eyebrow, wondering what exactly she meant by that. Before anyone could ask, Nerrisa continued in the same half-joking, half-serious tone.

"For example..." she said while pointing a thumb toward herself, "...the last time we met, he threatened to kill me." She paused deliberately before smiling even wider.

"And the funniest part wasn’t that he threatened me..." Her eyes curved slightly with amusement. "...it was how completely confident he was while saying it."

For perhaps the first time since the meeting had begun, genuine surprise appeared across the Sovereign Hall.

Several World Regents instinctively looked toward Razeal.

Others looked back toward Nerrisa.

For a brief moment, nobody even knew what to say.

"...He threatened... you?" the woman seated upon the pure white throne finally repeated slowly, her phoenix-like white eyes fixed upon Nerrisa. Even her normally composed expression carried obvious disbelief. Around the table, similar reactions appeared one after another.

One Regent quietly blinked. Another slowly leaned back upon his throne. A few simply stared at Razeal with entirely new expressions, trying to imagine what kind of person would calmly threaten the strongest woman in the world.

Even King Julius couldn’t help coughing lightly before pressing his lips together, turning his gaze toward Razeal with an expression that clearly said he was struggling to process what he had just heard.

Umm...? Even Sylva, standing respectfully behind the Elven Queen, wore a completely dazed expression. She had thought she already knew enough about Razeal to stop being shocked by him. Apparently... she had been very wrong.

King Julius slowly turned his head from Nerrisa toward Razeal once again. One eyebrow gradually rose.

"...Oh?" was the only thing he quietly said, yet that single word carried enough curiosity to make several nearby Regents glance toward him.

Seeing Razeal continuing to stand there without saying a single word, Nerrisa couldn’t help rolling her eyes dramatically.

"Alright, kid," she said with clear annoyance mixed into her voice.

"When exactly did you become mute? Don’t leave everything to me. At least say something yourself. I’m starting to sound as though I’m boasting on your behalf." There was a faint complaint in her tone, almost like she had been forced into becoming his personal representative without agreeing to it.

Razeal slowly turned his eyes toward her before spreading both arms slightly in a helpless gesture.

"What exactly do you expect me to say?" he asked calmly. "Should I perform some magic or show a few skills to impress everyone here?" His expression remained completely serious, but the complete lack of interest in his voice made it painfully obvious what he thought of that idea.

There was no possibility that he would start showing off like some child seeking approval. Not to mention how stupid the entire thing sounded to him.

Nerrisa stared at him for a moment before shaking her head in clear disappointment. She truly disliked this part of his personality.

There was talent in him, intelligence in him, and even frightening confidence, but there was also this deeply irritating stubbornness that made every simple matter ten times harder than it needed to be.

"How about this, then?" Lucian suddenly spoke, his deep voice cutting calmly through the hall.

"We test the sharpness of your sword... against mine. That should be enough, I believe." Without waiting for anyone to answer, the Continental Commander reached for the weapon resting across his back and slowly pulled it free from its sheath. The moment the first section of the blade emerged, a heavy metallic sound spread through the Sovereign Hall, deep and rough, like chains being dragged across the gates of an ancient battlefield.

The sword was enormous, a true two-handed greatsword that most warriors would struggle even to lift, yet Lucian held it easily in one hand as though its immense weight meant absolutely nothing to him. Its blade was dark brown, almost black, with a hard metallic shine running across its edge.

Even beneath the calm light of the hall, the blade looked frighteningly sharp, as though it could cut through armor, stone, and bone without slowing for even a moment. Yet its appearance was not what truly changed the atmosphere.

The instant the greatsword left its sheath completely, the killing intent sealed inside it was released.

It poured into the hall like a flood.

The air tightened.

The temperature seemed to fall.

A thick, suffocating pressure spread outward from the blade itself, carrying the weight of countless lives it had taken across uncountable battlefields. It didn’t feel like simple bloodlust. It felt old. Heavy. Real.

As though every enemy that had ever fallen beneath that dark edge had left a small part of their final fear trapped inside the weapon. The killing intent had become so dense that it almost felt visible, like dark waves silently spreading from the sword and filling every corner of the Sovereign Hall.

A weaker person standing directly before it might not even remain conscious. Their legs would give way before their mind understood what was happening. Their breathing would stop, their vision would darken, and they would collapse simply from the pressure carried by the weapon alone.

And that wasn’t all.

Lucian himself had also released a part of his dominant pressure.

The entire Sovereign Hall suddenly became unbearably heavy.

It felt as though invisible waves of gravity had descended from above and begun pressing down upon everyone present. The ancient stone beneath Lucian’s boots groaned faintly. The white banner of white standard started flapping violently as if reacting by the pressure.

Even the air itself felt harder to breathe, as though the hall had been dragged deep beneath the earth and buried under the weight of a mountain.

Yet no one seated around the World Table was ordinary. The World Regents remained upon their thrones with their backs straight and their heads held high, calmly watching Lucian without showing the slightest discomfort. Some narrowed their eyes with interest. Others rested their hands upon the arms of their thrones, their expressions unchanged.

Their own auras quietly moved around them, curving through the pressure like invisible shields as they protected the followers standing behind their seats. The heavy force that could have crushed weaker people was diverted before reaching them, splitting around each throne as though flowing around immovable mountains.

Behind the Elven Queen, the leaves and vines of her living throne bent slightly before becoming still. Around the Spirit King, faint blue lights quietly flickered as his aura protected those behind his throne. King Julius remained seated with his trident resting beside him, watching Lucian with calm ocean-deep eyes. Nerrisa only smiled, seemingly more amused than concerned.

And in the center of it all stood Razeal.

Lucian held the giant dark greatsword in one hand while looking down at him, the blade radiating enough killing intent to make the entire Sovereign Hall feel like a battlefield. His pressure continued spreading through the chamber in deep invisible waves, not wild or uncontrolled, but carefully directed. This wasn’t an attack. It was a test. A direct and simple one.

If Razeal truly deserved to stand among them...

Then this was the first weight he would have to endure.

This time, no one spoke. Not even King Julius. He remained seated upon his throne with the Sacred Trident of the Sea still resting in one hand, his deep ocean-colored eyes calmly watching Lucian and Razeal standing before one another.

Until now, Julius had spoken twice in Razeal’s favor, first making his relationship with the young man clear and then reminding everyone that taking another person’s possession by force would be beneath the dignity of a World Regent, but he understood that this had now gone beyond a simple argument about honor. Lucian was testing Razeal. Perhaps not through a formal challenge, and perhaps not with any true intention of stealing the sword, but it was still a test.

Julius could see that clearly, and because of that, he knew he could no longer step between them merely because Razeal was his son-in-law. Doing so would not only make Julius himself appear shameless, it would also humiliate Razeal before the entire World Council. There was nothing respectable about an elder constantly stepping forward to protect a child who wished to sit upon the same level as them. If Razeal wanted a throne equal to theirs, then he needed to possess his own standing.

He needed to prove that he belonged there without hiding behind Merisa Virelan, Atlantis, Nerrisa, or any other name supporting him. Otherwise, Lucian’s words would become even more reasonable.

A person who could not stand beneath the pressure of a World Regent without the protection of his family might simply not be ready to become one himself. That was the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it sounded. Yet as the pressure spreading from Lucian continued to deepen, Julius’s expression slowly became a little more serious.

The Continental Commander was not attacking Razeal, but even the natural dominance released from a man like him was something that could crush weaker beings without him lifting a finger. The air inside the Sovereign Hall had become thick and heavy, almost as though wave after wave of invisible gravity was pressing downward upon everything. The ancient floor gave faint groans beneath that weight, while the banners hanging high above shifted despite there being no wind.

The World Regents remained seated with straight backs and calm faces, their own invisible auras curving around the people standing behind their thrones, silently protecting their followers from the pressure.

Julius watched Razeal carefully, a faint doubt finally appearing inside his thoughts. Should I stop this before it goes too far? He didn’t wish to interfere, but he also didn’t know exactly how far Lucian intended to take this test. Perhaps a single word would be enough to calm everything before unnecessary conflict began. Perhaps he should..

But just then suddenly..

A brutal purple beam suddenly tore through the open gates of the Sovereign Hall.

There was no warning.

No announcement.

One moment, the hall was silent beneath Lucian’s pressure, and the next, a thick streak of royal-purple light shot through the enormous entrance with terrifying speed, cutting across the entire chamber and flying directly toward Lucian’s face.

Few people standing behind the thrones barely had time to widen their eyes. The beam moved so quickly that it appeared less like an attack and more like a straight line of purple space being ripped open across the hall. Yet Lucian did not flinch. His calm expression didn’t change in the slightest. Without even turning his body, he simply raised the hand holding his enormous greatsword and brought the back of its heavy handle before his face.

DING!

A violent metallic crash exploded throughout the Sovereign Hall.

The sound was so sharp and powerful that it seemed to strike the walls themselves. A heavy shockwave burst outward from Lucian as the center, sending a violent current of wind across the entire chamber. Robes snapped backward, loose hair flew through the air, and the leaves growing upon the Elven Queen’s living throne trembled wildly. Dust that had remained undisturbed between the ancient stones for centuries was suddenly thrown upward in a circular wave. Even several World Regents narrowed their eyes slightly as the air shook around them.

"He’s my little brother, asshole!"

A strong, piercing voice filled with anger and clear threat tore through the fading sound.

The thick purple light scattered almost instantly, revealing the figure hidden within it.

A young women was suspended directly before Lucian, her bright royal-purple hair flying violently behind her while her deep purple eyes burned with familiar madness. Both of her hands were wrapped tightly around the hilt of her sword, the blade pressed with full force against the back of Lucian’s greatsword handle only inches away from his face. Purple energy continued crawling along her weapon in sharp sparks, spreading across the air like cracks of lightning.

Every muscle in her arms was tense as she pushed forward from midair, trying to force the strike through,

yet Lucian held her entire attack back with one hand and without moving even half a step. His posture remained completely relaxed. His enormous sword was still resting almost casually in his grasp, and the expression upon his scarred face carried no alarm, anger, or surprise. It was as though a violent storm had crashed against a mountain and the mountain had simply remained where it was.

Only then did Lucian slowly move his eyes toward the attacker.

He saw the bright royal-purple hair.

The same unnatural royal-purple eyes.

The beautiful face twisted with anger and the unmistakable expression of someone who would attack first and ask questions only if she felt like it afterward.

Lucian stared at Nova for a brief second before a deep, tired sigh escaped him, as though the sight of those Virelan features alone had already explained everything.

"I hate Virelans," he quietly murmured.

His voice was so low and exhausted that it sounded less like an insult and more like the honest complaint of a man who had already dealt with far too many of them in one lifetime. Then, with nothing more than a small turn of his wrist, Lucian moved the handle of his greatsword sideways.

The force behind that simple motion instantly broke Nova’s pressure.

Her sword was pushed aside, and her entire body was thrown backward through the air. It wasn’t a violent blow meant to injure her, nor did Lucian use enough strength to send her crashing into the walls, but the difference between them was still obvious. Nova spun once in midair, allowing the remaining force and inertia from her failed strike to scatter around her instead of tearing through her body. Purple energy streamed from the edge of her sword in a wide arc as she turned, carving a glowing line through the air before slowly fading away. She twisted her waist, lowered one leg, and landed lightly upon the ancient floor without stumbling even once.

The soles of her boots slid only a short distance before stopping. She straightened immediately, her sword still held firmly in both hands, her royal-purple eyes remaining locked upon Lucian with the same threatening intensity as before.

She had landed beside a younger woman who had entered through the open gates with her.

The girl possessed radiant golden-blonde hair that seemed to hold light within every strand, while her equally bright golden eyes calmly watched the scene unfolding before her. And.. Unlike her she had not rushed forward or raised a weapon.

She simply stood there in silence, her beautiful face carrying a mixture of caution, surprise, and faint helplessness, as though she had already known there was no possible way to stop this women the moment she saw Lucian standing so close to Razeal. Her gaze moved first toward Nova, then toward Lucian, and finally settled upon Razeal in the center of the Sovereign Hall.

For several long seconds, the entire World Council remained silent.

Lucian still stood before Razeal with his greatsword raised loosely in one hand.

The women with royal purple hairs stood several steps away with her blade ready, her anger filling the space around her like a violent purple flame.

And between them, Razeal remained exactly where he had been from the beginning, watching the sudden arrival of these two unexpected people.

——