Chapter 248: The Sovereign Decree II

Allister reached into his immaculate coat. He pulled out his personal royal hPad. It was even more expensive than Amelia’s.

He opened his Instalite app.

He navigated directly to the secure, high-sovereign international group directory. This directory contained the private handles of the three rival kings and headmasters. Normal people could never see these handles.

"I am contacting the sovereign leaders of Void, Heather, and Beacon right now via Instalite," Allister declared, his fingers moving across the glass screen. "We will schedule a formal diplomatic meeting."

"Make it a physical meeting," Amelia added. Her white eyes narrowed. "Digital calls allow them to hide behind their screen filters. I want them to smell our imperial power when they sign the document."

"Agreed," Allister said.

He composed a formal summons broadcast on Instalite. The message was tagged with the royal seal of the Aether Crown. The seal was golden and glowed. It meant this was an official order from the winning empire.

He sent it directly to the rival rulers. Emperor Malakor of the Void Empire, Headmaster Vane of Void Blessed Academy, Empress Seraphina of the Heather Empire, Headmistress Freya of Heather Blessed Academy, King Oberon of the Beacon Empire, and Headmaster Alden of Beacon Blessed Academy.

The message said that Aether was calling a sovereign summit to rewrite the tournament decree. All empires must attend.

Within less than two minutes, notification chimes dinged simultaneously across Allister’s and Amelia’s devices.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

All three rival empires had read the message and sent back their formal acceptances. They had no choice. When the winning empire calls a decree meeting, the rules say you must come.

The physical conference was set to take place at King Allister’s royal palace in the capital city of the Aether Empire. The palace was the most secure building in the continent.

However, as Allister reviewed the incoming Instalite responses, his eyes stopped on a specific text thread. It was from Emperor Malakor of the Void Empire.

Allister’s expression darkened. His golden sigil flickered.

"Amelia. Malakor has attached a specific prerequisite for Void’s attendance," Allister said.

Amelia raised an eyebrow. Her smirk faded a little.

"Oh? What does that bastard want now?" she asked.

"He is demanding that Lynx Azarion be physically present inside the conference room during the summit," Allister revealed. His deep voice tightened.

He was angry that Malakor was making demands. "Malakor explicitly stated that Void will only sign off on the four-year decree if the student who single-handedly dismantled their academy’s bracket stands before the council."

Amelia’s pupil-less white eyes widened slightly. A cold wave of suspicion immediately washed through her chest.

"Malakor requested Lynx specifically?" Amelia asked. Her voice dropped into a dangerous, lethal register. It was the voice she used before she killed someone.

"Yes," Allister confirmed. "He claims he wants the boy present to acknowledge his victory before the four sovereigns."

"That is complete and utter garbage," Amelia sneered. Her red lips twisted in disgust.

"Malakor doesn’t care about sportsmanship or acknowledging students. He is bitter, arrogant, and humiliated. Void lost their dominance two weeks ago, and Malakor’s pride was crushed in front of the entire continent."

She knew Malakor well. He was a proud and cruel emperor. He never did anything for honor.

Celestia’s gentle voice cut through the screen. Her golden eyes were filled with quiet concern.

"Amelia is right, Allister. Emperor Malakor is a dangerous, calculating man. Why would he demand an eighteen-year-old boy to attend a high-level sovereign meeting between continental rulers?" Celestia asked.

It made no sense. Sovereign meetings were only for kings, queens, and headmasters. Students were never allowed inside.

Amelia stood up from her leather chair. Her dark coat fanned out behind her like shadows. She started pacing.

"They are planning something evil," Amelia said flatly, pacing behind her desk. Her boots made no sound on the stone floor. "Those bastards in Void know they can’t touch Lynx inside our academy while he’s surrounded by our wards and faculty.

Our academy has barriers that can even block Eternal-rank attacks. But dragging him out to a high-sovereign summit? Surrounding him with rival powerhouses with hidden hexes?"

She stopped pacing. Her pure white eyes flashed with a predatory, imperial light.

"They think they can intimidate him," Amelia continued. A cold, dark smile touched her face.

"Or worse... they are planning an underground plot to assess his weaknesses, mark his soul signature, or set up a covert assassination attempt once he leaves the palace grounds."

In the world of empires, this was normal. If you could not beat a genius in the tournament, you killed him before he grew stronger.

Allister rested his hands flat on his throne armrests. His hands were big and strong.

"If it is a trap, should we reject the demand and keep the boy at the academy?" Allister asked. He was worried about Aether’s new treasure. Lynx was the most important asset now.

Amelia went dead silent for a few seconds.

She thought back to just ten minutes ago. She thought about how Lynx had stood in her office. He was completely unbothered by her full Eternal-rank aura. Normal Year 4 students would have fainted or kneeled, or worse, they would die. Lynx did not.

He broke out of her chokehold. He used some kind of gravity trick that she had never seen before. And then he sat in her personal chair, her own chair, with that arrogant, devastating smirk. He even made fun of her coffee.

He was not a normal student.

She let out a low, dark chuckle that echoed through the hPad connection. The chuckle was a little crazy and a little excited.

"No," Amelia declared. Her voice was filled with absolute, unshakeable confidence. "We accept."

Celestia blinked. She was surprised.

"Amelia? You just said they are planning evil against him," Celestia said.

"They are planning evil," Amelia agreed. Her smirk grew wider and sharper. Her bloody-red lips showed her teeth. "And that is precisely why Lynx needs to be there. Malakor and Vane think Lynx is just a talented student who got lucky in a tournament ring. They have no idea what kind of monster he actually is."

She leaned over her stone desk. She stared straight into Allister’s projection feed. Her white eyes were glowing.

"Let them bring their little schemes, Allister," Amelia purred darkly. "Let Malakor try his intimidation tactics. I want to see the exact moment Emperor Malakor’s face turns pale when he realizes he can’t break that boy. Send the summons to Lynx. He is coming with us to the royal palace."

She wanted to see Malakor’s face. She wanted to see Void fail again.

Allister looked deep into his sister’s eyes. He saw the absolute certainty in her posture. He knew his sister never misjudged a person. Before he agreed, he turned to Celestia.

Celestia looked at both of them. Then she offered a subtle, knowing smile. She also wanted to see what Lynx would do.

"It is settled then," King Allister commanded. He closed his royal hPad with a firm snap. "The summit convenes at the imperial palace in three days. Make the preparations, Amelia."

"With pleasure, brother," Amelia murmured smoothly.

She tapped her hPad screen, ending the spatial call. The glowing projections dissolved into light mist. The mist faded into the air. Now she was once again alone in the dim, quiet office.

The office was still ruined. The crater was still there.

Amelia picked up her hPad again. She navigated to Lynx’s profile. His profile picture was a lazy picture of him smirking. She composed a direct, high-priority command message. The message had a red tag, which meant it was mandatory.

Her fingers typed quickly.

Amelia: Azarion. Pack your things. You have a mandatory appointment at the King’s royal palace. Don’t be late. And wear something decent for once.

She locked the screen and set the device down on the stone desk.

She leaned back into her high-backed leather chair. She crossed her legs. Her white eyes glowed softly in the dark.

She looked forward to the storm that was about to hit the four empires.

Lynx Character Picture is OUT!!!