Chapter 2116 A Frail Alliance (Part 4)
They were so busy in their respective endeavors and throwing mean looks at each other that they almost didn't notice that it wasn't one person stepping through the dimensional corridor, but two.
Almost.
"What the fuck?" Kigan stepped back in horror.
There was a young girl near Milea and with his mind still haunted by the memories of the past, the figure of the unknown guest overlapped with that of his late niece.
"Your security measures are lacking, but at least your intuition is amazing." The Empress stared at the Phoenix-Balor in misplaced respect. "I didn't expect you to recognize the Red Sun so quickly."
"Why did you bring him here?" At that name, Xenagrosh's eyes became two fiery slits of Chaos and Decay mana.
"To help you, of course." The Empress replied. "While the Bright Day was imprisoned and the Black Night fooled around, the Red Sun has ruled over the Dusk Court.
"Even though he had no authority over the other Undead Courts, the Red Sun plotted with and against them for centuries. He knows all the key figures in the business and how to find them."
"I won't say it's a pleasure to see you again, Xenagrosh, but there's no reason to make our reunion unpleasant." The young girl spoke with a manly voice that was cold and controlled, snapping Kigan out of his delusion.
"Once you are as old as we are, one must learn that a good businessman can't hold a grudge. It's just a matter of losses and gains. At the moment, we have everything to lose from fighting and a lot to gain by collaborating."
"If the Empress has you, then what need did she have for us in the first place?" The Troll-Dragon found the situation suspicious at best. "You are almost as powerful as I currently am and with the knowledge we have shared with the Empress, you should have already found Meln's secret bases.
"Why did you waste our time like this, Empress? Was it a ruse to keep us away from the Kingdom and help Thrud to win the war or was it just a way to test our abilities?"
"I don't have to explain myself." Milea curled her lips in disgust, seeing how low the daughter of her beloved mentor had fallen. "You two are my guests and you'd better treat me with the respect I deserve as your host, otherwise I might forget my manners as well." freewēbnoveℓ.com
She radiated no aura nor killing intent, but the fact that she wore the White Armor and that the White Sword was hung at her hip was threat enough. The armor alone was comprised of tons of compressed Davross, giving her the mass of a full grown Divine Beast
The White Set wasn't the old junk that King Elm had used over one thousand years ago against Valeron during the War of the Blades. Both the armor and the blade were brand new and brimming with power.
Milea's first act as Magic Empress had been to devolve a lot of time and resources to study the ancient blade. Her goal had always been to expand the borders of the Empire in order to occupy the fertile land of the south and feed her people.
Before that, she needed to prepare for the moment when she would clash with Valeron's descendants and their Royal Set. There were several reasons behind King Elm's crushing defeat, but they could be summarized in one word.
Or better, one name. Tyris.
"Those are part of our deal. I asked for your wisdom, not your power, remember? I consider those hints not as the act of mercy of a god but as the help of my most beloved friend and mentor." At those words, Leegaain knew that he had been wrong.
He could and was more proud of her than ever. Especially when she had emptied the Empire's treasury to obtain enough purified Davross to make the new White Armor as heavy as the Saefel armor.
The reborn White Set's power was between that of the Arthan and the Saefel sets. Not as outdated as the former but not as masterfully crafted as the latter. Milea was certain that being a real Awakened would more than make up for it when she would have faced Sylpha.
The impasse between the Empress and the hybrids lasted but a second.
"You are wrong on both accounts, Xenagrosh. It was neither." Dusk had no intention of letting Leegaain's daughter and protégé waste time squabbling like children out of the envy they felt for each other.
"Milea gave you her full support since day one. She hid my presence for reasons you'll understand once you hear my story."
He sat down on the nearest chair and gave the Eldritches a quick summary of the events following his defeat at the hand of the Queen's Corpse.
"I apologize for my earlier rudeness, Your Majesty." Xenagrosh gave Milea a deep bow. "I can see why you kept your deal with Dusk a secret. In his weakened state, he can't move on his own and you are the only one who can keep him safe against opponents of our caliber.
"Also, if the Council or the Royals were to discover about your involvement with the Red Sun, they would ask you to hand him over with the excuse of compensating them for his past crimes."
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