Dyon descended from the skies, his scythe leaning over his shoulder as he hovered between Amphorae and Madeleine.
"You realized it too?" Dyon said lightly to the both of them.
"Yes." Madeleine nodded. "There's something wrong here, so we purposely held back and struggled. They're most definitely waiting for something, and that something is likely you. I was a bit worried… But it doesn't seem like I have a reason to be anymore."
Madeleine and Amphorae's smiles bloomed, quieting the thundering cheers. They were simply too beautiful.
Dyon smiled himself, but didn't answer directly. He was really curious what Kaori was planning. The fact he hadn't taken action yet spoke volumes. Why hadn't he taken advantage of the time Dyon was gone? Of course, he could have believed that Dyon was simply hiding and waiting for a moment to strike, so he purposely held back for this purpose.
The next few moments would explain a lot.
However, who knew that an hour would tick by without a single movement? Even after Dyon decimated the army attacking the dwarves as well… There was still nothing.
Dyon had a few guesses as to why Kaori hadn't appeared. The most likely of which was that this was just a test.
The scariest reality to a man like Kaori was not having enough information. As of now, the only truth Kaori had about Dyon, the only one that was factually indisputable, was Dyon's obscene speed of improvement.
Yet, despite this being the only truth Kaori was aware of, the striking horror of it all was that this very man he set as his goal, his enemy of a lifetime, had actually spent the last 80 years out of the public eye for the most part. This was the most devastating reality that Kaori could imagine.
Without a choice, he needed to find a way to understand the level of power Dyon held now.
Well, this was the most likely reason, anyway. It was the reasoning that anyone with a bit of cognitive aptitude would be drawn to. However, Dyon believed that this conclusion was nonsense. If Kaori believed he could find his bottom line so easily, he would be nothing more than a fool. Even Dyon himself wasn't certain where his limits lied.
If Kaori wanted to have a chance, he only had one option, and that was to treat Dyon like an undefeatable entity, like a God that reigned the masses and could impose his will on a whim.
Now the real question was… After framing Dyon in this way, what path was left for Kaori to take? How does one defeat a God as a mortal?
**
"… You… You're not an elf?"
The green-haired elder Dyon had become familiar with was completely baffled. His gaze gave away hints of betrayal and confusion.
"Yes, I'm human." Dyon responded. "I relied on my wife's primordial yin to appear before you as an elf."
The dwarves were astounded by this reality. Primordial Yins could be used in such a way?
Some elders held thoughtful expressions behind their overt hostility toward Dyon's 'betrayal'.
The dwarves originated from the Golden Era, but had existed during the Warring Era as well. They had faint legends that told of the importance of Primordial Yin and Yangs. This was a topic explored very thoroughly during the Primordial Era but had seemingly been forgotten over the years.
Every sort of culture originated from somewhere. It seemed that the root cause behind the sexism of the martial world was tied to the secrets of the Primordial Yin…
"But…" The green-haired elder couldn't help but look toward Ri. Confused, he also shifted his gaze toward Alauna. Both women had come to help the dwarves while Dyon handled the southern battlefield along with Clara and Luna. But looking through all of them, the green-haired elder couldn't find a single elf.
Dyon's expression darkened.
"This is my daughter."
"Oh, I see. But…"
"Your World Tree dared to have designs on my wife, so I stripped it of its connection to this plane."
"What?!"
The elders were astounded once more. First, this single line made it obvious that Ri had been the Elvin Queen. But, even more shockingly… 'stripped it of its connection'?! Why was such a thing said so casually?!
"There'll be a day when the World Tree no longer exists, so I hope you're prepared for that."
It was only now that the elders realized that Dyon's expression hadn't become so fierce because they mistook his daughter for one of his wives. In the martial world, considering the youth they could maintain with their cultivation, such things occurred quite often. It was more than irrational to become enraged about such a thing.
Instead, what Dyon was truly angry about astonished them even more than their former thoughts.
It had been many generations since the dwarves last came into contact with the World Tree. Even beyond the fact they were in this prison, even the elves on the mortal plane hadn't been in contact with it. In fact, they hadn't been able to contact their Ancestors on the Immortal Plane in millennia as well.
However, regardless of how much time passed, the World Tree was still considered to be a Deity level existence to them. Not a fake Deity like the so-called Deity Clan, but rather a tried and true God that lorded above worlds.
Yet, this young man spoke about slaughtering it so casually.
"There's no need to waste anymore time on a dead thing." Dyon moved on as though it truly wasn't worth his time to continue on the subject any longer. "Rather, we need to handle this current situation.
"I won't beat around the bush. I am not a member of the younger generation sent by my Clan. I am the Emperor of an Empire who just happens to be younger than a thousand years old. Of the mortal plane's just over a thousand quadrants, I effectively control almost 200 of them.
"There's no need to play anymore games. My initial goals for the first phase have already been met, I'm prepared to push forward and wipe my enemies away so that there's not even a need to consider the second phase at all.
"The question remaining for you all is whether you want to be my enemy or my subordinate. Which will it be?"
