Within the demon sage's tower, the mixture of groups was odd. It seems that the only thing that really connected these people was Dyon…
There was Lionel, Dyon's wives, his siblings, Clara, the Sapientia, the Pakals, and even Ava and some Sicarius were there. And yet, the space was deathly silent..
The war had seemingly ceased. After the near destruction of the planet, no one could find the energy to continue to do something so useless.
Suddenly, Lionel broke the silence. "I have the ability to bring you all to the Belmont Holy Lands in the absence of my father, but, I won't do it if it's nothing but a suicide mission."
Ri's eyes glistened as she looked up. She didn't like Lionel's words, but she understood them. What was the point in going if they'd just end up in the same situation again? Dyon might even have to threaten suicide yet again for them to survive. Few knew more than Ri just how powerful a kitsune's legacies were. For her mother to lose… and so thoroughly at that… This situation wasn't normal.
"However, there's also no love lost between me and him. For me to do so requires payment." Lionel's eyes traced over Madeleine's sleeping body before he returned it to Ri.
A palpable and dense anger built in the air.
"Ha. When everyone thought the world would end, despite your grudges, my husband allowed you to step into his treasure. He didn't have to do so, and he was even less afraid of not doing so. Yet, he allowed it anyway. And now you have the audacity to ask for payment?" Ri's growled, her canines growing in length with her every word. "If you were ever wondering what the difference between you two was, it's clear as day. You have no integrity, no substance, and no heart. For you to think you could ever win the heart of my big sister is quite simply the best case of insanity I've ever come across."
Lionel's features didn't shift at Ri's words, instead, he answered calmly. "The other difference is that I'll be alive at the end of today and he won't.
"As for your other point, your husband lost nothing allowing me to enter. However, I would actively be sending myself to death. In addition, my life is worth far more than his. He is the successor of a dead man and a dead clan. I am the prince of a Royal God Clan. How can these things be compared?"
Ri's baleful aura filled the lobby of the tower, "To stand there and have the gall to say those words. I'd really like to hear what Royal God Clan you're prince of? From what I see, your family's power structure has been completely shattered."
Surprisingly, Lionel still didn't react adversely. "That's a matter of perspective." He didn't seem intent on explaining as he continued. "I don't want Madeleine in the way you're thinking. I simply want her to return something that should have never been hers to begin with.
"Give it back and I'll escort you. If not, feel free to kick me out of the tower."
Ri's eyes suddenly flashed with a realization. She had assumed that Lionel was asking for Madeleine to fulfill some sort of sick and twisted power trip. But, it turned out that he was asking for her Faith Seed!
Because Faith Seeds were the fruit of external cultivation, they could be taken and stolen. This could leave the one losing the Faith Seed either dead or alive. However, more often than not, a person would rather die than separate with a Faith Seed for obvious reasons.
In addition to this, there was the added layer of protection added by clans once one of the members transcends. This protection allowed for clans to tell when their Faith Seeds left the possession of one of their own. In cases where this happened, all out wars would often occur which is was why it was practically an unspoken rule that such things were banned. It was highly taboo to steal faith seeds as a result.
However, Madeleine's was different… For one, Madeleine herself wasn't a member of any phoenix clans, so her having the seed should have already set off alarms. But! Amethyst's faith seed never had this layer of protection added because she transcended while hating her clan. Also, even if she had had this added layer of protection, the phoenixes were extinct… There was no one to detect such a thing.
This also made Madeleine a value that was nearly limitless. Why? Because she was the key to reviving two phoenix bloodlines. Her descendants, should they be talented enough, would be the only way for the faith seeds of the long extinct ice and fire Phoenixes to makes their reappearance in the world because the bloodlines the Belmont's had been simply too weak to do such a thing – they weren't even recognized by the universe as having Phoenix bloodlines.
That said, this was a double-edged sword… Because that meant that should anyone choose to steal Madeleine's faith seed, there would be no deterrent…
Although others may not be fully aware of where Madeleine's faith seed came from, and would thus be too apprehensive to take it, Lionel and the Belmonts were different. They knew exactly what it was! In fact, many Belmonts saw themselves as the rightful owners after protecting Amethyst's temple for so long.
Ri's frown deepened. She couldn't believe the level of shamelessness of this supposed prince. Did he really think he was worth something while he acted like this?!
"Absolute n –" Before Ri could finish her sentence, a weak voice rang out.
"I accept. Help us save Dyon, and I'll willingly give it to you."
**
Many hours ago, as soon as Patriarch Ragnor's hand had fallen on Dyon's shoulder, a high level spatial intent had torn them through the air, allowing them to appear directly above the Belmont Holy Land.
From the outside, it looked just as peaceful as ever. Dyon stood straight and tall by the man he saw as nothing short of his mortal enemy. It seemed that Patriarch Ragnor was intent of using his hand on Dyon's shoulder to ensure that he was at least a few inches lower than him.
'There's something off here…' Dyon's 6th sense had reached ridiculous levels. Even with the shroud over the Belmont Holy Lands, he could tell that something just wasn't right. It couldn't be so peaceful.
Almost as if on cue, an opening in the formation manifested, revealing complete and utter devastation.
Majestic mountains blazed in fire, green pastures lay coarse and unkempt, even the magnificent buildings that had once been the unmatched would make an artisan shed tears of sadness.
Without so much as a word, Patriarch Ragnor flashed forward with Dyon's shoulder still clamped in his hand. In an instant, they were before an odd entrance that seemed to have been quite important and well guarded until everything was thrown into chaos.
The surrounding warriors looked startled by the sudden appearance of two unknowns. But, before anything was said, a familiar old man and his grandson stepped out of the cave.
Elder Daiyu's eyes swept over Dyon, but he didn't see any of the despair he thought he would.
Chenglei burned with rage when he saw that it was Dyon who had come. He had suffered two massive losses because of this young man, and here he was pretending as though none of this had anything to do with him.
