Aurelia stood tall and faced everyone with the bearing of a member of the Royal Family of the Crystal Palace. "Many don't know, but the reason why the Abyssal Invasion ended prematurely was thanks to Lux," Aurelia stated. "Because of his sacrifice, the gates between the Abyss and Elysium were cut off, preventing the rest of the Abyssal Army from invading our world.
"No matter how strong we are, and no matter how much preparation we make, it's impossible to win against such a force. Even now, we can not fully repel the invaders from our borders, resulting in this stalemate that we're currently stuck in.
"You might look down on the father of the child in my womb, but without him, Karshvar Draconis, the Crystal Palace, and even Espoir Frieden would have long been conquered, and the survivors would have been turned into slaves of the Abyssal Lords.
"Your wife, daughter, and people would have no choice but to serve them and suffer a fate worse than death. So, before you think about murdering the father of my child, know this—it was he who allowed you to continue sitting on that throne and gave you this opportunity to be angry."
Aurelia was about to say more, but a hand suddenly rested on her shoulder, almost making her jump in surprise.
"I'll take it from here. You've done well, Aurelia."
The Dragon Princess of the Crystal Palace looked at the person standing beside her with eyes as wide as saucers.
She had only seen his face in portraits, but now, she was finally able to see him in the flesh.
Keoza, the Crystal Dragon, who was supposed to be the one-and-only King of the Dragon Race, stood beside her with a calm expression on his face.
"Was this your plan all along?" Azza asked with eyes filled with killing intent. "Did you plan to let that brat have his way with my daughter to get back at me for 'stealing' your position as King?!"
"Of course not," Keoza replied. "I am not that petty. Do you remember when I appeared before you and Saphira? It was at that time when Lux was having his way with my daughter. How could I possibly want to witness such a thing?"
Aurelia's face became beet-red after she understood what her father was talking about. She wanted to dig a hole then and there because of all the people to witness what she was doing with her lover, it had to be her father, whom she hadn't seen in the flesh since the day she was born!
An awkward silence descended inside the room after Keoza made his statement. Even King Azza, who hated Lux with his guts, couldn't help but feel pity for the Crystal Dragon.
However, his pity didn't last long as he growled at the bastard, who could have stopped it from happening in the first place.
"Why didn't you stop him?" King Azza asked. "You could've stopped him if you wanted to."
"Yes, I could have stopped him," Keoza nodded. "But I didn't. The reason is simple. I can't think of any better man to become my daughter's partner aside from Lux. I watched that boy grow up, you know? I don't mind entrusting my daughter to him because I know that he will love and protect her with his life."
King Azza snorted. "You trust that boy that much?"
"Of course," Keoza replied. "I abandoned my throne, my wife, my daughter, and my kingdom for a chance to meet someone like him. Why wouldn't I trust him?"
Keoza then raised his hand, opening his Domain inside the throne room.
The scenery in their surroundings changed, turning into the world of the Abyss.
There, they saw a Half-Elf fighting against a horde of Abyssal Monsters alongside Hana.
It was two against millions, surprising even the Dragon King of Karshvar Draconis.
They saw how he unleashed a one-sided genocide, fighting dozens of Demigods using every trick he could think of.
They were also able to see the Mastermind of the Abyssal Invasion, who made King Azza's face turn pale after seeing what he was capable of doing.
The image of a gigantic monster, whose single eye reminded him of the records passed down by the previous Dragon Kings in their hidden archives. "I-Is that Azathoth?!" King Azza asked in disbelief. "No," Keoza replied. "It is just a manifestation of his power. I didn't know how Daniel did it, but he managed to harness the power of the Outer God and use it to do his bidding."
The Crystal Dragon no longer spoke as everyone watched the scene unfold, making their faces turn grim. Valerie and Ali, who had completely forgotten the name and face of their lover, couldn't help but feel their hearts beating wildly inside their chest as they looked at the Half-Elf, who stood in front of the portal, with the intention of preventing Daniel's attack from passing through it.
The moment the gigantic beam of light hit Lux, a cry of alarm escaped Valerie's lips as her supposed lover was hit by an attack that would have killed her father in a heartbeat.
Everyone stared at the Half-Elf, who had been trapped inside a giant block of crystal, forever suspended in time.
Seeing him in that state made Aurelia, Valerie, Ali, and Ari feel a sudden ache in their chest as their beloved did everything in his power to fight someone who had initiated the Abyssal invasion.
King Azza felt his hands trembling after witnessing Daniel's might. If such a being were able to cross into their worlds, then no one, not even if all the forces in Elysium united under one banner, would be able to defeat him.
Just like Aurelia had said earlier, his people, wife, and daughter would have become the slaves of the Abyssal Lords, suffering a fate that was worse than death if it weren't for Lux.
And he, as the Dragon King, one of the greatest obstacles in their way, would have been killed without mercy, setting an example to anyone who wished to defy them.
Keoza lowered his hand, and the scenery returned to that of the throne room.
Due to his power, Valerie, Ari, Queen Saphira, and Lady Faustina didn't suffer from a headache, which would've made them forget the face of the Half-Elf, who was the father of the unborn children growing in Valerie's and Aurelia's wombs.
The Dragon Princesses and the two Handmaidens were at a loss after witnessing such a scene. They didn't expect that Lux had fought such a battle and ended in such a tragic state.
"Is he still trapped in that block of crystal?" Valerie asked, feeling very sad all of a sudden for losing the memory of someone very important to her. "Is he… is he dead?"
""No.""
Aurelia and Ari replied at the same time. They had just met Lux not long ago and knew where he was currently at.
"Where is he?" King Azza thought. "Is he too ashamed to show himself and take responsibility for his actions? What a pathetic man he is."
Aurelia glared at the Dragon King after hearing his scathing remarks. She wouldn't have the guts to do something like this if she hadn't personally seen what her beloved had gone through to protect Elysium and Solais.
"He's not here because he went to the Abyss in order to find Aurora's soul," Aurelia almost shouted as she tried to restrain the anger that was rising from her chest. "While all of you have been waiting for the Abyssal Lords to attack you, he fought in Agartha to defend it from the Abyssal Invasion.
"Aurora died to protect everyone, and her soul has been sent to the Abyss. Lux went there to save her, so don't you dare say those things about him. You are pathetic when compared to him!"
Keoza looked at his daughter in surprise because he didn't expect her to lash out like this, especially against the Dragon King of Karshvar Draconis.
"The connection with the Abyss has been severed completely," King Azza retorted. "How can he possibly go to the Abyss? Don't lie to me, girl."
Keoza raised his hand once again, and the scenery inside the room changed.
There they saw Lux talking to Antero, asking him if his Master was truly dead. After that, they saw him riding on the back of an eight-legged horse, which was being controlled by an Old Man, whom they hadn't seen before.
"He is indeed in the Abyss and, right now, there is a big possibility that he will encounter Daniel while trying to look for Aurora's soul," Keoza stated as the images disappeared, returning them to the throne room. "What we need to do is gather all our forces and finally rid ourselves of the Abyssal Lords, especially Daniel's right-hand man, Nyarlathotep.
"I suggest we follow my daughter's proposal and let Valerie, Ali, and Ari go to Espoir Frieden. In fact, it is best if your wife, Saphira, and my wife, Evangeline, go with them so that they can look after our daughters. "Once we're sure that our families will be safe, we can focus all our attention on eradicating the Abyssal Lords once and for all. I believe that there is nowhere safer than the location of the World Tree right now. As long as they are there, we can fight without holding back."
King Azza looked at his wife, Queen Saphira, and the latter nodded her head in agreement.
Although she didn't want to leave Karshvar Draconis, she also knew that the stalemate couldn't last forever. What they needed was a united army that would launch an all-out counterattack that would eliminate the Abyssal Threat from their world.
"Fine," King Azza nodded. "I will agree to this suggestion. We leave for Espoir Frieden in a day. I will personally talk to Hereswith and her father about the situation."
Keoza nodded and made a gesture for Aurelia and Lady Augustina to follow him.
Now that the Half-Elf was in the Abyss, it was up to him to take command of the forces of Elysium and wipe out the enemies who dared to stand in their way.
