The silence was deafening.
The crunch of the Supreme's boots on the dead and withering soil rang true for kilometers on end as the world stilled.
No matter who it was, they didn't dare to move.
Elena stood next to the 1st Princess and held her, helping her hold in her grief as she observed the situation with narrowed eyes.
'This is dangerous. If he's allowed to get near the Emperor, it's over, but nobody here can stop him.'
It was evident that something strange was happening. The presence of their Supreme should have emboldened the Black Dragon Army, but their behavior was the exact opposite.
Like beings oppressed under an iron fist.
'Could it be there's some problem with the Supreme?'
Elena immediately pinpointed the problem from the looks of fear and confusion on the faces of the Black Dragons. She glanced over at the man walking with two Executioners obediently walking with their heads lowered behind him.
Although it was unknown to those present, these three were the last of the Black Dragon Clan's experts. The rest had been slain in battle with Hedrick and Damien.
However, Lord Garvy alone could sweep 99% of the world's fighters with his own strength.
As for why he hadn't acted until now…
The reason was actually quite simple. In the Black Dragon Clan's hierarchy, he wasn't at the top. He merely waited to do what he was ordered to do by his Demigod, act at the perfect moment to target the Golden Dragon Emperor.
He even had a specialized prison artifact on his body, designed to hold Demigods, for a situation where the Golden Dragon Emperor didn't act and violate the universal law.
However, "Lord Gary's" goal had changed.
"He is not here."
The cold voice rang out, making the two Executioners behind Lord Garvy freeze in fear.
"L-lord? This is the last location we could read, so he might not be here, but due to the freshness of the signature, it is certain that he is still on this planet," the female Executioner stammered.
"Hm?"
Lord Garvy made a questioning sound, however, his expression remained still.
"Then, why did you bring me here?"
"L-lord, you requested us to bring you to the last known loc—"
Splat!
The male Executioner's head exploded. His body turned into particles that were absorbed into the Supreme's body.
"Were you saying something?"
"N-not at all, Lord! I will find that person as soon as possible and bring him before you!" The female Executioner yelped in fear.
"Hmm…"
Lord Garvy turned his gaze away from the palace and turned to face the frozen battlefield.
"Ants…" he muttered.
"Do you know where 'that person' is?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to carry to the ends of the earth. All those present heard his words, however, how were they supposed to answer him if he didn't tell them who he was looking for?!
"Lord Garvy, may we see an image of the individual you are searching for?"
A young Black Dragon stood up from the crowd and looked the Supreme in his cold, dead eyes without fear.
"Oh?"
Voom!
A sudden pressure descended and crushed the boy back to his knees. Several bones cracked within his body, and blood poured out of his eyes, nose, and mouth.
Then, the pressure disappeared.
"Very well. No more can be expected from ants."
As if nothing happened, the Supreme threw a glance into the air, immediately causing the mana to swirl and form an image.
It was an image of three people. One was a large nondescript man with a gruff beard and a domineering face. One was a smaller man with vaguer features. Only his black hair and well-defined musculature were visible in the hazy image. The final one was a girl, much smaller than the previous two, with bright golden hair and equally hazy features as the second man.
'Three people?' Elena thought to herself as she glanced at the projection.
"The Supreme is searching for the man in the middle. The two on his left and right are presumed to be his acquaintances. If you have any leads, speak them now."
The female Executioner spoke up as the Supreme clearly didn't deign to speak. After hearing her explanation, those in the surroundings rapidly began drawing conclusions.
One among them was extremely popular.
'Isn't that…the little princess?'
Elena's expression didn't crack in the slightest, but inwardly, she began to rapidly weigh her options.
'If the little princess's location is outed, the entire fate of this world is doomed. Even with what's happening now, since the Supreme isn't targeting the Emperor, our loss isn't guaranteed. However, since the little princess is up there, the target in question should be…'
The little princess' new master, the only man that could've possibly been seen near her in recent days.
'I need to stop anyone from speaking.'
Elena didn't know why the tutor was being targeted, but she absolutely couldn't allow the little princess to be implicated.
"L-lord Supreme, that person on the left is—"
BANG!
Someone spoke up. A bolt of light pierced his forehead before he could finish, instantly killing him.
The Supreme's eyes darted to the distance.
"Nuisances…"
He lightly lifted his arm in the air and beckoned towards himself.
WHOOOOOOSH!
A furious wind kicked up, creating an air current on the ground that dragged the sniper out of his hiding spot.
The figure armored in white lurched to a stop in the air before the Supreme, his body flopping limply.
"Hm, a summon. Smart summoner, cutting the connection so quickly. However…"
Elena's breath halted.
Her left hand slowly crept towards her right, her fingertips brushing against her spatial ring.
Her eyes narrowed as her perception heightened to its greatest limit.
It was less than a split second. It was almost like incomprehensible how fast the following interaction took place.
Lord Garvy's eyes snapped to Elena's position.
"…!"
Elena immediately swept her hand across her spatial ring and removed a glowing white shield. She held it in front of her body and slammed her knee into the ground, letting the shield expand both upwards and downwards as…!
BOOM!
Crack!
"Something" exploded against the shield and three Elena back almost a hundred kilometers.
A crack spread from the single impact.
"Human, you must know something."
Lord Garvy made another beckoning motion, and Elena felt the undeniable pull of a Supreme, a pull akin to the gravity of a dead star.
'Dammit!' She exclaimed inwardly, gritting her teeth.
'Aegis is strong, but I'm not strong enough to weird its true power. It can at most block 3 attacks from a Supreme, but—"
BOOOOOOM!
'Khhh…but he's definitely not going to let me go after just 3!"
Elena was sent flying again. She could feel the blood bubbling up in her throat as the residual impact force was transferred into her body from the shield.
"How fun."
A small smile formed on the Supreme's face as he beckoned Elena towards him once more.
"This should be your final struggle, yes?"
He raised his arm once more and curled his fingers in, lightly flicking his index finger out as Elena's shield arrived in front of him.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The resulting explosion was massive, however, a mysterious force contained and compressed it around Elena, barraging her with a deathly amount of energy.
"Agh!"
Elena groaned in pain as she held back from screaming out. Aegis shattered upon impact. Due to the explosion being controlled, its shards shot back and impaled themselves into Elena's body.
The chaotic energy waves slammed into her from every direction, bent on killing her immediately.
She gritted her teeth, her eyes firming even as her skin was charred.
'I…will not die here!'
