...
{3rd Pov}
"So let me get this straight," Priscilla said slowly.
"In exchange for my divine self withdrawing from the Royal Selection, you will assist me in reclaiming my rightful throne in Vollachia?"
For the first time in her life, Priscilla genuinely looked confused.
Her brows furrowed slightly as she processed the proposal, as if she couldn't quite accept that events were aligning so perfectly in her favor.
It almost felt unreal, like the world itself was bending to accommodate her desires.
Which was deeply ironic, considering how often she loudly proclaimed that the world revolved around her.
Before she could voice another thought, an arrogant voice cut through the air, matching Priscilla's own tone almost perfectly.
"Mongrel, you should consider yourself fortunate," the voice said dismissively.
"My father happened to take a liking to your strong personality. Otherwise, he would never have extended such a grand promise to you."
Priscilla turned sharply toward the source of the interruption.
Standing there was a golden-haired woman with equally golden eyes, her posture confident and her expression overflowing with haughtiness.
The resemblance in attitude was impossible to miss.
For a brief moment, Priscilla simply stared, her confusion deepening as she realized she was being spoken to by someone who carried an arrogance eerily similar to her own.
"This concubine is the Great Spirit of Yang," Gloria declared proudly, a smug smirk spreading across her face as she casually swayed her golden hair.
"And this concubine is also the daughter of my father, whom you know as Zero."
"A Great Spirit of Yang?!" Schult exclaimed in disbelief, his eyes widening.
The very idea sounded absurd to him.
A Great Spirit of Yang existing in this world was already unheard of, let alone one that was contracted to a individual.
His gaze lingered on Gloria, unable to reconcile her presence with everything he thought he knew.
Priscilla, however, reacted differently.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she studied Gloria more carefully.
"You radiate power," she remarked, her tone measured but intrigued.
"Fierce and blazing, like the sun itself—mirroring my own nature."
As someone deeply attuned to the Yang element, she could clearly feel the overwhelming energy contained within Gloria's body.
Gloria's grin widened.
"This concubine is the sun herself," she said mockingly, her voice dripping with superiority.
"It is you who merely reflects a fraction of my glory."
The tension between the two Yang-aligned figures thickened instantly, their clashing egos radiating almost as much heat as their power.
Aldebaran glanced back and forth between Priscilla and Gloria, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing.
It genuinely felt like he was looking at two versions of the same woman standing face to face.
Their arrogance, their confidence, and even the way they carried themselves were so similar that one could almost mistake them for sisters if not for their completely different origins.
Priscilla let out a confident smirk.
"My divine self's qualities shine on their own," she said proudly.
"That is what makes me a blazing sun. You, on the other hand, require the title of Great Spirit of Yang just to burn as brightly as I do."
The surrounding group watched the exchange in silence, fully aware that this was less a conversation and more a clash of egos.
Neither woman looked even remotely interested in backing down.
Before things could escalate further, Subaru stepped forward, clapping his hands once to draw their attention.
"Ladies," he said calmly as he positioned himself between them, "you each shine in your own way. There's really no need to argue over it."
Both suns continued to glare past him, clearly unconvinced—but at least the tension stopped from immediately exploding again.
"Consider yourself lucky, mongrel," Gloria snorted dismissively.
"This concubine only heeds the words of her mate."
She paused for a brief moment, then clicked her tongue and looked away, as if realizing she had said more than intended.
"You should consider yourself lucky as well, peasant," Priscilla shot back sharply.
"My divine self listens only to someone of Zero's caliber."
With that, she turned her head aside, clearly unwilling to continue the exchange.
"Princess, now that the battle—and these petty disputes—are over," Aldebaran said carefully as he stepped up beside Priscilla, "should we address that matter?"
He gestured toward the scattered fragments lying nearby.
"The Yang Sword has been destroyed," Reina said as she approached the broken remains, her voice calm but heavy with significance.
She examined the fragments closely before continuing.
"At the moment it resisted Lord Zero's final attack, all of its manifested copies converged into a single form. That means the original weapon—the hereditary relic of the Vollachian Royal Family—has been completely destroyed."
Her words settled heavily over the group.
The symbol of Vollachian royalty was gone.
"My brother would have realized it by now," Priscilla said with a confident smirk.
"The fact that he can no longer manifest the Yang Sword will become obvious soon enough. That is guaranteed to spark unrest or possibly even a full-scale riot in Vollachia."
She spoke as if the chaos were a foregone conclusion, her expression carrying more amusement than concern.
"It is a serious problem," Aldebaran replied, his tone measured even though his thoughts were anything but calm.
"The Yang Sword has always been the deciding factor in the succession of the Vollachian throne. Its presence determined legitimacy. With it gone, the entire line of succession has effectively collapsed."
While his voice remained steady, Aldebaran was inwardly reeling.
One of the Great Swords of Power, artifacts believed to be indestructible had been destroyed.
There had never been a single recorded precedent of such a thing happening.
And yet, Zero had done it.
The implications were massive.
'Only someone on the level of the great heroes should be capable of doing something like that…' Aldebaran thought as he stared at Zero, his gaze lingering on those unmistakable golden eyes.
'So is Zero truly Natsuki Subaru… or is he actually Flugel? The Great Sage?'
The thought refused to leave his mind.
Aldebaran clearly remembered his sensei talking about Flugel long ago, about the man's white hair and golden eyes.
Back when they first encountered Zero in the Royal Capital, his eyes had been black, completely normal.
And yet, somehow, just a year later, the same man now bore golden eyes that matched the descriptions far too closely to be coincidence.
Whether that meant Zero was truly Flugel reborn, or simply Natsuki Subaru walking a path that mirrored the Great Sage, Aldebaran couldn't tell.
Either possibility was terrifying in its own way.
Instead of answers, the mystery only deepened, piling question upon question until his head began to ache.
He couldn't help but wish that just for a moment, that he could meet his long-dead sensei one more time.
Just once.
If only to ask a very simple question.
'What the hell is my task?'
What exactly was he supposed to do after being thrown four hundred years into the future?
Stand around watching history collapse?
Clean up someone else's mess?
Or maybe...Dance on her grave?
Ahem.
"Yes, this is a subtle flaw. We need to fix this weapon," Zero said calmly as he stepped forward toward the Yang Sword, his gaze fixed firmly on its blade.
"Fix the Yang Sword? Can something like the Great Sword of Yang even be fixed?!" Schult asked in disbelief.
Although he was still a child, no one present tried to underestimate his talent or insight, as his genius was already well known.
Even Priscilla found it difficult to believe what Zero had just said.
The Great Sword of Power was a legendary weapon, and repairing such an artifact was no different from forging an entirely new one from scratch.
The level of difficulty involved was simply absurd.
"You should trust Zero. There is nothing that he cannot do," Emilia said with a gentle smile, glancing briefly toward her rival as she spoke with confidence.
"Naturally," Gloria added proudly, lifting her chin slightly, "this concubine's father stands far beyond the likes of ordinary mortals."
Subaru stepped closer to the Yang Sword, stopping right beside it before turning his head slightly to glance at Priscilla.
"I have an idea," he said after a brief pause.
"How about I reforge it in a way that only you can use it?"
"Oh?" Priscilla raised an eyebrow in interest, momentarily surprised by his words.
A second later, a confident grin spread across her face.
"Such a proposal would naturally please my divine self and further cement my rule over the rightful throne of Vollachia," she declared without hesitation.
She folded her arms lightly as her imagination ran wild.
"I can already picture the look on my brother's face when he realizes he can no longer summon the Yang Sword," Priscilla continued, her grin widening with satisfaction.
"Only to then see it resting firmly within my own grasp."
"Hm, however," Geuse interjected after considering the idea carefully, his expression turning serious, "due to the current state and partial destruction of this weapon, we will require an extremely powerful essence to reforge it properly."
He glanced at the sword as he spoke.
"After all, the Great Swords of Power are not forged from ordinary materials. They are made from essence itself...pure concepts given form."
"I doubt there should be any such problem. We have plenty of people here whose essence would qualify for the task," Roswaal said calmly as his gaze swept across everyone present, his expression relaxed and neutral.
He was not wrong in the slightest.
Subaru's essence was more than sufficient, Reina's essence was refined and powerful, and Gloria's essence was unquestionably extraordinary.
Even Emilia's essence, pure and stable, met the requirements for a clean and proper reforging of the weapon.
"However, the best essence will naturally need to be Yang-aligned," Subaru said after a moment of thought, his tone steady as he came to a conclusion.
"That condition immediately narrows it down to just me and Gloria."
As he spoke, it was clear that he had already resolved himself to use his own blood and essence to reforge the weapon if necessary.
"Father, you do not need to waste your essence on this," Gloria said firmly as she stepped forward, placing herself between Subaru and the Yang Sword.
Her voice carried confidence without hesitation.
"That weapon is a blazing sun, and no one present represents it better than this concubine."
She lifted her chin slightly, her presence becoming even more imposing.
"I am the sun itself," Gloria continued without arrogance but with absolute certainty.
"I am the Great Spirit of Yang, and there is no essence more suited to reforging that sword than mine."
"You want to give your own essence? Seriously in fact?" Beatrice asked, staring at Gloria in open disbelief.
Even Priscilla found it hard to accept what she was hearing, her expression tightening as she processed the idea that Gloria was willing to offer her essence for her sake.
Only moments ago, the two of them had been practically at each other's throats, their hostility still fresh in the air.
Because of that, the situation felt even more unnatural.
"What kind of game are you trying to play?" Priscilla asked sharply, suspicion clearly written across her face as her eyes locked onto Gloria without wavering.
"This concubine is merely fulfilling the duty she was born for," Gloria replied calmly as she stepped forward without hesitation.
As she moved, her figure began to shine, her entire body gradually becoming clad in an intense and radiant light that filled the space around her.
Subaru smiled the moment he heard those words, instantly understanding what she truly meant.
Without wasting time, his aura expanded outward, covering the shattered fragments of the Yang Sword.
The broken pieces began to tremble before slowly melting, responding to the combined intent as the reforging process began.
The ground beneath them began to change as thick layers of stone rose upward, moving naturally as if guided by an unseen force.
The stone shaped itself carefully, forming a solid mold in midair.
Within moments, the molten metal flowed smoothly into it, filling every part of the structure without spilling even a single drop.
Gloria stepped closer to the forming mold without hesitation.
Standing beside it, she raised her arm and deliberately cut her wrist.
There was no sign of pain or doubt on her face as her essence flowed freely from the wound, dripping from her hand and falling directly into the molten metal below.
As she watched her essence merge with the weapon, a memory surfaced in her mind.
"I name you Gloria, so that you may bring me immortal glory."
She remembered her father's voice clearly, recalling the moment he gave her that name when she was still nothing more than a newly born True Spirit.
At that time, she had not fully understood the meaning behind those words, but she remembered the certainty with which they had been spoken.
Now, she understood completely.
This was the purpose of her life.
This was the reason for her existence.
From the moment she was created, her role had been decided.
To bring immortal glory to the one who made her, to serve his will without hesitation, and to become the embodiment of that glory itself.
She was not merely named Gloria, she was his glory.
*Cough*
"By imbuing this weapon with my essence from this moment onward, your lineage shall be blessed by my divine will," she declared firmly.
Her voice carried authority as Yang mana began to swirl violently around her body, responding to her command.
"Those who wield it shall control the Yang Element more easily than ever before and will possess absolute command over all lesser Yang Spirits."
As the Yang mana surged, her appearance began to change.
In an instant, her clothing transformed into regal attire befitting a ruler, rich and imposing in design.
A radiant crown manifested above her head, unmistakably symbolizing her authority as the supreme ruler of all Yang Element across the world.
The pressure released by her presence was enough to make the surrounding air tremble.
She then reached forward and firmly grasped the hilt of the still-molten sword.
As she pulled it free from the mold, the weapon began to solidify in her hand, its shape forming rapidly while she held it.
Golden flames erupted across the blade, wrapping around it as the Yang Sword took its final form.
At the same time, a magnificent golden throne-like arch manifested behind her, further emphasizing her dominance and authority over Yang.
"Let this weapon bestow immortal glory upon its wielders," she continued coldly, her eyes fixed on the blade.
"And let it incinerate all those who dare be touched by its flames."
As her words ended, the sword finished forming completely.
Without hesitation, she swung it forward in a single decisive motion.
A pure white arc of energy burst from the blade, tearing through the plain ahead and cleaving the land in a straight line that stretched for miles, leaving nothing untouched in its path.
The entire area ahead had been completely scorched, leaving behind a long molten line that violently divided the scenery in two.
The ground along the path of the attack was still glowing faintly, heat radiating from it as the air above continued to shimmer from the residual power of the strike.
"I really hope there was no one present in its path," Alderban said under his breath, unable to hide his unease after witnessing just how overwhelming the weapon's power truly was and worried for random causalities that might have occurred for this aura farming moment.
"Now all it needs is the blood of its rightful owner," Subaru said calmly, turning his gaze toward Priscilla.
His eyes followed her as she stood there in silence, staring at the newly reforged weapon with clear awe written across her face.
Priscilla clenched her fist slightly, her pride resisting even as her reason forced her to acknowledge the truth.
No matter how much she disliked it, she had to begrudgingly admit that Gloria was far stronger than her divine self.
That gap in power was undeniable, and it reminded her painfully of another existence that stood far above her as well.
Just like Zero.
"Princess, I believe it is your turn now," Alderban reminded her, his voice steady as he gestured toward the blazing Yang Sword.
She let out a short snort in response.
"There is no need to remind me, Alderban. My divine self has always been ready," she replied confidently, her tone carrying unmistakable pride.
Without wasting another moment, she stepped forward.
Using the nail of one finger, she deliberately cut into the tip of another, drawing a thin line of blood.
She then let a single drop fall onto the surface of the blazing Yang Sword.
The moment it made contact, the blood was instantly absorbed into the weapon, disappearing without leaving a trace.
At the same time, Priscilla felt a clear and undeniable connection form between herself and the sword.
The sensation was immediate, as if the weapon had acknowledged her existence and accepted her as its rightful owner.
Without any hesitation, she willed the sword to respond.
In an instant, the Yang Sword manifested directly in her hand, answering her command without resistance or delay, as though it had always belonged there.
"You can also allow copies of it to be manifested in the hands of anyone you choose," Subaru said calmly as he watched the process.
He understood the properties of the weapon very well, knowing that they were not significantly different from those of its previous incarnation.
Priscilla smirked as confidence returned fully to her expression.
"Once again, the world has turned in my favor. This so-called defeat was nothing more than the world's way of correcting itself and turning my luck around," she said with absolute certainty.
She then shifted her gaze toward Subaru and began moving closer to him, each step measured and deliberate.
"Not only will I reclaim the throne of Vollachia that I previously lost," she continued, her voice calm yet filled with ambition, "but by withdrawing from this competition, I will also gain the future rulers of Lugunica as my allies."
Her smirk deepened as she laid out the rest of her reasoning without hesitation.
"And that is not all. I have also obtained a far stronger weapon—one that only I, and those whom I personally permit, will ever be able to wield."
Subaru froze where he stood, genuinely stunned by her words.
'Damn, she actually makes sense,' he thought to himself.
'Don't tell me the world really does revolve around her?' He could not deny it, her logic was clean, her timing perfect, and the conclusion she had drawn was practically irrefutable.
Just as Subaru was still processing everything and feeling confused by the situation, Priscilla suddenly moved closer to him.
Before he could react, and to the complete shock of everyone present, she leaned forward and planted a kiss directly on his lips.
'The fuck?!' Subaru thought, completely taken aback by the sudden action.
His mind went blank as Priscilla kissed him without hesitation.
Although she did not force her tongue into his mouth, she deliberately traced his lips with her own, lightly licking them before pulling back as if she were savoring the taste of something incredibly satisfying.
The moment felt unreal, leaving Subaru frozen in place as she finally withdrew.
"The world has even revealed the destined husband of my divine self," Priscilla said with a smile, her expression filled with certainty as she looked straight at Subaru.
Her eyes reflected a mix of emotions such as admiration, desire, and an unmistakable sense of possessiveness as if she had already claimed him as something that belonged to her.
The silence that followed only made the moment more overwhelming, as the meaning behind her words settled in.
Gloria snorted openly, her expression filled with absolute dissatisfaction and clear disdain.
"Say, mongrel," she said mockingly, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Is your position as a wife truly that worthless? Can just anyone walk up and kiss your husband whenever they please?"
She tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing.
"Aren't you supposed to be the most powerful person in the world?"
Her mocking gaze shifted toward Reina, who stood frozen in shock, unable to immediately respond.
Hearing Gloria's words, Reina found herself completely unable to retort.
As much as she hated to admit it, Gloria was right.
She was the strongest.
She possessed power that surpassed all others, capable of reacting faster than light itself—yet someone had casually stepped in and kissed her husband right in front of her without resistance.
That realization stung her, really really badly.
For a brief moment, Reina couldn't help but think about how unbelievably terrible her luck was. Before she could dwell on it any further, however, her expression hardened.
"Priscilla!" she shouted.
In the very next instant, Reina appeared beside them, forcefully pushing the Vollachian princess away.
She immediately pulled Subaru toward herself, gripping him possessively as if to make her claim undeniable.
Raising her palm toward Priscilla, she spoke with clear authority.
"This is my husband," Reina declared firmly. "Go and get your own."
Priscilla, rather than reacting with anger, simply giggled in amusement.
"Correction, Sword Saint," she replied lightly, her smile widening.
"He is our husband."
The tension in the air spiked instantly as her words landed.
Meanwhile, in the background, Alderban was sprawled flat on the ground, completely unconscious and utterly unresponsive.
His body hadn't moved since he collapsed, lying there like someone whose soul had temporarily left his body.
His love life had been destroyed before he even had the chance to properly confess his feelings.
He had been NTR'd in full clarity, right before his eyes.
Schult walked over and crouched beside him, poking and lightly shaking Alderban's body a few times to check his condition.
After a brief examination, he let out a small sigh.
There was no doubt about it that Alderban had been knocked out cold, both mentally and physically.
"I mean, sure, it's a huge shock that Lady Priscilla actually likes a male," Schult muttered to himself, glancing down at the unconscious man, "but to just pass out like this?"
He shook his head helplessly, clearly unimpressed.
"Honestly, his mind is way too weak," Schult concluded, sounding more disappointed than concerned as he stood back up, leaving Alderban to continue lying there in defeat.
While Priscilla and Reina continued arguing heatedly with each other, neither of them showing any intention of backing down, Gloria stood slightly to the side with a faint smirk on her face, clearly amused by how the situation was unfolding.
Nearby, Emilia watched the scene in silence.
The moment she fully registered that Priscilla had kissed Subaru, a sharp wave of jealousy surged through her.
Her blood ran cold as her emotions churned violently beneath the surface.
Without realizing it at first, she clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms as she struggled to keep her composure.
Geuse noticed the subtle change immediately.
He glanced at Emilia, saw her trembling hands and stiff posture, and let out a quiet sigh of resignation.
The signs were far too familiar for him to ignore.
'This is bad,' he thought grimly.
He silently swore to himself that he had to push Emilia to confess her feelings to Subaru as soon as possible.
If he delayed any longer, the consequences could be disastrous.
He had seen this path before, and he knew exactly where it led.
Before it was too late.
Before she ended up becoming yet another jealous silver haired half-elf witch.
Ahem.
To be continued...
(A/N: Did some light edit, man I never thought I will have to do double edits lmao.
Anyways: patreon.com/AkrosZero
And also discord: Xb47VnFUpQ)