The prince did not know how to react after his father's sudden words.
But in the end, he let out a small sigh, then raised his hand toward the Emperor and said confidently:
"Then… prepare yourself."
And the moment he said that…
His eyes suddenly darkened.
A strange and sinister aura burst from his body, making the air inside the hall feel terrifyingly heavy.
Black energy spread through the surroundings like smoke, while ancient magical symbols appeared around his body.
The ancient magic was awakening.
But…
Before that aura could fully spread throughout the hall…
Something horrifying happened.
An overwhelming pressure suddenly erupted from the Emperor's body.
It was invisible, yet it felt as though an entire mountain had fallen upon the hall.
And in a single instant…
The prince's aura was completely shattered.
The black energy recoiled and vanished, while the prince himself was forced several steps backward, fear appearing on his face against his will.
It felt as though every part of his body was screaming a warning at him.
As for the Emperor…
He remained seated calmly upon his throne.
He sighed lightly, then withdrew his terrifying pressure and said:
"Do you see now?"
Then he looked at his son with calm eyes and continued:
"This is the power that allows me to sit upon this throne."
Silence filled the hall as the Emperor continued in a low yet heavy voice:
"And that is why I became one of Mira's rulers… alongside the leaders of the other great races."
Then he gestured slightly with his hand and added:
"Every king or leader of a race acknowledged by the dragons… possesses power close to my own."
The prince's eyes widened in shock.
He had always known he was weaker than his father…
But he had never imagined the gap between them was this enormous.
And even worse…
He realized that his father had not even used his full power to suppress him.
Meanwhile, he himself had not attacked with everything he had either…
Yet the result had still been humiliating.
The prince lowered his head slightly, then spoke in a low voice:
"So… if all the kings and rulers possess this kind of power…"
He raised his eyes toward his father and continued:
"Then the son of the King of the Demi-Humans must possess power similar to yours as well, right, Father?"
The Emperor shook his head with a faint smile and replied:
"Do not let your imagination run too wild."
Then he continued calmly:
"It is true that the Prince of the Demi-Humans is powerful."
But then…
The Emperor's expression became far more serious as he continued:
"However, he has not yet reached the level of me and the other rulers of the races."
He paused for a moment before adding:
"But he is certainly… stronger than you."
The prince's expression tightened slightly as the Emperor continued:
"That monster stands only one step away from reaching our level."
The prince looked at his father suspiciously and asked:
"And how do you even know the extent of his power?"
Then he frowned and added:
"You have never met him before."
The Emperor chuckled lightly before answering:
"That is the only thing capable of forcing the King of the Demi-Humans to release his son from prison."
A faint smile appeared on his face as he continued:
"Fear of the future."
Silence fell over the hall.
Meanwhile, the Crown Prince of the Human Empire began thinking deeply about his father's words.
And he realized something deeply unsettling.
It was true that, with ancient magic, he could make anyone who faced him suffer terribly…
But despite that…
The distance between him and true power was still unimaginably vast.
So vast that, for the first time in years…
He felt weak.
Far away from the thoughts of the Human Empire's Crown Prince…
Inside the Kingdom of the Dwarves…
The Dwarf King sat upon his massive stone throne while calmly listening to the envoys of the Demi-Humans who had come to request the artifact.
He remained silent for some time, carefully considering their words.
Then, finally, he raised his head and said:
"So…"
The entire hall fell silent, waiting for his next words.
Then the king slowly continued:
"What guarantees do I have that you will help us against the elves… after we give you the artifact?"
The envoys exchanged glances after hearing the Dwarf King's words, then one of them calmly replied:
"And what exactly do you want from us to prove that we are sincere?"
The Dwarf King looked at them, then let out a faint laugh before saying:
"I want something equal in value to the artifact itself."
Then he added while tapping his fingers against the massive stone throne:
"Only then… will I believe that you are truly serious."
Silence filled the hall for several moments.
The envoys exchanged hesitant looks.
This kind of decision was beyond their authority.
After thinking briefly, one of them said:
"We cannot decide that on our own."
Then he bowed slightly and continued:
"We must return and ask our king first."
The Dwarf King nodded calmly and replied:
"Then go."
He gestured toward the hall's doors and added:
"And when you reach a solution… you may return once more."
The envoys bowed respectfully and quietly left the throne hall while thinking about what they should do.
It was obvious to them that their king would not easily accept such a condition.
But just as they were about to leave the hall completely…
The doors suddenly burst open violently.
One of the dwarves rushed inside at full speed, clear signs of anxiety and tension visible on his face.
The envoys immediately stopped and exchanged quick glances.
They instantly realized that something serious had happened.
And they immediately considered secretly listening to the upcoming conversation.
But before they could do anything, the guards firmly escorted them outside the hall, and the massive stone doors shut tightly behind them.
The moment the doors closed…
All sound from within vanished completely.
The Dwarf King looked at the man who had entered without permission, then immediately narrowed his eyes once he recognized him.
He was one of the supervisors responsible for the forces and colonies within the Fallen Islands.
And that alone was enough for the king to understand that the matter was extremely serious.
So he immediately said:
"Speak."
Then he leaned slightly forward and continued:
"Did something happen in the Fallen Islands?"
The supervisor was breathing heavily from running so quickly, needing several moments to regain his breath.
Then he raised his head and hurriedly said:
"My lord… my king…"
He swallowed nervously before continuing:
"The ships we sent to the Fallen Islands to deliver supplies… have been completely destroyed."
The king's expression changed instantly.
The supervisor quickly continued:
"They vanished in the middle of the ocean."
Then he clenched his fist tightly and added:
"And we could not determine what happened to them."
Silence spread through the hall.
Then the man continued anxiously:
"Even after we sent search teams… we found nothing except wreckage."
He raised his eyes toward the king and said:
"The ships were completely destroyed."
Then he added in a low voice:
"We could only recover a few small fragments from the bottom of the sea."
The Dwarf King stared at the supervisor in visible shock before quickly saying:
"Were those ships not carrying one of the Ocean Crystal shards?!"
Then he slammed the armrest of his stone throne violently as he continued:
"How were they destroyed while carrying that shard?!"
The supervisor lowered his head silently.
Even he had no answer.
He had spent many years overseeing the supply routes leading to the Fallen Islands.
And while some ships occasionally sank because of sea monsters or storms…
Ships carrying fragments of the Ocean Crystal…
Had never been destroyed.
Never.
And that was exactly why he was afraid.
Terrified, in fact.
Because he had personally confirmed that the entire fleet had sunk, and not even a single ship had survived.
(Author's Note):
Hello everyone! Thank you for your continuous support of this novel; your comments and interactions mean the world to me.
Stepping away from our story here for a moment, I wanted to share another project I've been working on with great passion. I have started publishing a webtoon (comic) on the Webtoon platform titled "Me and the Wolf."
It is a [Comedy / Fantasy] story about a miserable young man and a cunning wolf who is constantly getting him into trouble! If you enjoy my writing style and the way I build scenarios, I promise you're going to love this comic.
I would be so grateful if you could go check it out, subscribe to the series, and let me know what you think in the comments there!
🔍 Search on the Webtoon app for: [Me and the Wolf]