I looked at the Patriarch.
Confusion flickered across my face.
Then—
Annoyance.
"…Authority?"
My expression shifted.
Not respectful.
Not cautious.
Irritated.
As though the word itself had become an inconvenience.
I didn't understand what he wanted from me.
I didn't understand why everyone had gathered outside the training ground.
And after everything that had happened—
I certainly didn't appreciate being questioned as though I had deliberately caused a catastrophe.
That—
Was a mistake.
A faint ripple passed through the elders.
Subtle.
Almost imperceptible.
But noticeable.
And the Patriarch saw it.
His gaze sharpened.
Before I could speak again, a familiar blue screen appeared before my eyes.
«[Grand Elder Information]
Name: Vaelor
Age: 10 Cycles
Divine Realm: 9th Stage, Universal Sovereign (Beyond Peak)
Path: Mind & Spirit, Law Comprehender
Path: Soul, Realm Unifier
Laws: Inferno Domain (Lightning, Flame, Storm, Beast, Spirit, Soul) [Peak God-Tier]
Title: Patriarch
Bloodline Purity: 25%»
My thoughts paused.
…What?
I examined the information again.
A ninth-stage Universal Sovereign.
Beyond Peak.
Two cultivation paths.
Six laws gathered beneath a single domain.
And a bloodline purity of twenty-five percent.
This function was supposed to be for enemies.
System?
The response appeared almost immediately.
«This function was always for you, Master.
You were simply too weak to use it properly before.»
I stared at the screen.
"…Hmph."
Of course.
Even my own system had apparently decided that explaining things properly was optional.
I dismissed the notification.
Then looked back up.
The Patriarch was approaching.
Slowly.
Measured.
Yet every step felt as though the ground itself were bowing beneath his feet.
His expression had hardened.
There was anger in his eyes.
But something else lay beneath it.
Disappointment.
Not the disappointment of a man whose authority had been challenged.
Something deeper.
Something closer to concern.
This child…
Vaelor studied the young tiger standing before him.
Too fast.
Too sharp.
Too early.
He had seen geniuses.
Monsters.
Prodigies whose names had shaken entire generations.
But Velzahar was different.
Not simply because of the power he had displayed.
Not even because he had touched something called Authority.
It was the speed of his transformation.
The boy who had struggled with the limits of his bloodline had just unleashed power capable of erasing an entire training ground.
And afterward—
He had walked out as though nothing extraordinary had happened.
Vaelor's thoughts grew heavier.
Three cycles.
That was how long it had taken him to reach his current understanding.
My son… one and a half.
His gaze remained fixed on Velzahar.
And you…
Not even a fraction of that time.
Such growth was dangerous.
Not necessarily to the world.
But to the one experiencing it.
Power could be trained.
Techniques could be mastered.
Even laws could be comprehended through sufficient effort and understanding.
But when strength grew faster than judgment—
The result was often destruction.
And when that destruction came from a being with an extraordinary bloodline, the consequences could extend far beyond the individual.
As Patriarch—
Vaelor would not allow that to happen without testing the boy standing before him.
He stopped directly in front of me.
Close.
Too close.
Our eyes met.
Blue against black.
Lightning against silence.
I didn't move.
Didn't bow.
Didn't flinch.
I don't like being looked down on.
That was the only thought occupying my mind.
I didn't know why I felt this way.
I knew who stood before me.
I knew what his information screen had revealed.
And I knew that the difference between our strength was enormous.
Yet the knowledge refused to produce the reaction it should have.
No fear.
No instinctive urge to retreat.
Only an uncomfortable certainty that I had no reason to lower my head beyond the respect I had already shown.
The air grew heavy.
Around us, the elders watched in silence.
Some appeared troubled.
Others seemed curious.
None intervened.
If they stopped the Patriarch now, they might prevent the boy from learning a necessary lesson.
If they allowed the confrontation to continue—
They risked pushing him into something they could not easily control.
Both possibilities carried consequences.
Only one elder seemed to enjoy the situation.
Solryn.
He watched from the side, a faint smile resting on his lips.
"…Interesting."
Then—
The Patriarch's aura ignited.
BOOOOM!
Blue lightning surged outward like a storm unleashed from its restraints.
The pressure exploded across the courtyard.
Spectators were thrown backward.
Some slammed into the walls.
Others collapsed before they could even understand what had happened.
Caelion slid several meters, his expression tightening as he released his own aura to remain standing.
The elders barely moved.
They stood like mountains against the raging storm.
And me?
I remained at the center.
Still.
Unaffected.
My thoughts sharpened.
…Why am I not reacting?
System.
The reply appeared.
«Bloodline influence.»
Another line followed.
«You are not forcing this.
This is your nature surfacing.»
I frowned.
…This isn't me.
The response came without hesitation.
«It is you.
Just not the version you recognize yet.»
My fingers curled slightly.
That's not an explanation.
But the system offered nothing more.
Before I could press it, the Patriarch's aura intensified.
The blue lightning withdrew.
Not disappearing.
Compressing.
The pressure that had filled the courtyard gathered around a single point.
Me.
The surrounding air became heavier.
My clothes stirred.
The ground beneath my feet creaked.
This time, I could feel it.
The difference between the Patriarch's power and mine was undeniable.
His aura possessed a depth I could barely comprehend.
Yet even as that pressure descended upon me—
I didn't retreat.
My body recognized the danger.
My mind understood it.
But something deeper refused to respond as expected.
The Patriarch's eyes narrowed.
Then—
"ROOOAAARRRR—!!!"
A tiger's roar erupted across the courtyard.
It wasn't merely sound.
It was authority expressed through bloodline and power.
The ground trembled.
Blue lightning wrapped around Vaelor's body, forming brilliant armor across his shoulders, arms, and chest.
His eyes burned completely blue.
The air distorted around him.
Divinity—
Unleashed.
The entire courtyard shook.
Even space seemed unstable beneath the weight of his presence.
Behind the elders, the crowd fell into complete silence.
They were no longer watching a grandfather question his grandson.
They were witnessing a Patriarch demonstrate the difference between their positions.
And yet—
I stepped forward.
One step.
The pressure pressed against my body.
My tail flickered behind me.
I took another.
The distance between us narrowed.
Until only centimeters separated us.
Gasps echoed from behind the elders.
Even several of the Sovereigns shifted their expressions.
This child…
I could almost hear the thought passing through the gathering.
My gaze remained steady.
Cold.
Indifferent.
Like a beast that had yet to recognize the creature standing before it as a predator.
For the first time—
The Patriarch's expression changed.
The anger remained.
But something darker entered his eyes.
Not hatred.
Not contempt.
Realization.
"…You truly don't understand."
His voice was quieter now.
Somehow, that made it more dangerous.
His power rose again.
Deeper.
Heavier.
The blue lightning around him twisted, and the pressure of his domain spread across the courtyard.
He was no longer merely testing my composure.
He was preparing to show me the difference between us.
Between sky—
And ground.
Between comprehension—
And mastery.
Between the laws a being could wield…
And the Authority that dared to stand above them.
But before he could move—
A voice cut through everything.
"…Enough."
It wasn't loud.
It didn't need to be.
The moment it sounded—
Everything stopped.
The lightning.
The pressure.
Even the air seemed to freeze.
The Patriarch remained motionless.
The elders turned.
Solryn stepped forward.
His faint smile had returned.
But something in his eyes had changed.
Ancient.
Knowing.
Far more serious than before.
"…That's far enough, Vaelor."
The Patriarch's gaze shifted toward him.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Solryn continued.
"You're about to make a mistake."
Silence.
Heavy.
Absolute.
His gaze moved from the Patriarch to me.
He studied my black eyes.
My still posture.
The tail flickering behind me.
Then his smile deepened slightly.
"For even among Sovereigns…"
His voice remained soft.
"…hierarchy still exists."
A faint pause.
His eyes sharpened.
"And power isn't always the only thing that determines where a being stands."
The words settled over the courtyard.
I frowned.
What does that mean?
Solryn didn't explain.
Instead, he looked directly at the Patriarch.
"…And this one?"
His smile faded.
For the first time since I had seen him, the Ancient Sovereign looked completely serious.
"…is not as simple as you think."