RUDE

Leonel stepped onto the head starship, his focused trained and his gaze sharp. He didn't rush this time, nor did he hide his movements. This time, they would be cautious, they would be ready. Trying to sneak around would have the opposite effect, it would dull the momentum of his army and scatter them unnecessarily.

No. This time they would be bold, direct, vicious and swift.

The scouts that the various families had placed around the territory of the Morales noticed the movement instantly and made their reports one after another. The entire Human Domain seemed to be lit on fire.

Many had speculated about what the Morales would do, even some smart strategists thought that it would be best if they took their time, waiting for the Constellation families to "bleed out," so to speak. The closer the Morales came to those territories truly being theirs, the less chance the rest of the Human Domain would have in dealing with them.

At the same time, they were the most powerful within their own territory, especially now that they had formed their own constellation.

But how could they know? The news of the Morales victories had only just disseminated to the public, but to Leonel, it had been a foregone conclusion for weeks already, and in these weeks, he had done nothing but prepare.

All the while, the first target was already decided. The Suiard family would crumble today.

***

The Suiard family, a family standing at the peak of the Human Domain, unsurprisingly had a long and storied history. Their mastery over the sword had begun long before the Sword Domain Ring landed in their possession, but it had only gotten stronger since then.

What was surprising, though, was that the Suiard family had once been a collection of Buddhist Temples. The Suiard temple, the Sina temple, and the Suave temple.

Most who would learn of this history would find it to be ridiculous. Buddhist monks practiced in the art of killing? And what of their secondary Lineage Factor? One that seemed steeped in the aura of demons and devils? What about them could be related to Buddhism and what had happened since then for them to be in this situation now?

To the Suiard family, though, these things were just a matter, of course. They were Buddhists who focused on the Art of Severing, to reach nirvana and escape suffering through severing all things that weighed down their lives, this was the way of the Suiard, Sina, and Suave families.

It was hard to say how many of these teachings remained, but what was more curious than that was how the Suiard family evolved to their current state from where they had begun. The God Path was an interesting one, but the Suiard family had once had their own path, only to conform to the ways of the rest of the Human Domain.

Was this by coincidence, or were there other reasons? Maybe only the Ancestors of the Suiard family would understand why it was that they had abandoned the path of their own. Or maybe that history would be buried on this very day.

"Ishmael, your grandson is as annoying as you were," an old man muttered.

This old man was Amery's grandfather, and he seemed far too unworried for a man whose grandson was still very much missing. Maybe he was well aware that Amery was still alive, but even so, this sort of nonchalantness wasn't what one would expect from a situation like this one, especially since news of the Morales charge had already reached him.

By now, the families knew that Leonel had used their geniuses to pry into all of their secrets. No amount of willpower would save Amery from the fate of having his thoughts and memories read like an open book.

Amery wasn't just a normal genius, he was the future of their family, the hope that they had placed everything in. There wasn't any part of the Suiard family that he didn't have perfect information for, he even knew quite a great deal about the Spiritual Religion too.

There was nothing that the Suiard family could do in a short time that would change the situation. Any tricks or trump cards they had were useless. There was no point in trying to hide them, and it was impossible to come up with anything even remotely as good or effective even given ten years, let alone the few hours they had.

However, even now, Maxx Suiard reclined in his rocking chair in the tallest tower of the Suiard family palace. He looked out over the approaching starships, his gaze unreadable.

A young man met his gaze. He had translucent, pale violet, short cut hair. His demeanor was quite sharp, yet subdued. His gaze, though, seemed to hide the tip of a spear, a blade capable of piercing through all things.

"Same annoying gaze, too," Maxx shook his head.

The brat had actually picked him out already, out of all the other things he could have been focused on, he was focused on this one in particular. He didn't know whether to be flattered or annoyed.

Maxx stood from his rocking chair slowly. His eyes were as black as night, and his robes looked like they were knitted of thick, off-white thread. His feet were bare, and he looked completely unadorned. There was no spatial device, no sword, not even a belt for his waist. He didn't look like he was heading out for a fight, and rather looked like he was going to bed.

And yet, when he seemed to still be taking his first step, he had already appeared before the Starship.

The lasers fired the moment his foot raised, but he had already passed them by as a searing hole was torn through the Suiard family palace. A flame sparked and Maxx's rocking chair was lit ablaze along with the rest of his room.

"That was rude, young man. Is this how you treat your elders?"Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.