Markus was gagged and had spikes stabbed into his limbs to prevent movement, and was finally chained to a post.

Just like this he was transferred from the Saevio residence to the Dragna palace under the moonlight.

He was brought in front of the throne where Miko sat with deadpan expression.

Miko was indeed attacked by Rihan and had his insides obliterated, but after Sora threw a cloak over him and took him away, he instantly used Primordial Recreation and barely escaped death.

"........"

Marcus looked at him with eyes filled with hate.

Miko ignored his gaze and looked at Rihan, who had Leon and Kristen standing behind him.

“You sure know how to deliver.”

Miko said.

“I just had my servants check it out, but the main family of the Saevio clan has been completely wiped out.”

“Of course. I’ve always execute my jobs with complete seriousness.”

Rihan answered.

“With this, I’m sure that our deal is sealed.”

Miko nodded.

“As long as you remember the conditions that I added, it’s sealed.”

“I see. Then it was great doing business with you.”

Rihan laughed and turned to leave.

“Wait.”

However, Miko stopped him.

“My father and little brother. I haven’t seen you two in a while.”

Leon was the first to respond.

“We’ve been a little busy helping Rihan with some stuff. Did you miss us or something?”

“Hardly. It’s just that I don’t like the fact that the two of you are unaccounted for.”

“We’re fine. Thanks for the concern.”

Leon said with a slight smile.

Miko looked at Kristen who kept quiet and didn’t even look at him.

“You should visit our mother sometimes. She’s worried about you two.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

After saying that, they all left.

Miko looked towards their direction for a while with a sharp gaze.

He then turned away and looked back at Markus.

“Sorry for making you wait. Just some family matters.”

He said.

“Now that I think about it, you’re technically family aren’t you?”

Markus didn’t answer and just glared at him.

“Silence, huh? Well, you are gagged.”

After he said that, he snapped his fingers and Markus mouth was freed.

“Is that better?”

“You bastard!”

“Seriously? Is that the first thing you say?”

Miko said with a sigh.

“You murdered my family!”

“Me? I’m pretty sure you didn’t see me at your mansion.”

Miko showed his hands.

“Look. My hands are clean.”

“You gave the order!”

Markus shouted.

“Order? You think I can actually control Rihan?”

He burst out laughing.

“I can’t control him and he can’t control me. We’re like oil and water. We just don’t mix well.”

He said.

“You were just a peace offering, or a prize if you will.”

Markus growled and glared at Miko with hatred.

Miko sighed when he saw that.

“Look, I know that this is a bit insensitive sense your family was slaughtered, but can’t you cheer up at bit? This is a historic moment after all.”

He pointed at Markus.

“This is the day the Saevio clan disappear from the world after all.”

“You think you can get away with this?!”

Markus shouted.

“Of course. I’m the king after all.”

Miko answered with a straight face.

“Well, I’ll soon be an emperor anyway.”

He said as he stood up.

“For that reason I need to get rid of all possible threats inside the kingdom, as soon as possible. I can’t afford to suffer any rebellions when I’m one step away from achieving my goal.”

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He walked down the steps.

“It has happened countless times through history. Great empires and organization suffer inner conflict, which led to their inevitable downfall.”

He stopped in front of Markus.

“I’m not stupid enough to see my predecessors mistakes and not learn from them.”

He smiled and placed his hand on Markus cheek.

“So it’s nothing personal, Markus. It’s just business.”

“Business? You expect me to accept my family being slaughtered as just being Business?”

He spat at Miko, which he evaded with a side step.

“Fuck you, you little bastard! If you’re going to kill me then just do it!”

“……..”

Miko looked at Markus and didn’t answer immediately.

He turned his back to him.

“Well, don’t be in such a rush. We need to hold a trial first.”

“Trial?”

“Yes, a trial. If I don’t hold one it will just look like I killed you without any justification. It’s a common tactic in the world of politics to hold a rigged trial so that they can ‘Lawfully’ rid themselves from threats. I’m about to do the same.”

“And you have no shame holding one?”

“Of course I don’t. I’m a shameless person.”

Miko snapped his fingers and mask people filled the room.

“We’re about to hold the trial deciding the fate of Saevio clan leader, Markus Saevio.”

He said as he sat by a judge table, dressed in a black gown.

Markus was forced to stand behind a desk that said defendant.

“Markus Saevio, you’re charged with treason, attempted regicide, espionage, corruption, and plotting against the kingdom. How do you plea?”

Asked Miko.

“Not guilty!”

Markus shouted.

“I see. You pleaded guilty. It’s good to be honest.”

Markus wasn’t surprised by what Miko said in the least and clicked his tongue.

“Since the defendant has pleaded guilty, I will know pass down my judgement.”

Miko lifted the gavel.

“I sentence you to death and for all of your possessions to be seized by the state. Namely myself.”

He slammed the gavel without a change in expression.

He looked at Markus.

“Mr.Saevio, any last words?”

Markus didn’t answer immediately and just stared at Miko.

After taking a deep breath he finally spoke.

“I’ve lived for thousands of years and seen countless people. Some insane, some overly good, some purely evil, and some just plain chaotic. But you Miko are something that I’ve never seen before. You’re so fucked up that I can’t wrap my head around anything you do. But I do know this.”

He smiled before speaking.

“You won’t have a good end. Your life will be so miserable that you’ll wish for death more than anyone. And in the end you’ll laugh at how meaningless your life was….Ugh!”

In the middle of talking, Markus felt a hand stab into his back, however he kept smiling even while blood leaked from his mouth.

“I might being going to hell first, but I’ll be sure to laugh at your misfortunes while I wait for you to come down there as well.”

He then turned and looked at person who had stabbed him.

“I also await the day for your demise, Kimiko.”

“Then you’ll be waiting a long time.”

Kimiko replied.

The moment said that flower started forming around her and Markus.

When Markus saw the flowers he laughed.

“I’ll be going ahead! But I’m not sad, because I know we’ll meet again!”

*Boom!*

At that moment plant roots burst out his body and ripped him apart.

Only a lone blood stained rose remained in his place.

This marked the death of Markus Saevio.

“……..”

The room was silent while Miko looked at the flower that was once Markus Saevio.

“Miko.”

That’s when Kimiko called out to him.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. It was just the words of a desperate man at death’s door.”

He replied.

However, Kimiko heard about the prophecy of Miko’s death and couldn’t help but to be reminded about it.

“Say Miko. Aren’t you trying a little bit too hard?”

She asked.

“I mean you’ve been working yourself down to the bone in order to hurry up the process of forming an empire as of late.”

“I’m fine.”

“What about Tiamat? I haven’t seen her around lately.”

Kimiko asked.

“Who knows.”

Miko answered before walking past her.

‘Is it me or is Miko being a bit distant towards everything lately.’

She thought to herself.

After he left the throne room Miko headed towards one of his offices.

When he entered, he saw Hina, Bloom, and Luka inside.

“Is it done?”

Hina asked.

Miko nodded.

“Markus Saevio is dead. Transfer all of the Saevio clan’s property to the crown.”

“What about the servants?”

Luka asked.

“The most loyal ones will be imprisoned and receive brainwashing to serve the crown, while the others will simply be reassigned to the multiple divisions all over the city.”

Miko answered.

“Can I take some of them? We need some more members because the population is continuing to increase.”

Said Bloom.

“Alright. Keeping the public order of this country will be a lot harder from now on, so your request is granted.”

“Hey, what are you going to do with all the extra money you’ve got?”

Hina asked.

“Don’t know. But a country can’t have too much money, so for now I’ll keep it in our vault.”

“What about the Saevio world?”

Luka asked.

“I’ll give it to my father. As the only remaining member of the main family it’s his by right.”

Miko answered.

“Are you sure? Isn’t he on your uncle’s side?”

Asked Bloom.

Miko nodded.

“He is but I don’t really consider Rihan an immediate threat. We’ll clash later on, but not anytime soon.”

“How do you know?”

“Instinct.”

“That isn’t reliable.”

Luka said with a frown.

“True. That’s why I won’t let my guard down around him and he probably won’t let his around me either.”

Somewhere in the deserted Saevio world, Rihan sat in a chair drinking some wine he found around the place.

“Markus Saevio is dead and the Saevio clan has fallen. How does that make you feel, Leon?”

He asked Leon who was sitting not too far away from him.

“To be honest, I have mixed feelings. I mean, after all said and done they’re still my family.”

Leon answered while mixing the wine in his cup.

“Oh, well. They deserved it after everything they’ve done to me.”

He answered soon after.

“I for one, don’t feel anything about them being destroyed.”

Said Kristen, who was also drinking.

“The weak gets devoured by the strong, that’s how the world works. It’s just that this time we’re the strong.”

“Following that logic, then there will be a chance that we’ll end up as the weak that gets devoured one day.”

Aeon added.

“You live by the sword, you die by the sword huh. We live by stepping on others so we’ll definitely get stepped on in the future.”

Said Rihan.

“Karma huh?”

Said Leon.

“Karma is a bitch, no truer words have ever been spoken.”

Rihan replied with a laugh.

“By the way, Uncle. Was it really worth handing over the Saevio clan to my brother, for you make a way out for that person? I mean my brother might not spare them you know.”

Said Kristen.

“No, Miko will live up to his end of the bargain. I can guarantee that.”

Said Aeon.

“In fact, killing that person isn’t an option for him. He’ll realize that himself as well.”

Rihan nodded.

“I got rid of the Saevio clan because of my personal feelings. There was no need to bargain with Miko.”

He said.

“Besides, this way I won’t have to worry about that prehistoric monster getting in my way with this.”

“By prehistoric monster, you mean Augustus?”

Asked Aeon.

Rihan nodded.

“Miko was reincarnated from an outside world into this one by Tiamat. This action is against the rules of the Proxy wars and can result in severe punishment if it’s found out, but Tiamat still did so without concern for her safety. Why?”

“Because Miko is important to her, even more important than her wellbeing.”

Leon answered.

Rihan nodded.

“But how could Miko be important to her if they’ve never met? And why would she chose a proxy when she hadn’t done so for years?”

“Because they had met before and were very familiar with each other.”

Answered Kristen.

Rihan nodded.

“Another thing was the fact that the two were deeply in love to the point that a stubborn goddess like Tiamat would follow Miko’s orders. That’s unheard of. What clinched it was the power Miko used suppress everyone, including the guardians, a few days ago. That wasn’t the power of a mortal, and there’s no way a child, no matter how gifted, could exert that much power and presence.”

“If you put all these facts together then it only leads to one answer.”

Said Aeon.

“Miko is Augustus Dragna reincarnation.”

Rihan nodded again.

“The question is, what are we going to do with this information?”

Asked Aeon.

“Nothing. I want to destroy the new era and they’ll definitely come after Miko.”

Rihan lifted the glass with wine and spilt it on the floor.

“So why not let them destroy each other while we watch from the sidelines?”

He said with a smirk.

“Uwaah!”

That’s when Leon stood up and shouted.

“What are you doing?! That’s an expensive carpet!”

He shouted at Rihan.

“Ah, sorry. I forgot that this is your place now. My habit of being dramatic when explaining my plans just took over.”

He said with a laugh.

“Great way to kill the mood.”

Said Aeon.

“Anyway.”

Rihan stood.

“For now Miko isn’t our concern. I let you guys join Juggernauts as numbers under my red order, but you guys still aren’t official members. So how about we carry out an orientation?”

“What kind of orientation?”

Kristen asked.

“Nothing much.”

Rihan smiled.

“Just destroying a country or two.”