After the scream - 900 million universes remaining

[A lance forged by Anything. Perhaps due to the meticulous work and efforts of its creator, it seems capable of distorting the laws of the universe. The only law it spares is that of the Lance, which is strengthened in its proximity. Being imbued with the laws of the lance, it is of course remarkably solid and sharp.]

Its description was no longer than those of the previous artifacts, but none of the Monarchs present needed an exhaustive list of its qualities to understand the value of this lance.

The mere fact that it could interfere with all the laws made it extremely rare among Monarch-grade artifacts. The only person who could benefit from this artifact was Anna, the Monarch of the Lance.

She was a woman of resplendent beauty. Her red hair shimmered softly and matched perfectly with her blue eyes. Her dress revealed her back, particularly the lance that seemed attached to her spine. Normally possessing a formidable aura, combining sharpness and solidity, she seemed transformed upon seeing the artifact behind the display case. She appeared to revert to a child, her eyes fixed on the lance, her pupils sparkling with anticipation.

No mortal or eternal would bid on this artifact as none of them could even handle it. Most Monarchs wouldn't participate in this auction either. This lance was of no use to them, and bidding would only strain their relationship with Anna. Since she was a newly appointed Monarch, even older Monarchs who wanted to raise the bids refrained, fearing she might not have the means to outbid them. Before the auction began, Zhang Shi stood up and approached the Monarch. Anna, who was fixated on the artifact, only sensed his presence when he was a few meters away. Even though she was relatively new to the circle of Monarchs, she knew two things about the man approaching her. The first thing she had learned about him was that he was strong, ridiculously strong. The second point was related to the first: he did not seem to use this strength to intimidate the weaker ones. Maybe this had something to do with his relationship with young Aurore and the elder Gaël, but Anna did not know. She had no desire to ask him either, as his presence remained intimidating to all the Monarchs.

He was sometimes associated with the presence of the Unleashed, even though the two had nothing to do with each other.

Once he was a few steps away from her, she began to bow. The top of her body trembled because she had no idea why he was approaching her, especially before the auction for the lance she so desired.

As she was about to speak, he interrupted her with a calm gesture of his hand before saying:

"You should not bow before another Monarch, Miss Anna," he said with a slight smile on his lips, his voice as calm as the waters of the Lake of Eternity.

As she straightened up, he finally revealed the reason he had come to speak to her:

"How many Promis do you have in your possession?" he asked, his voice devoid of any malice.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"A little over one trillion Promis," she replied after a short moment of reflection.

Once he heard her answer, Zhang Shi simply smiled before returning to the side of Gaël and Aurore, leaving a confused Anna behind.

'What just happened?' she thought as she suspiciously watched Zhang Shi's figure walking away.

Unfortunately for her, she would not get an answer before the start of the auction.

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

0.

Once the countdown ended, the Monarchs' gazes turned to Zhang Shi and Anna, curious about what was about to happen.

The first bid came from Zhang Shi:

"One trillion Promis," he bid, his gaze fixed on Anna.

However, there was no trace of hostility in his eyes, just absolute calm.

"One trillion five hundred forty-eight thousand four hundred eighteen Promis!" she announced.

She was clenching her teeth so hard with anxiety that her lips had started to turn scarlet. She had almost screamed out of stress because she had just bid her entire fortune amassed during her short life.

As her lips began to bleed because she was biting them harder and harder with each passing second, she saw Zhang Shi smile.

Her heart stopped for a moment.

Then the countdown reached zero.

The lance left the podium and settled into her palm.

She might have won the auction, but her confusion only deepened. Everyone here knew that Zhang Shi was, by far, the Monarch with the most Promis.

'So why, why did he let me win the auction?'

But before she could go thank him and ask him this question, the next artifact had already made its way onto the stage.

Behind the glass was a simple book, its bindings undone by the passage of time. There was no title to this book, just a jet-black cover and hundreds of blank pages.

The description on the screen read:

[The origin of this book is unknown to all, except of course to Anything. As dark in appearance as the soul of its bearer, this book can only be used by a soul that has too often encountered death throughout its existence. Its blank pages can only be read by a pure heart, detached from all superficial emotion. Once these conditions are met, this book will reveal its purpose. Write the name of a being weaker than you, and the laws of death will do everything in their power to fulfill your wish. Of course, if you are the Monarch of Death, you can write your own name and deepen your mastery of these laws.]

Anna then saw Zhang Shi heading towards another Monarch. This one had a humanoid appearance, but Anna had never thought he was human.

He was about six meters tall. His limbs were so skeletal and his skin so pale that one might wonder how he managed to move on his deformed legs and even if he was still alive.

The main characteristic that differentiated him from humans was the size of his face. It had to be several meters long and nearly two meters wide. He had no eyes. Instead, there were two cavities filled with chilling darkness. The Monarchs knew this was not mere darkness but the result of the concentration of the laws of Death.

The being Zhang Shi was approaching was the Monarch of Death.

With a slight smile and looking him straight in the "eyes," he asked him the same question he had asked young Anna:

"How many Promis do you have in your possession?"