Deep in the heart of the royal palace of the Welshmar Republics capital city, the harsh, metallic clang of metal boots resonated off the marble walls of a long, sparsely lit corridor. Apart from the few, old paintings that had accumulated a fair amount of dust, the only visible feature the hallway had was the multiple silver armoured sentinels that stood like statues at regular intervals, their eyes locked onto the counterparts opposite them.

Yet, even though the sound of the approaching group shattered the peaceful silence, not even a single guard had looked in their direction. Instead, their bodies had straightened as they increased their grip on their ornate spears.

As the group swept past the guards, their footsteps like the beat of an ancient war drum, the guards felt goosebumps rise on their arms as their hairs stood on end. Those moving down the hall were like an unstoppable force of nature, their expressions appearing somewhat sour and aggressive.

At the head of the group, walking in front of two columns of six heavily armoured knights, was a tall, blonde haired woman. She was wearing sleek, glimmering golden armour that appeared to give off a faint, yellow hue that made her, whose face was sharp yet enchanting, to appear somewhat divine.

In stark contrast to the slim woman, the golden armoured knights behind her seemed more like mighty war golems than humans in suits of armour. Standing two abreast, their combined width almost spanned the entire corridor forcing the guards to press themselves against the wall as they passed. The knights carried massive longswords strapped to their backs while an assortment of short swords and small axes sheathed at their waists.

Their faces were masked by intimidating, demonic golden faceplates that depicted demonic faces in various states of misery. The only common feature of the faceplates was the blood-red gems that provided a way for the occupants of the hulking armour to see.

After walking for almost five minutes, the group turned at a T junction and approached two armoured knights that were standing at on each side of a decorative, wooden door. Beside the guard on the left stood a man wearing an embellished, red robe.

A deep frown was etched upon the man's face as he, and the knights standing beside him, stared at the woman who was rapidly approaching their position. The trio didn't even spare the imposing, golden knights that dwarfed the woman a single glance.

Closing his eyes for a moment, the man took a deep breath and cleared his throat before stepping forward to block the group's path. As he did, a bead of sweat formed and began trickling down his forehead. "De- General, his Royal Highness is currently in the middle of-"

The man was unable to finish his sentence as the woman had already reached his position and, without the slightest of hesitation, backhanded him with her armoured fist.

While the move seemed extremely casual, if a little fast, it had carried enough force to sweep the man off his feet and send him flying to the left. It was so powerful that before the woman's foot had even landed on the soft carpet, the mage had slammed into the wall with a sickening thud.

The two silver armoured knights repressed a shiver at the sudden attack, accompanied by the faint noise of something snapping. However, they didn't even glance at the man as he crumbled to the floor, leaving behind a bloody smear that trailed down the wall.

Instead, they saluted with their fists slamming their chests and allowed the woman to continue onwards as she lifted her hands. Without the slightest hint of resistance, her hands slapped the large, double doors and pushed them inwards.

The creaking of the doors rumbled down the corridor and the large room they opened into, yet that harsh noise was soon silenced by the almighty crash as they slammed into the walls due to the fact that she had applied too much force.

Inside the room, a group of well dressed, regal looking men who had been hunched over a rectangular metal table frowned as they lifted their heads or turned towards the disturbance.

The table they were previously hovering over was covered in maps, stones and many pieces of parchment residing at the centre of a large, ornate room. It was illuminated by glow stones that attempted to replicate natural light, set in strange formations that were designed to resemble windows. Bookcases and shelves littered the gaps between the fake windows, creating the sensation that this was a library or at least, a rich man's study.

As the group of finely dressed men, some wearing luxurious robes while others donned ornate armour, straightened, their expressions could be divided into three groups as their eyes landed on the golden clad woman. A limited few showed small smiles, the majority frowned or even glared at the woman while the rest revealed expressions of fear and subtly backed away.

It was the men that wore crowns who smiled, while those in armours revealed open hostility while the remaining robed men were the ones that looked as if they had seen a ghost. The only person who seemed different was a tall man with brown, slightly dishevelled hair.

Those revealing hostile gazes glanced at the golden knights, who had closed the door and stood to the sides, before returning to the woman and then finally the brown-haired man. A few clenched their fists or ground their teeth yet after a few seconds, adopted neutral expressions.

However, one of the men didn't and after glaring at the brown-haired man, returned his gaze to the woman who was halfway to the table. "So, the great and mighty Demon General, ah I mean Demon Hunter, doesn't even put her king's standing in her eyes. Barging in on his grand meeting with such a show of force. I guess the rumours are true. That the little girl that fears the dark so much has to always have her pack of loyal dogs at her side."

Seeing the woman blatantly ignore him, the man was about to speak again when the subtle movement of the knights standing along the wall caused him to freeze. They had all moved their hands to the various weapons at their side, the glowing red-gems all seemingly locked onto him.

"Lord Kain" The brown-haired man dismissively waved a hand at the decorative armoured man that had spoken, a frown marring his young, somewhat handsome face. "Your country is already a puppet state. Do not make me annexe it completely."

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Kain flinched, his red, angered face rapidly paling before turning around and bowing. "My apologies Emperor Harold."

Harold turned his attention to the woman who was now feet away from the other end of the table. Those that had previously been standing there had backed to the sides. "Eos..."

*Bang*

Eos, the golden armoured woman, slammed her armoured palms onto the metal table, creating a deafening noise. "Harold. Why the fuck is my Ninth Legion being redeployed to the south. Didn't you read my report? She has ascended and is somewhere in the north. If we don't act now-"

The cold tone of her voice caused those standing nearby to back away a few steps as a golden glow started to form around her body. Most averted their eyes, while a brave few seemed to be captivated by the beauty brought out by her anger.

Harold held his hand up to silence the enraged woman, a vein popping on his forehead. "Everyone leave."

"Harold." The woman came to a stop on the opposite side of the table. "Answer me."

Harold sighed, closing his eyes as he massaged the bridge of his nose before glaring at the Eos and indicating those around him. "This isn't the time. Our master has already made his decision on that issue so just be a good hound and obey."

Seeing that Eos wasn't about to leave, his gaze moved to those still standing around him. "Out. Now."

The men bowed, some displaying looks of curiosity or obedience while others revealed more fearful expressions, before quickly leaving the room. However, they didn't use the large door Eos entered, but a smaller side door camouflaged between two bookcases.

As soon as they had left, the hidden door clicking behind them, Harold levelled his gaze on Eos. "Will you stop this nonsense. How can she have ascended? Her soul isn't complete and it isn't possible that her bloodline contains any divinity. The traitor that is hiding in the twilight sect has the soul crystal and Master was there when her transformation took place."

"Then let me-"

"No. You have already ruined Master's plans too many times and are already at risk of being purged. Anyway, if we fight the Twilight sect now, it's still not sure who will come out victorious. We all have a job to do. If we do it well, we will get what we want otherwise~." Harold's gaze hardened. "It will be our corpses that fertilise the fields and benefit others."

Eos ground her teeth as she leant forward, over the table. As she did, she clenched her metal gloves causing the sharp screech of metal to resonate outwards. "Do not threaten me, Emperor. Even if we do dance in the palms of that lecturous wannabe angel and he agrees to our wishes, only one of us can get what we want."

"I guess that is true." Harold's smile revealed teeth as he intensely gazed into Eos's eyes. "I want my sister's body to find peace and you wan-"

"She cannot be killed." Eos's shout resonated around the room, the papers in front of her fluttering as the glow around her body increased causing small gusts of wind. "You cannot free that creature back to whatever hell it came from. It must be imprisoned and controlled."

"... Do you think that he will let me kill her? His prized weapon?" Harold's fingers dug into his palms. "No. I desire a different kind of peace."

Harold's lips then curved upwards. "Then again, do you think he will let you dominate her so you can get past that pathetic trauma? If so, why would he have forbidden us from acting until now? Instead of letting us get what we want, he orders us to stand back while she roams free."

Eos smiled, yet there was no joy or entertainment in her expression. Her anger seemed to dissipate as her shoulders slouched and the golden light around her body faded away. As she did, Harold leant back in his chair.

The silence between them carried on for a few minutes, the two staring into the eyes of each other.

Eventually, Eos broke the silence as she shook her head. Her voice was weak and somewhat faint. "Even still, we still obey him..."

"Of course. I enjoy living as much as you do. And as long as I am alive, I will have a chance to get what my heart desires." Harold then waved his hand over the detailed map on the table. "Plus, becoming the emperor of the fourth continent isn't too bad, even if it is as a puppet of another."

"So this order to go south came from him?" Eos straightened her body as she pressed her armoured fingers to her temple, rubbing in a circular motion.

"Yes, you are to go south and subjugate the water and sky beasts there. Also the Warburg and Klinox kingdoms. Once that is done, we should have enough power to consolidate our position and take the Twilight sect and their ascension portal." Harold sighed as he took a few steps back and collapsed into one of the chairs that had been pushed away earlier. "That way, not only will we dominate the continent, we will get her soul crystal and control the only method of reaching the third continent. If she is really as immortal as Master thinks, even if she doesn't cultivate, she will eventually have to leave or suffer the guardian's wrath."

"Urg, that will take years."

Harold smiled as he folded his arms. "What? You going to miss me?"

"As if." Eos chuckled, the change in her demeanour drastically affecting her appearance. "Don't get yourself killed while I'm away."

Just as she was about to turn around, Eos froze. Making sure she had Harold's attention, she gazed deep into his eyes. "I don't care that no one else saw it or believes me. I saw... her in an astral form... I will never forget those eyes or presence as long as I live. Mark my words, we should have captured her when she was hiding in that forest instead of turning a blind eye. Soon, even if he wants to face the guardians again, it will be hard to suppress her on this continent."

Harold maintained eye contact for a few moments before sighing noisily. "What are you so worried about? She is a paranoid loner that believes she has obtained freedom. Hiding in a forest and killing minor characters to satisfy her bloodlust and unstable personality. Master has stated that unless provoked she will never leave and we will have nothing to worry about. She doesn't even know about the traitor that is hiding in the Twilight sect."

"She has changed." Eos shook her head as she turned around. "I cultivated to the eleventh layer and have formed two peak gem cores, and I still couldn't see through her."

Harold snorted. "You? See through a being that is over half a century old and slaughtered its way through the prime continent? You think too highly of yourself."

He couldn't see Eos's smile as she walked away. "When we finally confront her, you will see. The creature that fled the capital isn't the one we will be facing."

"So~ You are going south?" Harold stood up, his knees cracking as he did.

"If that is what Master desires, I will obey."

"Eos," Harold frowned at the woman's words. "Don't do anything stupid or against the plan. You might think you are gifted by the light, but those that hold our leashes aren't people we can provoke. If Master doesn't believe we are a benefit to him, we will be disposed of like the rest."

Eos chuckled as the heavy doors were opened by her knights. "Unlike you, I have a purpose and am not so easily replaced."

A vein appeared on Harold's forehead as he watched Eos and her knights march out, not bothering to close the doors. "Purpose? You are nothing more than fancy bait and a temptation to control her. Don't think you are special because Master replaced your heart with a light elemental royalty's core."

It wasn't long before he couldn't see the group anymore and his knights outside tentatively moved and closed the doors.

"Even if I do like you, the fact that you are a sacrifice is already set in stone. You want to illuminate the darkness but in reality, it will end up consuming you." A complex expression appeared on Harold's features as he revealed a bitter smile. "I just hope that you can get on her good side when you are put to use, for both or our sakes."