"Fineas Abberjay Kepler," Sorin said coldly to the new arrival. There are many people I thought the Kepler Clan might send, but you weren't one of them. Tell me, do the Grand Elder and the Elder's Council think so little of me, or did you simply go behind their backs?"

Sorin was on particularly bad terms with Fineas as he'd been the one to suggest that Sorin's assets should be confiscated after his cultivation was crippled and his status was revoked. He'd already been announced as the next leader of the Kepler Clan, yet he still insisted on taking away any scraps Sorin had left.

Sorin's hatred of Fineas was now a full level higher. By analyzing the web of karma connecting the two of them, he could now see that Fineas not only viewed him as a mortal enemy but was even related to the operation that had crippled his cultivation in the first place.

Fortunately, the past five years had given Sorin ample time to rein in his inner Madness and Violence. Did he want to rip out the man's throat in front of all these people? Certainly, but he wasn't in a rush, and there would be ample opportunities to do so in a quieter setting. "What? Cat's got your tongue? You were caught red-handed and don't know how to respond?"

"You've always been suspicious of me," said Fineas, backing down on his earlier aggression. "Which is fair. I did take over your position in the family after your unfortunate incident. Not that it matters right now. You're a God Seed. Your status is far higher than mine.

"Why don't we let bygones be bygones? I truly didn't mean to slight you—it's just that you complicated things somewhat for our family. Normally, a Chief Elder or the clan leader himself would greet you personally. Unfortunately, you broke protocol and stopped by Hero Square before Viper Manor. I was truly the only person who could bring you back without breaching decorum."

Sorin snorted loudly. "You've gotten much stronger since we last saw each other. Back then, you were still holding back your cultivation in the hopes of opening your Conception Vessel. Now, you're already a two-star hero and have crawled up to sixth place in the Flesh-Sanctification Heroic Achievement Rankings.

"And I see you've managed to sanctify fifty percent of your body. It's not bad, but it's not great, considering how many resources the family has spent nurturing you. Just a little more, and you'd be a shoe-in to replace Chief Elder Ignis as punishment elder."

Fineas's smile quivered, but he managed to maintain his composure. "Alas, we mortals aren't like God Seeds. We have no choice but to expend resources to overcome our human limitations."

"True," said Sorin. "But given how much has been spent on you, even a mortal pig could be forced up to the three-star level."

Finea's face flushed red, but Sorin's eyes had already moved on to Fineas's companions. At first, he wanted to land a few jabs, but as he inspected them, he caught a glimpse of someone he hadn't seen in a very long time.

Her features were different. Her hair was now jet black with vibrant green stripes. She was a full three inches taller and more refined than before, but even so, there was no way he'd mistake her for everyone. "Gabriella? Is that you?"

Fineas looked to Gabriella in surprise. "You two know each other?"

The woman blinked. "I'm not sure. He looks familiar, but I can't place his face. Maybe I saw him in the market recently?"

Fineas was a perceptive individual. Noting Sorin's unusual reaction to Gabriella, he placed his hand on her shoulder and began leading her away. "I'm sure we can figure it out once we get back home, Sorin. If you and your companions would be so kind as to follow me, I'll be bringing you back to greet the Council of Elders."

Sorin clenched his fists and ground his teeth. He didn't want to follow Fineas's lead, even less so, seeing how he was using Gabriella to get to him. More importantly, however, Sorin had spotted a problem with Gabriella. Her body was a complete mess, a warzone between life and death. If she wasn't a God Seed, Sorin wasn't sure if she'd still be standing.

Before Sorin could say anything, however, a cold, almost nasal voice cut their conversation short. "I will allow you to return to the Kepler Clan, Fineas, but the God Seed of Asclepius must stay. "

The crowd that had built up while accomplishments were recorded parted to reveal a man in a dapper suit that reeked of death. He wasn't a God Seed. He wasn't even a hero. Even so, there was something about him that made Sorin's hair stand on end. This is one of the strongest people I've ever laid eyes on. This was all despite the fact that the man was clearly only in the Flesh-Sanctification Realm.

"Young Master Hyde, I'm, of course, happy to help you with anything you like," said Fineas. "But Sorin here is part of the Kepler Clan. Despite our differences, we have treaties in place and—"

"As if I'd care about some garbage treaty." A powerful aura gushed out of the man and brought Fineas and his men to their knees. A strong pressure washed over Sorin and his friends, but thanks to Sorin's tarnished aura, they were able to avoid kneeling and only experienced momentary weakness.

That moment of weakness was all it took for the well-dressed man to cut the distance between him and Sorin in half. A river of wailing souls appeared overhead and settled in the man's outstretched hand.

"You took the life of one of my people," Young Master Hyde said coldly. He swept his hand down and brought the river of souls down on Sorin, who summoned Nemesis in spear form at the last minute and poured everything he had into the soul-bound treasure.

"I… have no idea… what you're talking about," said Sorin as the river grew increasingly close. His spear was on the verge of breaking, but he refused to retreat.

"I honestly don't care if you know what I'm talking about," said the man. "You wronged my family, so you must die. And for the crime of stealing a divine soul from the river Styx, I will take your soul as a replacement.

Sorin's spear cracked, forcing Sorin to pull it back and summon a poisonous python to counterattack. The serpentine construct barely touched Young Master Hyde before disintegrating.

"Retreat!" Sorin shouted to his friends as he stepped forward and activated Cobra's Glare. His eyes exploded, and his soul ripped slightly from the counterattack.

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"Ree!" Lorimer leaped out of Sorin's pocket and bit down on the man's finger as Sorin focused his energies on regenerating his missing organs.

"What a curious body this demon has." Through their bond, Sorin felt a huge amount of death mana enter Lorimer's body. "I was right. You can devour death energy! What a rare gift to have in this day and age."

Thanks to his impressive regeneration, Sorin's eyes only took a few seconds to recover. The first thing he saw was Lorimer twitching in the new arrival's palm. His flesh was festering, and his fur was half peeled away.

There's only one thing I can do to get him out of this. Poisons are useless, so corruption will have to do the trick.

"Oh? What have we here?" Young Master Hyde's focus switched from Lorim back to Sorin as corruption poured into his spear. "What a strange and powerful energy you have. I'd dissect you to learn more if you hadn't already committed a capital offense." He then did something Sorin didn't expect: He tore Lorimer off his hand along with his own finger bone. "I offer my undying flesh as a sacrifice to the river. Spirits, come forth!"

The river of souls doubled in size as it came bearing down on Sorin once more. He pierced out with his corruption-infused spear, and while it was effective against the river of souls, he had no way to match the man's power.

Is this it? Is this where I die? He briefly considered releasing Azrakul from his prison but decided against it when an arrow of sunlight shot into the river of souls and scattered it. A poisonous and malevolent miasma wrapped around Sorin and chased away the remnants of the river while simultaneously feeding him a controlled dose of nourishing poison.

"Typical Sorin, disgracing me as soon as you enter the city," came a familiar voice.

"Losing against Hyde is never a disgrace," said another voice. The two speakers were Charles Hargrave and Michael Pollen.

The two God Seeds arrived with a retinue—Charles's retinue consisted of three powerful cultivators, while Michael's was a full contingent of nine cultivators. With the arrival of two God Seeds, Young Master Hyde had no choice but to step back and reevaluate.

"I hope we're not too late!" came another familiar voice. A group of mages in white robes trickled in, and in the lead position walked Daphne.

"It looks like we might be in for a good fight after all," said Stephan as he arrived with a group of feral-looking warriors. Haley was there like always, observing from the shadows.

That was the last of Sorin's friends, which is why the third group to arrive was so surprising. It was the Atlan Clan, led by Faile Atlan, a mysterious-looking bow-wielder with flowing silver hair. A golden crescent moon was proudly displayed on her forehead.

"You're taking things too far, Ratten," said the new arrival from the Atlan Clan. While I understand why you would be upset at Melinoë's passing, the decisions to eliminate her were made by the Pandoran Council and approved by the Divine Council."

"Like I care about some rotten divine council," said the man called Ratten. "My Hyde Clan doesn't answer to rules and convention." His aura blasted out again and forced everyone back, God Seeds included.

"But you do answer to power, do you not?" a cold voice said from above. Lightning crackled in the sky as a powerful group of cultivators descended. Most of them were at least 60 percent sanctified, but their leader, a young golden-haired man in a white suit, was only forty percent sanctified. Even so, the pressure coming off him matched Ratten's and even exceeded it slightly. Like Hyde, this man also wasn't a hero, much less a God Seed.

"Mind your own business, Aaron!" shouted Ratten. He made a wavelike gesture with his arms, flicking the river of souls up towards Aaron.

Lightning crashed down on the river of souls in response. It was a hair-raising attack that Sorin had no confidence in resisting.

Yet it was far from enough. The man called Ratten grinned and summoned a black bident. "You're powerful, Aaron, but that's only here in Olympia. If you dared face me in Mattapan or even another one of the twelve cities, you'd find the result very one-sided."

"I very much doubt that is the case," said the man called Aaron. Lightning fell from the sky and landed in his hand, producing a solid lightning bolt. He threw the bolt at Ratten, and the black-suited cultivator stood his ground. From the way he was shaking, however, it was clear that blocking the bolt had taken a lot out of him.

"Fine. I will respect the treaty. The three murderers will live a while longer." He turned on his heels and walked back towards his entourage. "Oh, and before I forget, how are you doing, Gabriella? Our family misses you so much. We've already prepared a manor for you and your people. When will you come to live with us?"

"Drop dead," spat Gabriella. "I'd rather die than accept your offer."

"You'll change your mind, eventually," said the man called Ratten. "You always do."

With that, Ratten and those from the Hyde Clan left. Aaron and those from the Zeis Clan left soon after, and Fineas, having lost much in this exchange, quietly led his group away.

"Thank you for coming to support me, everyone," Sorin said to Daphne, Stephan, and Faile. "I guess my family wasn't kidding during our brief political lessons: 'Never upset the Hyde or Zeis Clans' seems like a useful rule to follow."

"I simply came here to make sure my sister's benefactor wasn't slain within an hour of arriving in Olympia," said the woman with the crescent moon on her forehead. "I am called Celine Luna Atlan, Sorin Abberjay Kepler. I believe we will have many chances to work together in the future."

As Celine led the Atlan Clan away, Charles spoke up. "I don't personally care about you, but I know someone who does. Also, we're in the same boat. That man, Ratten, won't stop till we're dead."

"He can't act on his feelings while we're in Olympia," said Michael. "The Zeis Clan won't allow it. That said, please come find me if you encounter any difficulties. The Pollen Clan and the Kepler Clan are natural allies."

Charles and Michael departed, leaving Sorin and friends confused about what to do next. If such a powerful enemy was out to get them, was it even safe to walk the streets without an escort?"

"Man, that cousin of yours is so obnoxious," said Lawrence. "And was that Gabriella? How come she didn't recognize us?"

"I have no idea, Lawrence," said Sorin. He turned to Daphne and Stephan and noticed that their equipment had changed somewhat. Daphne's staff stood out as a powerful artifact, and Stephan's armor looked much tougher than before.

The duo seemed much more comfortable than they'd been back in the Bloodwood Outpost. Stephan, in particular, had gained a lot of muscle. Daphne, on the other hand, looked laser-focused and prepared for anything.

"Sorin!" said Stephan, holding out a hand. "It's been a while!"

Sorin's expression changed slightly as he felt a crushing force on his hand. Fortunately, his body was abnormally powerful, given his cultivation level, and he had no trouble matching and even exceeding Stephan's strength.

"It's been too long," Sorin agreed. I was a little disappointed that we couldn't make the journey together, but we found a temporary replacement."

"Did you now!" said Stephan, turning to Fenrig. He held out his hand. "Many thanks for protecting my place."

Fenrig eyed the hand but didn't take it. "I am not here to compete with you or take your place, Stephan," said the barbarian. My power, equipment, and connections are not as good as yours. I became everyone's companions out of convenience, but it was all to gain experience before arriving in Olympia to complete a mission."

He nodded to Sorin. "It was nice working for you during this short time. Now that we've arrived, I will rejoin my people and aid them however I can. Once taxes have been paid on our group loot, please send my share over to the barbarian encampment, and they will do the rest."

Sorin frowned as Fenrig wandered off. Stephan was being unusually territorial, and Fenrig, with his keen instincts, had sensed it. "Don't worry about him, Sorin," said Stephan. "He's a tough guy—I can tell! I'll tell you what, I know a fantastic restaurant nearby where we can grab a bite to eat. On Daphne, of course."

Daphne raised an eyebrow. "And when did I agree to that?"

"When you decided to publish sequels to that first novel and continued my love triangle with Gareth and Lawrence, obviously," said Stephan. "Since I didn't get a cut of the royalties, it's only natural that I mooch off of you now and again."

"Fair," said Daphne.

"Now come along, everyone," said Stephan. "I was only half serious when I said Daphne was paying. The lion's share is on me since I'll be supplying the ingredients. There's no better barbecue than what they make at the Sear and Spit."