CHAPTER 2113  CONCEDED OBEDIENCE

THUD

Deep within the Royal Hall, a fearful Martial Sage was tossed in front of the Emperor of Harmony by four Martial Sages of the Martial Union.

"Aggragor." Emperor Rael's rich and deep voice addressed the Underworld Sage.

The Underworld Sage gazed at Emperor Rael with apprehension and fear.

"Rael…" he murmured with fright. "To think that you would hunt me like this."

"Did you mistake my tolerance for approval?" Emperor Rael's tone grew more powerful.

The Underworld Sage flinched at his words.

"Even for a Martial Sage, your crimes are overwhelming." Emperor Rael narrowed his eyes. "Not even the Martial Union will overlook centuries of antagonistic behavior in light of your status. Frankly, I have half a mind to execute you here and now."

That was a lie.

But the Underworld Sage didn't know that.

His paranoia was so deep that he didn't even consider that it might not be true.

"No!" Sage Aggragor cried. "Anything but that…!"

"Perhaps I should let Damian deal with you then."

"EXECUTE ME!" the Martial Sage bellowed in terror.

Rael smiled inwardly.

It appeared that he wouldn't even need hypnosis to manipulate him.

"There is a way that you can avoid execution and Damian," Emperor Rael continued. "If you follow all my orders, I will ensure that you don't get executed or fall prey to Damian."

A smile appeared on his face. "Quite the good bargain, don't you think?"

"Deal!" Sage Aggragor vigorously nodded. "Keep that maniac away from me!"

"Alright, then, we have an agreement," Emperor Rael remarked. "Let's begin the process then."

Those words sent chills down the Underworld Sage's spine. "Wait, what process?"

"We're going to put you to good use, Aggragor," Emperor Rael told him with a serious tone. "You will serve Kandria to the best of your ability. But we will need reassurances and guarantees."

He smiled again. "And we will have it, whether you like it or not. I do not trust you even in the slightest. Thus, I have arranged for certain alterations to your Martial Body that will require you to receive medical treatment from our Divine Doctor to survive over extended periods of time. Treatments, but not cures, mind you."

He smiled again. "And we will have it, whether you like it or not. I do not trust you even in the slightest. Thus, I have arranged for certain alterations to your Martial Body that will require you to receive medical treatment from our Divine Doctor to survive over extended periods of time. Treatments, but not cures, mind you."

Sage Aggragor stared at him in horror. "That means that I will basically be your slave forever!"

Emperor Rael shrugged lightly. "Would you rather I hand you over to Damian?"

"NO!" Sage Aggragor exclaimed with a terrified expression. "Anything but that!"

"Well, there you go." Rael smiled pleasantly at him. "Remain obedient, and your life won't be terrible. It's more than you deserve, considering the misery and despair that you've spread to innocent people."

The Underworld Sage lowered his head, closing his eyes. "…Very well. I suppose being under you is better than anybody else."

"Then, as for my first order to you," Emperor Rael declared, "aid us in the purge of the Underworld. You know everything. You will tell us everything. Their secret hideouts, their secret bases, their modus operandi, their covers and fronts, their leaders and their locations, their chain of command, and their organizational structure. Everything."

"…Very well."

Emperor Rael smiled. He was looking forward to this.

The Kandrian Underworld had been an eyesore to him for a long while. After all this time, he was finally going to purge them from Kandria. He would be lying if he said he wasn't extremely vindicated and eager about his ability to finally do so.

"Do you require the Martial Union's aid, Rael?" the Flickering Elder inquired.

"No." He shook his head. "While the Martial Union has certainly never been on good terms with the Underworld…"

He narrowed his eyes. "This battle, this purge, is mine and mine alone as the ruler of Kandria."

"…As you wish. Then we have fulfilled your commission to us," Sage Glacken concluded. Emperor Rael smiled. "I shall pay the remaining half of the payment promptly. Pleasure doing business with you. Sage Farana has already arrived to take over the handling of this one. Thus, your services are complete."

STEP

A fourth Martial Sage entered the Kandrian Throne Hall, donned in the militaristic uniform of the Kandrian Border Patrol Force. "Your Majesty," Sage Farana addressed the Emperor of Harmony with deference before acknowledging her peers in the Martial Union with a light nod.

"Sage Farana, incapacitate him and take him to a medical ward in the Royal Ward, I have already arranged for the Divine Doctor to work on him. After that…" A smile appeared on Emperor Rael's face. "…It will be a bloodbath."

"Your wish is my command, Your Majesty."

Soon enough, Sage Farana incapacitated the Underworld Sage with her hypnosis, taking him away to do exactly as ordered while the Martial Sages of the Martial Union bid the Emperor of Harmony their farewell and took their leave.

WHOOSH A sixth Martial Sage returned where he belonged.

Sage Sayfeel was quite confident in his stealth, but Emperor Rael had long deemed it prudent to never have him in the presence of other Martial Sages.

"What do you think, Sayfeel?" "It is no wonder that they succeeded in capturing Sage Aggragor, Your Majesty," he calmly remarked. "Finding him was always the greatest hurdle. However, the Silas Clan proved their worth." (C) content.

Emperor Rael smiled. "That is true."

Part of the reason that he chose to enlist Matriarch Nephi's service was to test her strategic value in war. Of course, the main goal was to take down the Underworld, but he also wanted some data on how useful her prophecy was as a Martial Sage.

This would help him make more precise and accurate plans and models for her impact on his grand plan, increasing the probability that they would succeed. This particular experiment, along with Rui's, accounted for the usefulness of her prophetic power. And they made him more confident that the Silas Clan would allow him to accomplish the impossible, in addition to the other treasures that Rui had procured.

His grand plan in the making grew more refined by the day as he continued fleshing it out.

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