After returning from the forest, Azren locked himself away in silence. That night, his sleep was shallow, haunted by memories of the Library's revelations… and the last words he had exchanged with Aaya.
By morning, his heart was steady, though heavy. Together with Max, he traveled to the City of Life, for the Life Emperor herself had returned there.
The fortress of the Life Emperor towered above the city — carved of white stone streaked with veins of emerald, its spires reached toward the heavens like spears of light. Vast banners embroidered with silver dragons swayed in the wind, and the air itself carried a sacred stillness. At the heart of the fortress, a great hall glittered with golden pillars, each inscribed with ancient runes that pulsed faintly with protective energy.
At the gates, Azren presented the jade token bearing the Life Emperor's imprint. The guards bowed instantly and allowed him to pass.
Max walked at his side, silent but watchful. When they reached the audience chamber, Azren raised his voice respectfully.
"Your Highness… may I speak with you alone?"
Asthough studied him for a moment, her gaze unreadable, before nodding. "Follow me."
The Life Emperor led him down winding corridors into a secret chamber hidden beneath the fortress. The walls here glowed faintly, alive with layers of protective formations. Only the sound of their footsteps broke the silence.
Azren stopped at the center of the chamber and finally spoke, his voice carrying the weight of truth. "I know now… about the Dragon Slaying Clan."
He told her everything — the visions from the Library, the fall of the Heavenly Dragons, the betrayal of the Tred Clan, the grudges etched in blood across history. His hands trembled slightly, though his eyes never left hers.
When he finished, Asthough let out a long breath. Her expression softened, yet her tone was steady.
"Listen to me, Azren. No one knows the full truth. What you saw are fragments — shadows of the past. Do not let them poison your heart against anyone. The Tred Clan has always been decisive, ruthless… but hatred without clarity is a chain you must not carry."
Her words steadied him, though doubt still lingered in his chest.
Azren hesitated, then added quietly, "There's something else… Aaya. She was in the Library too. She came searching for answers."
For the first time, Asthough's composure cracked. Her face grew complicated, shadows flickering across her expression.
Azren continued, "And the Tred Clan… they were there as well. They already know too much."
Asthough's expression turned heavy when Azren mentioned Aaya.
"The Tred Clan…" she muttered, her tone sharp as ice. "They should not know about her. Yet they've discovered something. This means only one thing — we have a traitor among us."
Azren's heart sank. "Then… Aaya is in danger?"
"Yes," Asthough replied firmly. "And if they have targeted her, it means they are moving to strike at our country itself."
The chamber fell into silence, broken only when Asthough called out in a commanding tone:
"Captain Lu!"
The doors opened, and the commander entered, bowing deeply.
"You and Azren will take a mission immediately. Find Aaya. Protect her at all costs."
Captain Lu's face grew solemn, his eyes flicking briefly to Azren with a mixture of resolve and unease.
Asthough's gaze darkened. "This attack means one thing. Someone among us has betrayed us. The Tred Clan should never have known Aaya's location or identity. We have a traitor."
Azren's jaw clenched. Captain Lu lowered his head, his voice low. "Then this war is already upon us."
Asthough's tone grew colder. "Yes. The Tred Clan seeks not only to eliminate Aaya… but to destroy our entire country. And now they know of Azren as well. Protecting him is just as important."
Captain Lu's expression shifted; he understood fully. From this moment on, Azren was not just another disciple — he was a target in the grand war of fates.
Asthough raised her hand, summoning Erdi and Max into the chamber. When they arrived, her voice rang like steel.
"You three will leave at once. Your mission is simple — find Aaya and bring her back alive. Every moment counts."
Her gaze locked on Max, sharp and commanding.
"And Max — you are my successor. The next Life Emperor. You must learn to carry responsibility without wavering. Do not make foolish or emotional decisions. Lead with clarity, as I do."
Max straightened, his fists tightening at his sides. "Yes, Your Highness."
Azren glanced at him, sensing the heavy weight that now hung on both their shoulders.
With their orders given, the four — Azren, Max, Erdi, and Captain Lu — departed the City of Life. The path ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear.
Aaya's fate… and perhaps the fate of the entire continent… rested in their hands.
Asthough watched them go until their figures blurred into the road, then the fortress gates swallowed the last of their echoes. She turned back to the masked girl standing in the shadow of the hall and, voice low enough that no one could overhear, said, "Aaya — now you know who struck down your father. Let the truth burn in you. I want to see what you will do with that fire."
The words hung between them like a challenge and a promise; Aaya's hand tightened on the edge of her mask, and for a heartbeat the two of them shared an understanding that would not be spoken aloud to anyone else.
Aaya's voice trembled, small and raw beneath the mask. "Now… what about Azren?"
Asthough's gaze softened a fraction. "Do not worry about him," she answered quietly. "Commander Lu will guard him. He's the only one among us I can entrust with that task." Her eyes flicked once toward the prison where Klin sat. "For now, your heart can be spared that burden."
Aaya swallowed, then met Asthough's stare. "Who sent me to the Library? Who is the traitor?"
Asthough's jaw hardened. She raised a hand and the courtroom doors slammed open. Two armored officers stepped forward; they had already brought Klin — the Library Master — before the council. Klin was pushed down to the stone floor, shackled and defiant. Around him the city's commanders gathered like vultures, their faces masks of suspicion and rage.
Klin was called to the great hall, the air heavy with silence. Asthough's gaze was sharp as a blade as she questioned him. "Tell me, Klin — who gave you the right to send Aaya to the library?"
For a long moment, Klin remained silent, his face unreadable. Then, slowly, a crooked smile formed. "Your Majesty, you already know the answer. Who else could it be but me? I am the only one who perfectly knew about her."
A heavy stillness filled the chamber. Asthough's fingers tightened on the armrest of her throne.
Guards stepped forward and shackled Klin, dragging him toward the prison chambers. Days of interrogation followed, but he refused to speak. He sat there, eyes half-closed, enduring every question without reply.
And then, when the frustration of the commanders had peaked, he suddenly opened his eyes and laughed — a laugh that echoed like a curse. "This is the end for your City of Life."
Before anyone could silence him, a violent ripple tore through the air. Space itself cracked and from within stepped figures of unimaginable might. The chiefs of the Tred Clan appeared, one of them radiating the terrifying pressure of a peak mid-stage Emperor. Around him stood twelve renowned Tred Emperors, each exuding power enough to shake kingdoms.
The sight was enough to make even the bravest of captains pale. This was a line-up that could bring the Flame Emperor's territory to its knees.
The Tred Clan's chief sneered, his voice rumbling like thunder. "Decades have passed, Asthough, and still you stand as strong as ever. But now your daughter, too, grows unusually powerful. And I have heard… you harbor one with a divine bloodline. Hand him over. If our clan head — the one who has touched Eternal Conflux — learns of this, he will destroy your entire line without hesitation."
Asthough's eyes blazed cold light. She did not flinch. "You speak of threats, yet you have not answered me. Why did your people dare to lay hands on my daughter?"
The life-essentia surged out of Asthough's body, flooding the hall like an endless tide. Her voice, calm yet filled with killing intent, echoed through the chamber.
"It's no big deal for me to kill all of you."
Aaya stepped forward beside her. Though she was not an Emperor, her presence alone made it seem as if she could restrain one long enough for Asthough to strike. The air trembled under their combined aura, forcing the intruders to shift uneasily.
Many among the Tred clan had reached the peak of Primordial Ascendence—nothing that could threaten the Life Emperor. Yet everyone knew the truth: the Tred clan harbored the largest number of Emperors in all of Arka. And now, they had birthed a clan head who had stepped into the Conflux stage. If war broke out here and now, the outcome could mirror the ancient tragedy of the Dragon Slaying clan.
The chief of the Tred clan sneered, his eyes glinting with malice.
"If you kill me now, he will find out what happened. Until now, he doesn't know anything about the last Dragon Slayer. Hand him over."
Asthough's gaze turned colder than steel. Her voice thundered across the battlefield.
"You killed my husband, and countless Emperors of my country back then. And now you dare ask me to hand him over?"
Her words carried like a blade, yet the sky itself split as reinforcements arrived. One after another, countless Emperors of the Tred clan appeared, their auras crushing down like mountains. It was clear they had already foreseen this confrontation. After all, it was their clan that had struck down Arka's greatest cultivator—Waren.
Since that day, Asthough had carried the weight of Life City alone, shielding its prestige with her own hands. But now, the truth was undeniable: whether Azren was surrendered or not, the Tred clan had come to erase the City of Life from Arka's map.
The battle erupted. Blood soaked the heavens and the earth, forming rivers across the battlefield. Divine Manifestation experts fell. Primordial Ascendence cultivators clashed until their bodies shattered. Even Emperors were dragged into the pool of carnage.
Asthough herself grew wounded, her life-essentia flickering dimly under the overwhelming siege. And in the chaos, a strike pierced through the air, crashing into Aaya.
Her body faltered, her lips painted with blood, and she plummeted from the great heights of the battlefield.
Closing her eyes, she smiled faintly, whispering through the storm:
"Azren… from the first, I was always with you. But I was never fated to make you mine."
Images flashed in her fading consciousness—of her shadowing him in Erdi's villa, shielding him from beasts when he struggled with his chaos essentia, guarding him silently through dangers he never even noticed.
Her voice drifted once more, fragile yet unyielding.
"Always… with you…"
And then her eyes closed, her figure sinking into silence amidst the roar of war.