The sound of the spanking still echoed in the silent hall.
Ryuzaki Haruto realized that spanking a noble girl in front of the entire Empire might have been... inappropriate. He cleared his throat and released Minamoto Ruri.
"Waaah..."
Ruri's face was bleeding red. She scrambled off his lap and buried her head into Minamoto Sayaka's chest like a frightened ostrich.
"I can't get married anymore!" Ruri muffled a cry into the silk robes. "My reputation is ruined!"
Sayaka stroked Ruri's head soothingly, but her eyes were fixed on Haruto. She gave him a look that was half-disdain, half-amusement.
'My nephew looks like a banished immortal,' Sayaka thought. 'But inside, he is a little devil.'
Haruto caught her gaze. His eyes narrowed slightly as he sensed the fluctuation of her soul.
'Innate Dao Embryo,' Haruto analyzed. 'And I have the Ancient Sacred Body. In the legends, there was a Supreme Being who possessed the fusion of these two: the [Congenital Sacred Body Dao Embryo].'
He shook his head, dismissing the thought. That was a matter for another time.
The Announcement
At the head table, Ryuzaki Kenshin stood up. He cleared his throat, his expression turning solemn.
"Thank you all for attending the banquet," Kenshin announced. The hall fell silent, sensing the gravity in his voice.
"Today, the Ryuzaki Clan has another matter to announce."
Ryuzaki Kenji (Sequence 10) and Ryuzaki Yukino (Sequence 7) exchanged glances. They had a bad feeling.
"As you know," Kenshin continued, his voice booming. "Our clan has Ten Sequences, each a peerless genius. But... above the Ten Sequences, there is one more position."
The guests froze.
A rank above the Ten Sequences?
"My grandson, Ryuzaki Haruto," Kenshin declared, pointing at the boy in white. "Is hereby appointed as Sequence Zero."
BOOM.
It was like a bomb had gone off in the Golden Palace.
"Sequence Zero?!" "The last person to hold that title was the White-Clad God King!" "He is following in his father's footsteps?"
The shock was palpable. The position of Sequence Zero wasn't just a title; it was a declaration that Haruto was the future Patriarch, the absolute core of the clan.
Kenji took a deep breath. "I thought he would compete for a spot. I didn't expect him to just... take the throne."
Yukino's chest heaved. "Sequence Zero... at ten years old."
But in the corner, Ryuzaki Raijin (Sequence 5) clenched his fists so hard they bled. Blue lightning crackled around him, uncontrolled.
'Why?' Raijin thought, his eyes burning with hatred. 'I crawled through mud and blood to get Sequence Five. I fought thousands of battles. And he... he just gets born and takes Sequence Zero?'
It was unfair. It was cruel. And Raijin refused to accept it.
The Rebellion
As the guests whispered in awe, a cold, icy voice cut through the noise.
"Elder, I have a question."
The hall fell silent again.
Everyone turned to look at the corner table. A young man in silver armor stood up, his body wreathed in lightning.
It was Ryuzaki Raijin.
Kenshin frowned. "What is it, Raijin?"
"I want to ask," Raijin said, his voice deep and menacing. "Has Ryuzaki Haruto ever participated in the Sequence Trials?"
Kenshin's eyes narrowed. "No."
"Has he made any significant contributions to the Clan?" Raijin pressed on, stepping into the center of the hall.
"No," Kenshin replied, his voice hardening. Haruto had barely left his crib; of course he hadn't made contributions.
"Has he defeated any rivals? Has he overcome any hardships? Has he shed any blood for this family?"
"No!" Kenshin snapped. "Raijin, sit down."
If an outsider had asked these questions, Kenshin would have slapped them into dust. But Raijin was a Sequence. Punishing him publicly would disgrace the clan.
Raijin ignored the order. He looked directly at Haruto, his eyes flashing with lightning.
"If that is the case," Raijin roared, pointing a finger at the Divine Son.
"Then what right does he have to be Sequence Zero?! Is it just because of his blood?! Is it just because his father was a God King?!"
"I refuse to accept this!"
The atmosphere was suffocating. This was a direct rebellion. A Sequence challenging the Patriarch's decision.
The guests watched with bated breath. This was the drama they secretly craved.
In the midst of the dead silence, Ryuzaki Haruto stepped forward.
He didn't look angry. He didn't look annoyed. He looked... bored.
He placed his hands behind his back and floated slightly off the ground, looking down at Raijin like a god looking at a mortal.
"You have many questions," Haruto said calmly. "So I will give you an answer."
"The title of Sequence Zero was bestowed upon me by the Eighteenth Ancestor."
"Why?" Haruto smiled, a faint, arrogant curve of his lips.
"Because the Ancestor said..."
Haruto paused, letting the silence build. Then, he spoke the words that would shake the Empire.
"With me here... why should the Ryuzaki Clan worry about finding an Emperor?"