669 First Act [5]

Even compared to the haste Feng Yuxiang’s team made when destroying the peripheral camp, the Ice Phoenix Matriarch, Bianca Snow’s team was even faster.

The other didn’t even have to act. With a few taps of her finger, she turned the entirety of the eastern peripheral camp into a block of ice, freezing even the 4th class overseeing elder at a molecular level. When she shattered this ice and let it return to the rest of the seawater, there wasn’t a single trace of the camp left.

“Mm, this is good.” She commented as the others watched her in awe. Even Willhelm and Tania, the other two 4th classes on her team, were astonished by her rapidity.

“I won’t continue doing this every time,” Bianca stated. “I, along with Willhelm and Tania, will conserve as much strength as possible while moving forward. We must be prepared to support the main force at any time.”

“”Yes, Ma’am!”” A collective affirmation rang out. The respect in their hearts for Bianca reached an all-time high.

The group moved through the night, destroying every Tephit subdivision they came across. Just as she said, Bianca didn’t move unless it was absolutely necessary.

Though, it never was.

As she watched the destruction continue, she fell into thought. That boy she didn’t place much stake in had really become a character. Judging by their behavior, the other Sanctuarian Clan Leaders had completely settled into their subordinate roles, not questioning Damien’s authority in the slightest.

She couldn’t blame them. After seeing his prowess and extreme growth rate, it was natural to feel submissive. He was someone who would become a Demigod one day, and he was someone who’d established his own world when he was still a 3rd class being.

It was insane to put him in the same category as anyone else.

Bianca sighed. Her personality didn’t let her submit easily. Even more than the outspoken Feng Yuxiang, the defiance in her heart was prominent.

It was quite funny to think about it. The last two times he summoned the Sanctuary’s forces were both during wars of massive scale. While the last one was easier since it was a head-to-head melee where strategy was necessary, this time was different.

There was a concrete plan in place. And rather than being enveloped in war…Damien was starting one himself.

He was becoming more domineering by the day. He was throwing away his doubts and his struggles trying to appear more “human,” truly embracing himself for what he was.

This internal change that was slowly taking place was reflected in the eyes of others, especially those like Bianca who’d seen him before it started.

‘Haa, that brat is truly incorrigible. I hope my Luna doesn’t end up like Qing’er…poor lass.’

That playboy who flirted with everyone but couldn’t follow through and take responsibility, she really ought to smack him across the head a few times for beguiling her little niece.

And from what Feng Qing’er had said, he even managed to seduce a girl who entered the Primordial Undying Realm as a Nox spy!

Unimaginable!

While she couldn’t help but praise his charisma, it also made her wary.

She could joke about his seducing women whenever she wanted, but if that charisma continued to grow…

Just how much of the universe would he end up conquering?

‘What am I thinking?!’ Bianca wondered as she shook off her thoughts. Universal sovereignty wasn’t something so simple that a young genius like Damien could achieve it.

Universal sovereignty was competed for on a racial level. Let alone a single human, even a Demigod-level influence didn’t have a shot at conquering the entire universe.

Besides, after the Nox arrived, the concept of universal sovereignty became obsolete. Instead, ensuring its survival was the main point on everyone’s minds.

Still, the Sanctuary seemed to grow infinitely. As one of its residents, Bianca truly couldn’t get rid of that slight feeling within her soul…

The feeling that the boy she served would accomplish something unimaginable.

***

The multitude of secondary teams continued moving without fail. The Sanctuary’s forces were much stronger than the regular 4th classes of Aquazyl, so naturally they moved faster.

Still, the other secondary teams couldn’t be underestimated. With their synergy and familiarity with the environment, their speeds weren’t much slower than the Sanctuary teams.

Like this, the Tephit Clan’s forces were rapidly being destroyed. With so many elders dying in succession, it would be stranger if the main clan didn’t hear word of the happenings.

The Tephit Clan’s headquarters were far more advanced than the other clans. Not only because of their 100,000 years of development, but also because the Godbeast they were descended from was far more intelligent than those of the other clans.

Within a skyscraper-like building was a planetarium-esque room that projected scenes mirroring the black depths of the Emperor Bone Sea. The fluctuating waves made ripples in the darkness, shining pale light on the face of the man who sat in the room’s central position.

He was Tephit, the Tephit Clan’s leader. Every clan had a different method of choosing its ruler. The Tephit Clan’s was particularly special.

It seemed like a random child would be crowned the Holy Son whenever the old leader was nearing death. His name would be changed to Tephit, the name every leader took for themselves.

This child would stay with the old leader during his waning years and learn from him, eventually succeeding his seat when the time came.

Only, each Clan Head possessed an uncanny resemblance to the last. It was almost like the Tephit Clan was blessed with the fortune of a great Clan Head every time they made the change.

Tephit was a man with broad shoulders and dark skin. His grey eyes were like swirling storm clouds, turbulent and unfocused. His gaze remained on the projected Emperor Bone Sea around him.

‘Why…why…just why won’t you submit?!’

His eyes turned red with fury. It had been nearly 100,000 years! Why wasn’t the Emperor Bone Sea willing to submit to the Tephit Clan’s rule?! As the Prominence War’s rules stated, the Tephit Clan did indeed become the sovereign of the Emperor Bone Sea.

But if they were trapped in Aquazyl for life, what was the use of this authority?!

‘Calm down…it won’t be long before my sovereignty is complete…it’ll only take…a few million more deaths.’

His face twisted into a perverse smile. There wasn’t a single being in Aquazyl with the power to stop him. He couldn’t let his insanity take control and destroy his years of painstaking effort.

‘But…it’s been too quiet recently. Is something the matter?’

He took out a transmission talisman and injected mana into it. At that exact moment…

“Clan Head, you called just in time! Please send reinforcements to all of our subdivisions! Someone has been fiercely attacking and destroying them! Hundreds of elders have died already!”

“What?!” He exclaimed. “Explain the situation immediately. If you miss even a single detail…”

“Y-yes, Clan Head!” The voice on the other side replied, panicking.

Tephit soon received a not-so-brief overview of the situation. He learned about the fact that in every possible direction, the subdivisions in various battlefields were being destroyed.

It was at a rate where hundreds of elders and an untold number of weaker clan members had already died, and it had only been a single week!

If this continued…

A vein bulged from Tephit’s forehead. Just as he thought things were going smoothly, a group of vermin decided to interfere!

His plans were at a critical juncture. He couldn’t allow those who disobeyed him to run free. To cut the weeds and stomp the roots…

“Pass down my order. Send as many elders as needed to support the subdivisions that are still standing. Slaughter these rebels down to the last before they even see a glimpse of the main clan!”