CHAPTER 208: KAERIC, THE MAN OF MYTHS!

"Yes, I am," the Emperor of the Achaemenid Empire said with an amicable smile. "As expected of the general of my empire, you even survived such a terrifying attack."

"..."

Zarek stared at the man with an expressionless face.

The man’s mere presence was oppressive, so overwhelming that one could feel a crushing pressure just by looking at him.

And yet, the green-haired man wearing a crown stood there, smiling pleasantly, as if he weren’t radiating that dreadful presence.

For a moment, Zarek didn’t know what to say, if there was even anything he could say. He felt a little flustered, partly because of the overwhelming presence, and partly because of the man’s gentle smile. It was a complete contrast to the terrifying aura he exuded.

Zarek bent to one knee and bowed his head in a formal salute he had learned from Melissa.

"I greet the Emperor of the Achaemenid Empire, Kaeric, the man of myths."

"Haha, the man of myths," Kaeric echoed with a chuckle, rubbing his green beard. "Now that’s a nickname I’d nearly forgotten. I’ve heard of your exploits from my soldiers, and I must say, I’m truly impressed, young man."

"It’s nothing compared to Your Highness," Zarek replied.

"Good, good."

Kaeric’s eyes flashed with meaning as he studied Zarek. "My sixth daughter has always had a fierce personality and a stubborn habit of disobeying her father. She even marched to the frontlines herself and earned the title Princess of Carnage."

"Oh, how I worry about her every single day. With a nickname like that, how will she ever find a groom?" Kaeric lamented dramatically.

"..." Zarek stared at him in speechless silence as the king continued to prattle on, endlessly grieving over his daughter Melissa’s future, and the impossibility of her ever securing a husband:

"Milord, surely with your power and influence, if you offered her hand, even the mightiest nobles of the strongest empires would line up for your beautiful daughter?" he asked, a clueless expression on his face, as if he didn’t understand what Kaeric was implying.

"Well, I’ve already tried that," Kaeric sighed, with genuine pity in his voice. "But Melissa, she destroyed them. Completely crushed their spirits. It nearly became a political crisis, it caused quite the ruckus across the empire."

Zarek could sense the sincerity in the emperor’s tone. He recalled that woman. True, she had a bit of a short temper, but it wasn’t nearly as severe as one might expect or at least that was how she came across to him.

In fact, she had blushed in front of him...

And now, with what Kaeric was saying, the image didn’t quite match.

Just then, Kaeric’s expression shifted, stern and serious. He turned sharply and shouted:

"Why has the little bird come here?"

A storm brewed in the distance, a terrifying tempest rolling in with swirling winds and crackling power. From within the roaring winds, a deep, thunderous voice echoed:

"You dare enter my kingdom and break the treaty? If not for me, you’d already be dead at the hands of the Supreme Dragon King, Kaeric."

As the storm subsided, the winds dispersed to reveal a man Zarek instantly recognized.

That familiar face, of course he knew it.

This was the man who had started the Dragon Hunting Festival.

The Emperor of the Falcon Empire.

Kaeric’s expression darkened the moment he saw the Emperor of the Falcon Empire.

"How long are we going to keep following these rules?" Kaeric said sharply. "They’re nothing more than bindings we could easily break if we were just a little more shameless. Why should we keep holding ourselves back?"

"Do you want to get crushed and killed by the Supreme Dragon King?" the Falcon Emperor retorted.

"Your kingdom has only a single Grandmaster left. How long do you think it can survive before the dragons tear it apart?"

"If my empire falls," Falcon Emperor snapped, "yours won’t be far behind."

"That’s exactly what I’m saying..."

Listening to their heated exchange, Zarek was left completely speechless and flabbergasted.

Had he truly joined an empire that harbored such deep hatred for dragons?

’Sigh.’ In the end, he could only sigh inwardly, suppressing all the emotions roiling within his heart.

Zarek’s eyes shifted to the glowing blue panel before him.

This had been his plan all along.

By taking Drayken’s attack head-on and even saving a Telekinetic Grandmaster in the process, his contributions were now weighty enough that, even if the truth about him killing a Grandmaster came to light, at least, he wouldn’t be sent to the guillotine.

But enduring Drayken’s attack hadn’t been just about covering his tracks, it was also for the sake of Adapt.

Unlike other attacks he had faced, Drayken’s lightning aura was more unique and Zarek had a strong feeling that adapting to it could awaken something special.

And as expected, he wasn’t disappointed:

[You have adapted to Lightning Aura]

[You have gained an exclusive skill bound to Adapt: Lightning Aura Core]

...

Lightning Aura Core

Generates Aura passively within the core of the user, which can be utilized for multiple purposes.

...

Zarek couldn’t actually sense any "core" within his body, which left him slightly confused. Still, the description sounded powerful, and he knew firsthand just how overwhelming Drayken’s Lightning Aura was.

Unlike others, Zarek had a mana core but no spell. He wasn’t bound to any specific attribute, but that freedom came at a price that he couldn’t increase the strength of his spells.

Maybe, he could use something from this to help him get stronger here?

Either way, with his Adapt skill, he was already practically invincible.

Just then, he felt something, a sudden surge of energy coursed through his body before vanishing to a place he couldn’t sense.

Instinctively, Zarek drew on that energy and focused it into his arms.

In an instant, his hands grew rapidly stronger, the power so dense it swelled his hand. The two emperors who had been bickering immediately turned their gazes toward him.

Zarek quickly adapted; his hands were strengthened to a remarkable degree. But, under the piercing scrutiny of two Telekinetic Paragons, the mental pressure was almost unbearable.

"Oh, isn’t this the young man who saved my Telekinetic Grandmaster by taking all the blows from the Rank Seven Dragons?" Flacon Emperor muttered with a gleam in his eyes.

"He’s no young man, he’s the General of my empire," Kaeric quickly snapped back.