The king of Ether sat upon his grand throne, listening to the reports from his generals through tightly gritted teeth. The throne room gleamed with countless golden ornaments and lights, yet the atmosphere felt unbearably heavy.

Eventually, he slammed his fist against the armrest of his throne hard enough to send cracks spreading through it.

"Enough."

His heavy aura silenced the generals instantly.

"This... all this..." His gaze darkened. "You’re telling me they have spies buried this deeply inside our infrastructure? How? I’ve met the king of Supreme before. That idiot couldn’t scheme his way out of a paper bag."

"That’s..." one of the generals hesitated.

"Speak."

"Yes, my king. We’ve received reports that the army is being led by an unknown woman."

"...A woman?"

The king furrowed his brows as his aura pressed heavily down upon the general.

"And you’re only telling me this now?"

"I-I’m sorry, my king! I didn’t think it was important!"

"...You didn’t think it was important?"

An overwhelming pressure crashed down upon the general, forcing him violently onto his knees.

"You brainless fool. This is war." The king’s gaze turned terrifyingly cold. "If a damn squirrel sneezes near the battlefield, I expect to hear about it. Am I clear?" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Y-yes my king!"

The king slowly swept his gaze across the other generals. They immediately lowered their heads in unison.

"Yes, my king!"

"Hmph."

The king clicked his tongue and tapped his fingers against the throne’s armrest for several tense moments.

With this latest move, Supreme kingdom currently held the advantage. They had already lost billions because of it.

Things couldn’t continue this way.

Suddenly, the doors to the throne room burst open as another general hurried inside before dropping to one knee.

"My king, the opposition has sent a message."

The king frowned.

"What is it now?"

The warrior hesitated briefly before replying;

"...They’ve requested a peace meeting."

"...what?"

...

Streaks of crimson and gold tore across the skies. Within the crimson light, Atticus turned toward the pride queen.

Several days had passed since the war began, and under the pride queen’s command, they had utterly decimated the enemy forces. He himself had participated in countless battles and had even gained some measure of strength from them.

Which was exactly why he found the pride queen’s next move difficult to understand.

Finally, he broke the silence.

"Why did you call this meeting?"

The pride queen turned toward him before a knowing smile spread across her face.

"Because it’s necessary."

"...Necessary?" Atticus frowned. "At this rate, they’ll collapse in a few days. Calling for a peace meeting makes no sense."

"And here I thought..." the pride queen smiled faintly. "...you were in a hurry to reach the Third Crown."

"I am."

"Then why are you complaining?"

"Because unless we’re planning to kill the king during this meeting, I fail to see how any of this speeds things up." Atticus narrowed his eyes slightly. "Or is that your plan?"

"No."

The pride queen slowly shook her head, the smile on her face deepening further.

"What we plan on doing is something even better."

"...What?"

The pride queen turned her gaze forward once more. Silence lingered between them for a moment before she finally spoke;

"Pressure."

Atticus frowned. The word made little sense. Yet he could already tell she had no intention of elaborating further.

The past few days he’d spent with her had already shown him exactly what kind of person he was dealing with.

As her title suggested, the pride queen was prideful to an absurd degree. She gave outrageous orders without bothering to explain herself and carried herself as though the world naturally revolved around her.

She was Ozeroth... but on an entirely different scale.

The pride queen did not care what others thought of her. She spoke however she pleased. Ate whatever she wanted. Dressed however she desired.

Even now, on their way to an important meeting with an opposing king, she wore a baggy shirt, sweatpants, and Dunlop slippers. Yet somehow... she still radiated overwhelming regality.

Atticus soon emerged from his thoughts as a small tent appeared on the horizon.

The two landed before it.

A procession of tall, imposing armored guards stood stationed outside the entrance.

As Atticus and the pride queen approached, the warriors’ expressions sharpened. Heavy pressure leaked from their bodies as they stepped forward to block the path.

"You two." The largest among them narrowed his eyes toward Atticus and the pride queen. "Stop right there. State your names and business."

Neither of them slowed down.

Atticus walked calmly and unhurriedly, his expression completely impassive. To him, the warriors before him might as well have been air.

But the pride queen moved as though the world itself belonged to her. Chin slightly raised, overwhelming pride and confidence seeped from every movement she made.

Together, they radiated such oppressive pressure that the level seven warriors before them visibly hesitated.

"Oi. Are you deaf?" The warrior’s expression darkened. "I said st—"

Suddenly, the warrior, and the dozen others beside him, were violently flung away from the hill by an unseen force.

Unfazed, Atticus and the pride queen continued forward and entered the tent as though nothing had happened.

The inside of the tent was far larger than its exterior suggested, yet it remained plain and empty, save for the single table positioned at its center.

Seated there was a man clad in flowing golden robes, wearing a massive crown that seemed to stretch toward the heavens. Two warriors stood silently behind him.

Embedded within the crown were eight brightly glowing gems.

A deep scowl rested upon the man’s face. The expression of someone who had been suppressing his anger for a very long time.

"Who the hell are you?"

The man’s voice was cold.

Atticus glanced toward the pride queen and quickly realized she still hadn’t revealed her Crown, which meant the man had no idea how powerful she truly was.

Furthermore, Eoi was publicly recognized as the ruler of Supreme kingdom, not the pride queen herself.

The pride queen ignored his question entirely and asked her own instead.

"You must be the ruler of Ether."

The king’s brows furrowed slightly, faint recognition flickering through his eyes.

"And you must be the woman pulling the strings from behind the scenes." His gaze turned colder. "You’re late."

The pride queen ignored the remark and calmly took her seat. Atticus did the same.

"What is this?" The king frowned toward Atticus. "A seat for servants?"

He gestured toward Atticus without even bothering to hide the contempt in his eyes.

"Tell your little pet this is a table for kings. He either stands... or he gets the hell out."