Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Western Region, Berg District, Scarlet Berg, Guild Association Mall

Cervos stared at the two elegant blue humanoid beings radiating icy mist and bone-chilling cold, both looking like more mature and perfected versions of Aurelia and Jaya themselves.

His gaze lingered on Jaya for a second too long. The tight Frosilk suit wrapped around her body accentuated every curve while the frost-lined cape fluttered behind her like the mantle of some celestial conqueror. Combined with the overwhelming aura of power she emitted, she looked less like a person and more like a cold, untouchable goddess descended from the heavens.

Unfortunately, the moment she would open her mouth, that illusion would shatter instantly because her personality was absolutely terrible.

Still... that body though.

Meanwhile, Aurelia gave off an entirely different impression. Unstoppable Frosol resembled a legendary female knight from ancient epics, heroic and imposing, yet strangely beautiful in an androgynous way. Her sharper features, athletic frame, and short hair gave her the appearance of one of those dangerously handsome boys with feminine charm who could make many women feel inferior if they ever decided to dress as one.

The faint golden light flowing beneath her frost armor only added to that noble and untouchable aura.

Apart from their appearances, what shocked Cervos the most was the terrifying presence the two emitted. They felt stronger than anyone he had ever fought before.

Yes, even stronger than their lord who had defeated him, JJ, Adriene, and their gangs using the Celestial Blood Fate Domain. Back then, Southern Hope’s domain had felt absolute and inescapable, yet the man himself hadn’t emitted any overwhelming pressure. If anything, he had seemed no different from an ordinary mortal standing there calmly.

Maybe that was because he simply hadn’t felt the need to reveal his true power while dealing with insignificant card apprentices like them.

At that moment, Cervos suddenly felt lucky Aurelia had rejected both his application to join the Bright Lions and his request for a trial by combat to overturn her decision and seize leadership of the organization.

Still, that only made him even more confused.

If Aurelia possessed this kind of strength all along, then why had she refused his challenge in the first place? She could have crushed him publicly and saved herself from all the rumors and criticism claiming she rejected strong recruits because she feared losing control of the Bright Lions to someone stronger than herself.

What Cervos didn’t know was that Aurelia had far grander plans for the Bright Lions. She didn’t want people to follow them out of fear or because of overwhelming power, but because of communal power, like a brotherhood.

To her, the Bright Lions were meant to become more than just an organization or a tool for their lord. She wanted it to become one large family that stood together and fought injustice on behalf of the weak and helpless.

That was why she had rejected Cervos using morality rather than strength.

Unfortunately, even if Cervos learned the truth, he still wouldn’t understand her reasoning. He was someone who firmly believed that might made right. To a person like him, Aurelia’s ideals would sound like nothing more than naïve foolishness. Cervos wasn’t alone, many would feel the same.

"Hey, why does your breath smell so strongly of blood? How many people did you fucking kill? Four? Didn’t we agree not to kill unless it was absolutely necessary?" Jaya asked while staring at the twin-headed corpse dragon.

Thanks to her enhanced senses, she could distinguish chemical compounds ordinary card apprentices would never notice. From the scent lingering on the dragon’s breath alone, she could already identify traces of fresh blood and demigod corpses stored in its stomach.

The dragon’s two pairs of reptilian eyes widened in shock, completely unable to understand how she had figured that out.

"Hey, there were seven of them against just one of me," the twin-headed corpse dragon hurriedly defended itself. "I did what I had to do to stop them from interfering with you guys. Even if it meant killing a few."

Aurelia stared at the twin-headed corpse dragon, her blue irises glowing faintly with golden light from within. After a long moment, she let out a slow breath and said, "I’ll deal with you later."

Her attention then shifted toward the Palace Guard Captain and the remaining guards, who were steadily approaching in a battle formation she didn’t recognize.

That alone was rare enough to immediately put her on alert. Aurelia had grown up in a military city where discipline and warfare were treated as part of everyday life. Children there were taught military formations and battlefield fundamentals before they even properly learned how to read. Those lessons had been drilled so deeply into them that they became instinct.

Yet the formation before her was something entirely unfamiliar. Aurelia wondered if it was one of the secret battle formations exclusive to the Western Palace Guards.

After all, even the Southern Royal Guards possessed hidden techniques and formations that were revised and updated every four years to adapt to modern combat. Because of that, she wasn’t particularly surprised and was already mentally preparing herself to improvise on the fly.

"Those guys aren’t just strong. They have a ridiculous amount of combat experience too. We need to be careful... or retreat if you’ve already accomplished what you came here for," Cervos warned after nearly experiencing death firsthand earlier.

"Retreat?" Aurelia repeated before letting out a scoff. "This is the perfect opportunity to show the people of the Western Region that we can protect them if they choose to side with us."

Her eyes sparkled with fiery ambition. To Aurelia, this battle wasn’t just a fight anymore. It was a declaration announcing the arrival of the New Empire in the Western Region.

Without another word, she tossed the restrained and unconscious Palace Guard No. 3 toward Cervos.

"Stuff him inside the corpse dragon’s stomach and keep him imprisoned there," she ordered casually, in anticipation of the upcoming battle.