"Lead the way," Zen ordered.

The humiliated Commander didn’t say another word. He quickly sheathed his sword and gestured for the heavy palace doors to be opened. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

They were escorted into what looked like a wealthy royal palace. The huge hallways had tall statues of pure gold. Massive stained-glass windows cast colorful light across the shiny floors. Crystal chandeliers floated in the air using levitation magic. The massive amount of wealth there would make anyone from the lower domains feel dizzy.

Maya felt out of place. Her knees were practically knocking together with every step she took.

But she looked at Zen walking ahead of her, completely unfazed by the hostile environment or the glaring guards. She remembered her combat training. She remembered what he had told her in the penthouse.

Maya took a deep breath, forcing her shaking hands to stop. She squared her shoulders, lifted her chin, and tried as much as possible to mask her fear. She walked proudly and fiercely beside him, refusing to look like a victim in the Empress’s domain.

"You are doing perfectly," Zen whispered to her without turning his head.

Maya allowed herself a tiny, confident smile. "I’m learning from the best."

They finally reached the end of the grand hallway. Two massive doors made of solid white gold stood before them. The Elite Commander bowed deeply... this time with genuine, terrified respect, and pushed the heavy doors open.

Zen walked into the throne room.

It was a massive, circular chamber.

At the far end, sitting upon a throne woven entirely from golden fire and white marble, was Aurelia. The Empress.

She looked absolutely breathtaking. She wore a flowing white gown laced with intricate Imperial runes, and a crown of floating, burning light rested just above her golden hair. Her striking blue eyes locked onto Zen the exact second he crossed the threshold.

"Leave us," Aurelia commanded. Her voice was soft, but it echoed with unquestionable power.

The Elite Commander and the guards immediately scrambled out of the room, pulling the heavy golden doors shut behind them with a loud thud.

The five of them were completely alone.

Aurelia did not speak immediately. Instead, she attempted to subtly use her Mind Fragment aura.

Zen felt it instantly.

It wasn’t a physical pressure like Valeria’s killing intent; it was an invisible, crushing weight that slammed directly into his psyche. She was pushing him, trying to force his mind into a state of panic and submission.

She was testing him, trying to see if he was truly the Emperor reborn, or just a weak, fragile vessel masquerading as her dead lover.

"System," Zen thought, keeping his face perfectly blank. "Reinforce mental barriers."

[Executing Mental Defense. Host psyche stabilized.]

Zen didn’t just block her aura; he effortlessly countered it. He pushed his own mental pressure back across the room, slicing through her psychological web like a hot knife through butter.

All the while, he stood perfectly straight with his eyes locking onto hers with cold authority.

Aurelia’s blue eyes widened slightly in shock as her mental grip shattered into pieces.

Then, she smiled.

It wasn’t a warm, welcoming smile. It was a dangerous, predatory smile of a woman who had finally found the prize she had been hunting for five centuries.

She slowly stood up and stepped down from her burning throne. She didn’t walk; she glided across the marble floor. She completely ignored the furious glares from Nyx and Valeria. She didn’t even acknowledge Maya’s existence.

Aurelia walked right up to Zen, stopping inches from his chest. She reached up, wrapping her soft, elegant arms delicately around his neck.

Without a single word of warning, she pulled him down and kissed him deeply, right in front of Maya, Nyx, and Valeria.

Valeria let out a low, violent growl, her hand twitching toward her sword. Nyx’s digital circuitry flared a bright, angry purple.

Aurelia finally pulled back, her lips hovering just millimeters from his ear.

"Welcome home, my Emperor," Aurelia whispered, her voice dripping with terrifying obsession.

Zen did not flinch. He looked down into her striking blue eyes, keeping his expression perfectly composed, and radiating total authority.

"It has been a long time, Aurelia," Zen said calmly.

Aurelia smiled, her fingers gently tracing the dark collar of his jacket. "Five hundred years," she murmured softly. "Five centuries of waiting for this exact moment. But I must ask..."

She slowly pulled back, her blue eyes shifting away from him.

Her gaze drifted past Zen and landed on Maya, Nyx, and Valeria, who were standing near the heavy golden doors. The warm, obsessive affection in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, imperious glare that could freeze a lesser man’s heart.

"Why did you bring the rest of them?" Aurelia asked, her tone sharpening into a blade. "The invitation I personally sent to the Ares Domain clearly stated that you were to come alone. This was supposed to be our private reunion."

"Are we interrupting something, Empress?" Nyx asked smoothly, her calculating voice dripping with mocking amusement.

"You are breathing my air, Spymaster," Aurelia shot back without missing a single beat. "That is an interruption in itself."

Valeria growled low in her throat, stepping forward with her hand resting aggressively on the hilt of her broadsword. "Watch your mouth, Aurelia. We brought him here safely across an entire continent. You should be thanking us on your knees."

"Thanking you?" Aurelia laughed. The sound of it was a crisp, condescending sound that echoed harshly through the cavernous throne room. "For what exactly? For playing dress-up in the dirt while my Emperor was forced to sleep in a pathetic scrap dorm? You are completely incompetent, Vanguard. You always were."

"I will cut your head off right now!" Valeria roared, golden Aegis mana flaring around her fists.

"Enough," Zen ordered.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried the crushing weight of the Emperor’s authority. Valeria immediately closed her mouth and stepped back, her red eyes burning with suppressed rage as she bowed her head.

Zen turned his attention back to the Empress. "They are with me, Aurelia," he said flatly. "They are my entourage. If you don’t want them around, then you do not want me around. We can turn around and leave immediately. The choice is yours."