The atmosphere was thick with tension. Every single person watching from behind the aegis shields held their breath.
They knew—what was about to happen could be the worst disaster the human domain had ever seen.
The paragons were about to clash.
If they fought, it would be an event that might cripple the human domain forever. Earlier, only Magnus and Luminous had battled, and even then, the entire domain had felt the repercussions.
Aegis shields had sprung up in other sectors as they braced for potential fallout, and that was with only two paragons in battle, with others trying to mitigate the damage.
But if all the paragons fought—even if it was all against Magnus—the consequences would be unimaginable. The devastation would tear through sectors like a wave, unstoppable.
Magnus's killing intent saturated the air, pressing down on everyone like an oppressive weight. Even paragons found themselves unnerved as the lightning crackled around him, the sky darkening overhead. His spear pulsed with deadly energy, thirsting for Luminous's blood.
Thorne Alverian and Zephyrion both narrowed their eyes, their auras flaring in response. But before they could act, a calm, serious voice cut through the rising tension.
"Magnus…" Oberon spoke, his tone steady. "I understand your anger, but killing him would trigger a chain reaction that the human domain cannot afford."
Magnus didn't respond, his killing intent only increasing. His gaze burned with the intensity of a storm, his spear humming with power.
"He started this, and he deserves to die. But if you kill him now, you risk tearing a hole in the domain that can't be mended. It's not just the loss of a paragon—it's the loss of an entire tier-one family."
Oberon's words weren't direct, but everyone understood. Killing Luminous wouldn't be the end—it would be the beginning. The Ravensteins wouldn't stop with him.
They would wage war on the Stellaris family, seeking to eradicate them entirely. Without a paragon, the Stellaris would be like ants to the Ravensteins.
And when that inevitable war occurred, the human domain would lose one of its most powerful bloodlines, a loss they wouldn't recover from for centuries.
But Oberon's plea hadn't reached Magnus. His aura continued to rise, killing intent flooding the entire area. The air crackled with electric tension.
"Cool down, Magnus," Zephyrion said, his voice tense. "We're not going to let you kill him. And think about it—if we fight here, which sector doesn't have a functioning aegis shield to protect it?"
Thunder rumbled overhead, the sky darkening further as lightning flashed in the clouds. The air grew suffocating, the killing intent reaching its peak.
Magnus's gaze shifted to Zephyrion, his eyes glowing with intense white light, lightning crackling around his form. "Was that a threat?"
Zephyrion's frown deepened, and he opened his mouth to respond, but Oberon quickly stepped in.
"It's not a threat, Magnus. It's a fact," Oberon said firmly. "If we battle here, everything will be reduced to ruins—including Sector 3. Listen to me. You're not wrong to seek justice, and you shouldn't let this go. But we can come to a compromise."
Oberon extended his hand, and a golden folded paper appeared in his grasp—a mana contract. The golden paper floated toward Magnus, the air shimmering with a golden light as Oberon spoke again.
"Write your terms."
The onlookers, from grandmasters to masters, watched in silence, waiting to see what Magnus would do.
They knew his reputation—unbending, especially when it came to his family. What would his next move be?
They got their answer soon enough.
In a flash of lightning, Magnus's spear disappeared, and he reached out, grabbing the mana contract from the air. The killing intent didn't fade—it remained as thick and deadly as ever—but some of the onlookers exhaled in relief. Perhaps they had narrowly escaped disaster.
Just as Magnus was about to engrave his terms, Oberon's cautious voice interrupted.
"Magnus… there's no way he or any of us would accept the Stellaris becoming slaves to the Ravensteins. Remember that."
Oberon's words were cautious but firm. Allowing the Stellaris to become subservient to the Ravensteins would give Magnus's family far too much power. None of them, not even Oberon, could allow that.
Magnus cast Oberon a cold, neutral stare, but then turned back to the contract, engraving his terms.
Less than a second passed before the paragons read the clauses, and Luminous was the first to erupt.
"There's no way in hell I'm signing that!" he spat, his molten form flickering with anger.
BOOM!
Thunder cracked in the sky, and in a blinding flash, Magnus's spear reappeared in his hand, lightning surging along its length. His killing intent spiked, and the air itself seemed to tremble under the weight of his rage.
"Wait! Wait!" Oberon quickly stepped between them, shooting Luminous a cold glare. "You caused all of this chaos, Luminous. You'll take responsibility for your actions."
Luminous gritted his teeth, his hands clenching into fists. "But he's asking for too much!"
"Losers' complaints are nothing but rabble," Oberon said icily. "You acted, and you lost. You have no choice but to sign it. If you don't, the sun may never shine brightly in the human domain again. Choose wisely."
Luminous's fists shook with anger as he took another look at the clauses in the contract. His eyes burned with fury, but deep inside, he knew Oberon was right. His defeat had consequences.
Magnus's terms were brutal and strict:
1. The Stellaris will never attack or attempt to harm anyone with Ravenstein blood flowing through their veins. Every member of the Stellaris family will be required to sign a mana contract enforcing this.
2. The Stellaris paragon and all with Stellaris blood will protect Atticus Ravenstein at all costs, no matter the threat. Every Stellaris will sign a mana contract in line with this.
3. Helios Stellaris will be given up and executed as punishment.
4. The Stellaris family will continue protecting the human domain and will never betray it.
5. The Stellaris will bear all costs for damages and compensate for every life lost in this conflict, settling reparations to the families affected.
6. The Stellaris family will publicly apologize to the Ravensteins, acknowledging their grave error in judgment and stating that their "brains were not operating correctly." This apology will be made in front of all tiered families.