Reynred stepped forward, the crowd of Kings splitting for him.
He wore the same black robes accented with deep blue soft armor. He was a young man of charming looks and a somewhat dark gaze. And, unlike in the past, he wasn't followed by either Jilniya nor Wilas of World's End Falls and Mirage Pavilion respectively. That said, he hadn't come alone either.
He was followed by another pair of woman and man. Though, unlike Wilas and Jilniya who couldn't have been more different from one another, this pair looked strikingly similar. At a glance, it was easy to make out that they were siblings, fraternal twins, in fact.
This pair of twins walked side by side, their shoulders practically rubbing against one another. And, judging by their demeanor, they most definitely weren't subordinated to Reynred either.
At the end of the first phase, there had been seven Emperors total. Leonel, Anred, Reynred, Jilniya, Wilas and… these twins.
'The Moon siblings…'
For two Emperor level talents to appear in just one family, one could imagine the luck it would take. And most could only do exactly that: imagine.
The Moon family, however, didn't have to do this. They birthed a brother-sister pair just forty or so years ago that carried the hope of their future.
Since this was a family, it was no surprise that they were a part of the City Lord power structure and founded their strength upon governance and commerce. However, Anared and the rest of the Keafir family had known for a long time that the Moon family had been leaning toward the Powers for a long time already.
Still, this situation likely had little to do with their affiliations. They were most likely just as curious as everyone else who this mysterious person who managed to claim the Dream Abode was.
The truth was that even Anared only had a good idea of who it was. After all, as far as he was aware, there was only one other Emperor. However, he had yet to confirm it, mostly because he too didn't dare to casually approach that Abode.
That said, that appearance of this person coincided with that young man's disappearance.
"Fine. If it's only you three, I can accept it." Anared replied calmly. "However, if any others try to take advantage of the situation, don't blame me for being rude."
The sword that floated to Anared's back vibrated wildly as though thirsting for blood. Beneath his might, several Kings paled, unable to gather up the courage to battle.
The sister Moon sibling smiled. Her lips were such a bright shade of red that it seemed she had just been sipping blood from a wine glass.
"Lead the way."
Her voice was so sweet it almost made one forget the tension in the atmosphere.
Everyone here was intelligent. It was obvious that if Anared had a choice, he wouldn't allow any of them through no matter whether the number was small or not.
As Emperors, they had all participated in the Brave City trial before, so they knew what kind of advantages a successful invasion could give. Under normal circumstances, no one would ever give an enemy even an inkling of a chance at gaining an advantage.
However, whether it was because he felt he couldn't face so many enemies or whether he wanted to conserve his strength, Anared didn't want to set off the sparks of war just yet, at least not until the third phase.
Anared turned and started leading the three of them toward the Emperor Abodes. But, before he could get very far, he heard another familiar giggle.
"Young Heir Keafir, you don't need to insult our intelligence like this, right? You're going in the wrong direction."
The sister Moon sibling spoke again, her voice light and airy. It somehow both made one comfortable and cold at the same time.
Anared's step paused. "Since you know where he is, point me in the right direction."
His voice didn't give way to any embarrassment. He really didn't know where Leonel was. But, the three Emperors who followed him shared a 'knowing' glance.
With the strength of these four Emperors, it wasn't a surprise that they didn't take long to find Leonel. However, when Anared's gaze landed on him, his pupils couldn't help but constrict.
At that moment, Leonel was the center of everyone's attention. He sat atop yet another stone monument, completely lost in his own world. Compared to other, his Emperor brand seemed particularly dazzling, obscuring the black monitoring mark that was once the centerpiece of his face.
Even when everyone was shocked by the sudden appearance of four more Emperors, Leonel was unmoved. Or, rather, it was more accurate to say that he didn't spare any of his thoughts toward them. Though he knew four more individuals had appeared, he didn't stop his meditation.
Reynred and the twins were stunned for a moment.
"Third Dimension?"
The sister Moon sibling's words were just as gentle on the ears as usual. However, this time, rather than just being calming and cold, it felt as though a bomb had erupted amidst the crowd.
"Do you know who he is?" Reynred looked toward the Keafir family Heir.
Anared sent a noncommittal glance over. "He's the seeded participant of my Keafir family. He is courting my younger sister."
The three Emperors froze.
However, it was then they remembered. There was an Emperor that entered the Eastern Sector during the first phase. The commotion that young man caused was not small. In fact, the whole city quaked.
Unfortunately, since then, no one had heard from the young man at all. And, this young man had also ignored the unspoken rules and had yet to visit the Central Tower. Over time, there had been so many things to deal with that this young man floated to the backs of their mind.
Reynred frowned as he observed Leonel. This made things even more troublesome.
The good news was that this Emperor was still in the Third Dimension, this wasn't much to worry about. But, there were certain things during the trial that wouldn't strictly rely on strength. In addition, he wouldn't be easy to deal with regardless thanks to Anared's protection.
"Wait.." Reynred's eyes narrowed. "… Isn't that a monitoring brand? Why does your seeded participant have such a thing?"
It was difficult to spot beneath the Emperor brand. But, after noticing it, it was hard to unsee it.
However, Anared's response was just as cool and collected.
"Is there a rule that said someone who's branded can't participate? You know as well as I do that this brand only means he is being monitored, not that he is a criminal. In addition, it will only be for a period of three years."
"That isn't what I meant." Reynred responded. "Why would someone of your family be under suspicion? And, why is it that I didn't know that your family had recruited such a genius?"
"Is there a need for you to know everything about my family?" Anared gaze sharpened in warning.
"Alright, alright." The sister Moon sibling got between the two. "We only came here to form relationships, not break them. Can't we just have a conversation with him? What do you say young man, will you come down?"
The final part of her words were aimed at Leonel. On Terrain, no matter what man heard a request from such a beautiful lady, they would likely do their best to please. However, despite the words traveling to Leonel's ears, he didn't react.
How rude was it to ask someone in the middle of meditation to come down and talk for your own convenience? Had Leonel not been able to split his mind, the act of the Moon sister sending her voice toward him like this could have caused him to suffer backlash.
An awkward silence fell over the stone monument region as Leonel continued to meditate.
At that moment, the ever-silent brother Moon sibling suddenly opened his eyes, a murderous glint lighting them.