Emperor Winterfire looked with shock at a shining emblem.
At this moment, he was surrounded by different kinds of burning flames in a luxurious room, deep below the capital of the Winterfire Empire.
Moments later, all the flames stopped, and Emperor Winterfire took a deep breath.
"Greetings, is there anything I can help you with?" he asked the emblem respectfully.
"I am willing to extend an offer," the voice of the Duchess of Twilight spoke.
"What offer?" Emperor Winterfire asked.
"The two people you are searching for are still alive," the Duchess of Twilight spoke. "Their names are Kyle Freeman and Sebastian Wendler. They are currently in my Duchy."
Emperor Winterfire's brows furrowed when he heard that.
They were still alive.
It had been several years since they had shown themselves, and they must have grown more powerful since then.
"Thank you for telling me," Emperor Winterfire said. "What do you wish in return for their locations?"
"They are in my Duchy," the Duchess of Twilight said. "I am not going to hand them over. My offer comes from them."
Emperor Winterfire's eyes narrowed. "What is their offer?"
"Duels," the Duchess of Twilight said.
Duels.
When Emperor Winterfire heard that, he had mixed feelings.
The two of them were already the most powerful people in the Third Realm he had ever seen.
And yet, it was more than clear why they were asking for a duel.
They wanted to improve their Momentum even more.
They already had the most powerful Momentum anyone had ever had in the Third Realm, but that was not enough.
They wanted even more.
This felt crazy to him.
"What are the terms?" Emperor Winterfire asked.
"Two individual duels," the Duchess of Twilight answered.
"Kyle Freeman is going to fight against the Imperial Advisor, and Sebastian Wendler is going to fight the Holy King. They will be individual duels. Nobody is allowed to get involved, and nobody is allowed to retreat. Both duels will be to the death."
"If you choose to agree, these duels will take place."
"If you disagree, these duels will not happen."
Emperor Winterfire's eyes widened.
The fact that Kyle wanted to fight the Imperial Advisor was still understandable, but what was up with Sebastian's duel?
The Holy King was not weak!
"I need to confer with my Advisor and the Holy King. I will contact you," Emperor Winterfire said.
"Good," the Duchess of Twilight said before cutting the connection.
The next moment, Emperor Winterfire took out two other Emblems, and about a minute later, the other two Transcendents appeared in his room.
"Emperor," the two of them greeted him with respect.
"The two people we have been searching for have been found," Emperor Winterfire said, "but they are in the Twilight Duchy, and the Duchess of Twilight won't hand them over."
The mood immediately dropped.
They knew that, if either of them broke through, they would become as powerful as the Emperor or the Holy King.
This was bad!
"Luckily, they are maniacs and want a true battle," Emperor Winterfire continued.
Then, Emperor Winterfire told them about the terms of the duels.
"One of them wants to fight me?" the Holy King asked with surprise, blinking a couple of times in confusion.
"Apparently so," Emperor Winterfire said.
"Sure! I'll accept!" the Holy King said with an arrogant smirk.
Meanwhile, the Imperial Advisor furrowed his brows.
There was no doubt that the Holy King would win, but he wasn't so sure about himself.
There was a chance that he would lose.
"Is there a way that we can kill the other one?" he asked.
"No," Emperor Winterfire said. "The Duchess of Twilight is watching over everything. Angering her is the last thing any of us should ever do."
The Imperial Advisor looked downward with worry.
A couple of seconds of silence passed.
"I won't accept. This feels like a trap," he said.
Emperor Winterfire and the Holy King both looked at the Imperial Advisor with serious expressions.
The Imperial Advisor just looked back.
"You don't have a choice," Emperor Winterfire said with a neutral voice. "If you refuse, he will stay in the Twilight Duchy and become a Transcendent. The Duchess of Twilight has an Ether Essence, and she can just get a new one if her old one is used up. Who is going to stop her?"
"He has already fought a Transcendent before. He knows first-hand how powerful a Transcendent is, and still, he is ready to fight one on his own."
"If he becomes a Transcendent, there is a high chance that he would be more powerful than any of us."
"If he joins Silvester and his son, we will have a new rival Empire, and we can't let that happen. All of our work will have been for nothing."
The Imperial Advisor looked at the Emperor nervously.
Then, he turned to look at the Holy King.
This was the best opportunity for the Holy King to finally gain the Imperial Advisor's support.
If he managed to obtain it, the Holy King could become the new Emperor.
Yet, the Holy King just slowly shook his head with a serious expression. "Sorry, but there's no other way."
The next moment, the Holy King sent a private transmission to the Imperial Advisor. "There's no point in ruling over an Empire that will collapse soon. Sorry to do this, but you have to."
The Imperial Advisor gritted his teeth.
He had gone through a couple of difficult battles, and he had finally become a Transcendent!
He had reached the top of the world!
And yet, he had to keep fighting for his life.
"Then, there is no choice I can make," the Imperial Advisor said. "I am forced to accept."
The other two nodded, and Emperor Winterfire pulled out the emblem.
"We accept the duels," he said. "The Imperial Advisor will fight Kyle Freeman, and the Holy King will fight Sebastian Wendler."
"Good," the Duchess of Twilight answered.
"Can you assure that these will be individual duels and that there are no tricks?" Emperor Winterfire asked.
"I promise," the Duchess of Twilight said.
"Thank you," Emperor Winterfire said.
A promise was an important thing for a Transcendent since it was related to Karma.
Breaking a promise would deal significant damage to one's Karma.
"The duels will be tomorrow, over the Grand Ocean between my duchy and the central landmass."
"Be there or be square," a male voice in the emblem said.
Emperor Winterfire furrowed his brows.
Then, the connection was cut.
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