None of the councilpersons expected such a response from Ice Queen. They were dumbstruck, to say the least.
"So domineering!" The President of the World Government was awestruck.
He expected Ice Queen to be eccentric, but never to such an extent that she would give zero respect to the council that ruled the world.
"But then again, if she wasn’t like this, she wouldn’t have done what she did in Infinity Maze!"
The president rationalized.
The councilpersons might seem united, but they had personal aspirations, and in secret, were working towards those aspirations.
Now with one stroke, Ice Queen spoiled all those aspirations and ruined years of efforts.
In front of that, this disrespect was not even worthy of mentioning.
The councilpersons looked at Ice Queen. None of them rebuked her or even say anything.
"I’m leaving."
Ice Queen said, and her projection disappeared with a whishing sound.
The atmosphere in the hall turned eerie.
"Seems like this poor monk was destined to be humiliated," Lord Kakusandha broke the silence with a smile. "And since everything is a part of destiny, let’s not stress about Ice Queen anymore."
Lord Elliot clenched his teeth but managed to nod. He could only forget Ice Queen’s behavior for now.
"Then let’s focus on the next important matter."
Lord Elliot flicked his hand, and a holographic image popped up.
"The Alpha called Dr. NTR – Kiba."
Lord Harley’s eyes narrowed. The expressions of the leaders representing other Nine Great Families turned of deep thinking.
"He’s a powerful entity with the strength of a mid-stage Level VIII!"
Lord Elliot - who was also a part of the Nine Families - continued, his voice turning serious.
"And that’s according to the eyewitnesses who witnessed his confrontation with Ice Queen! The fact he survived obviously tells us he’s stronger than that!"
With Ice Queen gone, only six independent councilpersons remained in the meeting.
Unlike the leaders of the Nine Families, they had remained silent when Ice Queen was confronted. They neither supported her nor chided her. They remained neutral.
Now hearing about Kiba, their expressions were of either disinterest or curiosity. And unlike the leaders of Nine Families, they weren’t alarmed by his supposed strength.
That was to be expected, as a powerful Alpha was more of a challenge to the Nine Families. While the families’ strength was far more than any Alpha, the control over their resources would be drastically impacted by the rise of every strong Alpha.
"Isn’t he a thing of beauty?"
A disfigured woman licked her lips in excitement.
Her name was Anastasia, and she was an independent who gained her position with her strength alone.
"Anastasia, he does seem your type!"
Zara – another independent smiled.
"But I doubt he would be willing to turn into your toy!"
"Hehe! You never know!" Anastasia responded with a starry glint. "He might be in kinky stuff!"
"You can only dream!" Zara pointed to the virtual report on Kiba and said. "Because according to this, he likes to be kinky only with married women!"
"Really?" Anastasia was surprised.
Lord Elliot couldn’t believe this.
He had started a discussion on someone who can impact the workings of the world. Yet, it was sidetracked in such a manner.
"These damn independents might no longer be commoners, but they are still uncivilized!"
Lord Elliot clawed his fingers into his chair.
He hated the fact that the council of nobility accepted such barbarians.
They only deserved to be ruled and guided. Yet now, they acted like they were in the same ranks of the noble aristocracy.
How disgusting!
If only the Nine Sovereigns hadn’t made it possible to accept qualified outsiders, this wouldn’t have happened. The council wouldn’t have been sullied.
"This report is bound to contain a few false details," Lord Kakusandha intervened in the discussion. "So we can’t say if his kinks are true or not, but we know one thing for sure – he is from Delta City."
The faces of councilpersons turned rigid.
Delta City!
Castor Damon’s disappearance, the sudden appearance and disappearance of Extermination, and that mysterious lady with violet aura... everything was related to Delta City!
And now even this doctor!
"Just what is so special about that city?"
The councilpersons turned to the source of the question - a chair in the corner. It belonged to an independent, but it was someone whom everyone acknowledged as the strongest man on Earth.
Naturally, it was none other than the King of Atlantis.
"Except for the possible connection with the Cosmic Spark, we don’t know," Lord Kakusandha replied. "All our investigations have turned out to be useless."
Poseidon was aware of this and more. In fact, he knew details that none in the hall were even remotely aware of.
Without displaying any emotions on his rugged face, he looked at the holographic image of Kiba
"Is he also related to that kid named Zed?"
Poseidon asked himself.
"The conditions of Holy Seer and my daughter are all thanks to that kid... So Extermination is definitely related to Zed!"
"But this Kiba... Holy Seer said nothing about him after she peered into the future."
"Or maybe she hinted, and I never realized?"
Poseidon’s head was hurting with questions. Given his powers, he didn’t fear Kiba or any Alpha.
But he feared Zed.
He was in an unenviable situation.
...
A few minutes later, in the House of Hestia.
Before the fireplace, Lord Harley sat across Xalion, his expression a mix of amus.e.m.e.nt and deep contemplation. His eyes suddenly opened and his connection with his projection ended.
The meeting has ended without any fruitful conclusion.
"Anything worth mentioning happened there?" Xalion asked.
Lord Harley shook his head.
"That’s a pity," Xalion said with a sigh.
"Well, we already know the world is going to change again," Lord Harley remarked. "Much before we expected."
Xalion nodded, his gaze moving to the fire dancing in the fireplace. The fire had morphed into the corpses that have emerged from Infinity Maze.
"We are ready for them, aren’t we?" Xalion asked.
"Only time would answer that," Lord Harley replied with a sly smile. "But I can assure you if Lord Xeced is alive, he is going to be surprised."
Xalion smirked and said, "That’s for sure. We humans aren’t the guinea pigs."
"Fufu, obviously," Lord Harley agreed. "Evolution is on our side."
RUMBLE~
Suddenly, in the House of Hestia’s outskirts, dark clouds began to amass in the morning sky. An imperceptible aura of superciliousness followed.
A strange golden glow emerged everywhere, radiating sharpness that cut through the spine like a sword.
Thud!
Countless servants collapsed, and the knees of young masters caved in.
Lord Harley and Xalion’s expression changed to shock.
An invisible dome protected the region of a few miles, including the outskirts. For the servants and young masters there to become so submissive, it could only mean one thing.
"Someone very powerful is arriving!"
Xalion muttered.
Lord Harley didn’t say anything. He only looked at the sky.
Swoosh~!
Thunder rolled in the clouds, and through them, a thick bolt of lightning blasted out.
Bang!
The lightning smashed into the ground, causing large fissures to snake out and violent tremors to spread.
Smoke and dust particles filled the air, but Lord Harley was able to see the silhouette of a golden-haired man.
"Kiba!"