Golden and silver embroidery adorned the grand hall of the castle, illuminated by a magnificent chandelier crafted from countless gems and Soul Stones.

On the wall opposite the hall's entrance, atop a raised platform, stood two majestic thrones, each designed in the shape of the gaping maw of an ancient beast that even the oldest of the Banes could not identify.

A few steps below them, another seat was embedded. Before this seat stood a young man with ethereal golden hair and shimmering eyes of the same hue.

Below them, on the floor level, six large seats were arranged—three on each side of the red carpet that stretched all the way to the King's throne.

Before these six seats stood the six Sect Leaders of the Banes.

On the second floor of the hall—still positioned lower than the grand thrones—stood Lunaria. Beside her, a young goddess who had yet to fully mature but already rivaled Sylvaris in beauty stood with effortless grace.

A few feet away from them, Ignis stood still, his gaze locked onto Nymeria, lips slightly parted. It was as though he had never witnessed anything so mesmerizing in his life before.

While everyone was waiting for the arrival of Voltrex and Aestra, Ignis moved toward Nymeria, making sure his blazing hair was perfectly set and his robe spotless.

With graceful precision, Ignis placed a hand over his chest and said,

"I am Ignis El Flamebane, son of Aethon El Flamebane and the future Sect Master of the Flamebanes. May I have the honor of your name, beautiful lady?"

Nymeria, whose warm gaze had been fixed on Taranis, turned her head toward this unfamiliar face she had never seen before.

"I am Nymeria El Snowbane," she replied, before turning her creamy eyes back to Taranis.

"N-Nymeria? So she is the daughter of Aurelion—the rumored snow goddess," Ignis thought inwardly. Yet when he looked at her again, he instantly noticed her complete lack of interest in conversation, which deeply wounded his pride. Moreover, how dare she stare at another man when Ignis—the most handsome man (self-proclaimed)—had initiated a conversation with her?

Still, he decided to forgive the naivety of this young girl and spoke to her again with a forced smile. Her beauty deserved at least that much attention, or so Ignis believed.

"Lady Nymeria, you are even more beautiful than the rumors suggest," Ignis said, his voice calm as he gently lifted Nymeria's hand with his own. "I would be honored to become your acquaintance."

He leaned closer, intending to kiss her hand, but just as his lips were about to touch her skin, he felt an intense killing intent surge from below.

His blood turned cold. His blazing hair lost its light for the first time, and a chilling shiver ran through his entire body.

Still frozen, he slowly shifted his gaze, following the source of the killing intent.

"Wh-who would dare openly release killing intent inside the royal courtroom?" Ignis thought inwardly as his eyes finally reached its origin.

It was Aurelion El Thunderbane.

His silver hair shimmered with an intense white light, and his piercing gaze was locked onto Ignis. A chilling aura enveloped his body, turning the entire courtroom bone-chillingly cold. His expressionless face conveyed a message far clearer than words ever could:

If you dare make another move on my daughter, the consequences will be catastrophic.

Before Ignis could move a muscle, Lunaria firmly removed Nymeria's hand from his grasp.

"Behave yourself, Lord Ignis. Nymeria is the same age as your daughter," Lunaria muttered. The gentle smile she usually wore was nowhere to be seen.

Although age differences were not considered significant in Vyoman due to the long lifespans of cultivators, there were still lines that needed to be drawn. Even setting aside the fact that Nymeria was only a year and a half old, her physical and mental development was that of a nine-year-old child. Ignis's behavior toward Nymeria, who was over thirty, was nothing short of disgusting.

"I–I was merely trying to become acquainted with her," Ignis muttered in his defense as Aurelion's killing intent finally dissipated. "I had no other intentions in mind."

His pleading gaze shifted toward his father, silently urging him to speak on his behalf.

Letting out a sigh of disappointment, Aethon turned to Aurelion and said in a steady voice, "Aurelion, you are overreacting. My son had no ulterior motives toward your daughter. As the future Sect Master of the Flamebanes, he was merely attempting to establish acquaintance with Nymeria, who may one day become the Sect Master of the Snowbanes."

Before Aurelion could say anything, Barbatos spoke, the amused smile still tugging at his lips.

"He didn't need to kiss her hand to become acquainted with her. That gesture is reserved only for a lord and lady of similar age."

"Barbatos, don't try to stir hostility between two sects again," Titan muttered, his sharp gaze locked onto Barbatos.

"Woh—woh—woh, choose your words carefully, Titan, or you might cause a misunderstanding. You speak as if I'm the reason Sylvaris hates Tartaglia," Barbatos said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Huh!? Why are you dragging me into your bickering?" Tartaglia snapped. However, his eyes still glanced toward Sylvaris, who had now drawn a veil over her face to avoid the lecherous gazes.

As the air inside the hall grew heavier with the open hostility between these monsters who stood at the pinnacle of power on the Western Continent, two figures entered the hall, their presence instantly bringing the bickering to a halt.

One was a strikingly handsome man clad in a blue robe, adorned with vivid patterns of thunder and lightning. His sharp, pearl-like sky-blue eyes stared down at the Banes, daring them to bicker in the courtroom again. Upon his forehead rested a golden circlet, unmistakably revealing his identity as the King of the Hundred Sky Mountains—Voltrex El Thunderbane.

Walking beside him was an ethereal beauty with raven-black hair and deep black eyes resembling a bottomless abyss. Draped in a beautiful red robe, her very presence demanded reverence. Like Voltrex, a golden circlet adorned her forehead, revealing her identity as the Queen of the Hundred Sky Mountains—Aestra El Thunderbane.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.