The Art of Conquering.

It follows no rules and no logic. What mattered in the end was winning and taking over what you desired, or perhaps following your own goals and only then are the good and bad sides decided.

Grey only had one goal.

Unifying the southern region under his name.

It would be his declaration of war against the Federation.

These people had hidden things for a long time now. He simply refused to let them continue this act.

He would break the barrier and unify the entire Blue Star under his name, then leave for the starry sky.

Because his greater goal, in the end, was always spreading his evolutionary path.

The Ultimate Leap.

The spread of his evolutionary path to ascend beyond normal limits.

By now, almost a hundred thousand people or more had already begun their journey on the Aether Evolutionary Path.

As its author and the direct power behind it, he could sense them, or perhaps even eliminate them if he wished to.

That was how much power he possessed as its author, wielding the Creator Invocation.

And he believed this so called Ultimate Leap was something related to what the author received from the user.

Or rather, it would be more accurate to say it would be something like feedback received, a thank you gift from the readers of an author for the creation of this evolutionary path.

That feedback would cause him to make this ultimate leap.

He did not know how far he had to spread it.

But if he had to do it across the entire starry sky, then he would do it.

In the end, Grey sought only power.

In a world ruled by strength, who could blame a man for dreaming of it?

...

"Even yours got plagiarized." Alissa glanced at Lia and chuckled, a cold look flashing across her face.

"..." Lia only stared at the screen bitterly.

At the same time, an old man sat on the other side of the room, calmly sipping tea prepared by Lia.

It was the Overseer of the Southern Region, Overseer Gu Qianchen.

"What a brilliant man." Gu Qianchen sighed with emotion.

"How long has it been since such an exceptional talent appeared in the southern region?"

"You say he is your master, old friend?" Gu Qianchen glanced at Werner with a bewildered expression.

"Yes." Werner replied calmly.

There was no hesitation in his voice.

"He is my Master."

What reason was there for him to hesitate?

He was proud to be his disciple.

What the southern region now knew as a never before seen monstrosity.

"Right..." Gu Qianchen replied speechlessly as he sipped his tea.

"Good lad, the tea is really good." Gu Qianchen complimented Lia.

"It seems you have been mastering the art of essence infusion. In the floating cities, there are many famous chefs. I can introduce one to you if you want."

"You overpraise me, Overseer." Lia said, her lips twitching slightly.

Right now, she was not in the mood to pay attention.

Instead, she stared at the view of infernals emerging, completely speechless.

Gu Qianchen was not surprised at first, as he had not been paying attention to the screen until now.

However, the moment he fixated his gaze on it and saw the infernals pouring out, his expression changed drastically.

...

"I I can't breathe." A 2nd ranker behind City Lord Brown spoke in terror, his knees buckling as cold sweat poured down his back.

The pressure was not just heavy. It felt absolute, like an invisible hand pressing directly on his existence.

Even circulating energy became a struggle, each breath tearing through his chest.

Several others fared no better.

Faces drained of color, bodies trembling, some barely managing to stay conscious as their instincts screamed at them to flee.

"City Lord, the measuring device!"

"It broke!" The man froze, staring at the fragments in his hands.

"Their levels… their levels can't be ascertained!"

A suffocating silence followed.

"Not even an upper limit?" someone whispered.

"No…" His throat bobbed as he swallowed.

"There's nothing to measure."

Another voice trembled.

"The device caps at the 12th level. Anything beyond that simply doesn't register."

"What?!"

City Lord Brown's shout tore through Whitespring.

For a moment, even the pressure seemed to pause.

It was not just him.

Across the southern region, expressions froze, breaths hitched, and minds reeled.

'[Is this real?]'

'[Beyond the 12th level?]'

'[That's impossible.]'

'[How many 12th level existences even exist in the entire southern region?]'

'[Then what… what did he summon?]'

A far more terrifying thought crept in.

'[Is he… even human?]'

No one said it aloud.

They did not need to.

For the first time, the doubt felt less like speculation and more like an unavoidable conclusion.

"Well, what do you say, City Lord Brown?" Grey smiled as he spoke.

"I'll do you a favor. If you back down and hand over the city lordship, then I will leave you and the 2nd rankers alone."

"We don't want any bloodshed or injuries, right?"

City Lord Brown fell silent upon hearing this.

He could feel the pressure clearly, and seeing the numbers, it was obvious they were stronger than all of them combined.

Even the size of the army alone surpassed him.

And yet.

How could he simply allow his city lordship to be handed over to someone who had emerged from nowhere?

This city had not fallen into his hands by chance.

It had been earned through decades of decisions, compromises, sacrifices, and blood that never made it into records.

If he stepped aside now, then what had all that meant?

Were a hundred years of governance worth less than raw power?

In the end, he spoke.

"City Lord Grey." City Lord Brown said, his voice steady.

"You have impressed me. To summon such an army, I admit I underestimated you."

"However."

Spiritual energy erupted from his body, vast and resolute.

"I, City Lord Brown, sole ruler of Whitespring for over a century, cannot simply surrender this city."

"Not to fear. Not to inevitability."

Power could decide outcomes, but it did not decide meaning.

"I will fight you," he declared, "until my final breath."

Turning to the surrounding 2nd rankers, his tone softened.

"Friends from afar. Law Enforcement Bureau."

He inclined his head slightly.

"You may retreat."

"I thank you for your service."

"And if I survive this day, I will see every one of you compensated."

He straightened.

A man's stubbornness was often mocked as foolishness.

Yet sometimes, that refusal to yield was the final proof that he had lived his life standing, not kneeling.

The others sighed with emotion upon hearing this.

They could sympathize with him.

Asking someone to give up their blood, sweat, and tears was not easy.

The evolvers from the Mandate Province knew how much convincing City Lord Albert had needed to bring this man into the alliance.

Heavy prices had been paid for it.

However, sympathy alone was not enough to back him now.

They understood reality.

This man was already past the point of stopping.

The monster before them could not be stopped.

Logic outweighed emotion.

They could only retreat.

However, the law enforcement did not retreat.

From among the crowd, Chief Williams stepped forward and spoke.

"City Lord Brown, I grew up in this city. If I retreat now, I will be putting my hometown to shame."

Other officers and citizens who were at the 2nd rank spoke up as well.

"That's right, City Lord Brown. This battle, we will fight together."

"Everyone." City Lord Brown felt his emotions surge.

To think they would still stand with him after witnessing Grey's power.

"..." Grey stared at them blankly.

For some reason, he felt like he was being treated as a villain.

He turned toward Xia Qingyue, who was observing the situation with an indifferent gaze.

"Hey."

"Am I the bad guy here?" Grey asked, a trace of uncertainty surfacing on his face.

Xia Qingyue glanced at him, then shook her head.

"You aren't in the wrong," she said calmly.

She valued human emotion, but she understood reality more clearly.

On the path of power, conflict was inevitable.

When interests clashed, there was no fairness, only outcomes.

Those who were weaker could only bow their heads.

If they did not, then they had already chosen the consequences.

The will of the weak, no matter how fiercely it burned, without power to back it up, would never be realized.

It would only burn within them until the day they died.

"Fine." Grey finally let out a sigh.

"You guys, stay put." Grey glanced at the infernals as he spoke.

They would have their use, but not right now.

He then turned to City Lord Brown and the law enforcement officers hovering in the sky.

"We will play it fair."

"Since the majority of the 2nd rankers have backed away, I will naturally not use the army."

"That would be bullying the weak."

"So you all come at me at the same time."

"Let's end this quickly."

"I plan on conquering the entire southern region today."

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