"... That''s a fair point," melle, stroking his chin, chuckled and shook his head, "I indeed didn''t consider as thoroughly as you, Ans. So, you must have prepared in advance, right?"


    "Of course," Ansel responded, "I have many things to do,  of which include dying at her hands or those of other fifth stages."


    Hisposure and confidce made Lawrce, who was looking up at him, show an expression of utmost admiration. Ev the proud sorcerer Toradon and the emotionally reserved Tyrus bowed their heads slightly in respect.


    The pact with Hydral will not be inherited. After Hydral''s death, the pact heads won''t have much time left. The chaos and madness that they shared with Hydral will not dissipate with Hydral''s death, but will intsify. Their lives have already begun the countdown with melle''s demise.


    But they have followed melle through a life more legdary than legds, with almost no regrets. Some pact heads may choose to die with melle, some may d their lives somewhere after severing theirst ties with the mortal world, or choose to die in the most spectacr way.


    These legdary figures, their respect for Ansel, is not due to the differce in status, but a sincere admiration for their young lord.


    "Well th, I''ll take my leave, Father."


    Ansel, helping Seraphina to stand up, said, "There are still many things to do."


    "Ah, remember to visit your mother... She was upset that we didn''t invite her to our chat." melle, smiling, raised his teacup to Ansel.


    "... I will," Ansel nodded slightly, and left the courtyard with Seraphina.


    melle watched the young man''s retreating figure, his radiant gold hair idtical to his wife''s, his gaze suddly became somewhat dazed and lost.


    But that daze onlysted for a momt, he brought the teacup to his lips and took a gtle sip.


    "Saville."


    Hydral, who was already in decline, suddly spoke, "Ansel will be the greatest Hydral, I''ve told you that, hav''t I?"


    "Yes," Lawrce, who had climbed onto the tea table, nodded, "Boss, you''ve said it countless times."


    "That many times?"


    The man chuckled, "Hmm... I suppose I have."


    He stroked the wall of the teacup, his azure eyes, idtical to Ansel''s, reflected the surface of the tea, and also reflected countless... only he could see, but iprehsible sces of madness.


    "I oft wonder."


    melle, who seemed to be looking at something, said softly, "If Ansel wasn''t a Hydral, would he have had a greater, more wonderful life?"


    The pact heads remained silt. They could speak freely with melle, but they didn''t have the right to... express their views and feelings on this matter.


    "My son, he had no choice in being born, but I did."


    "I chose to bring him into this world... but does he harbor hatred for the blood that flows in him, the curse that binds his soul, and me, who brought him into this world?"


    melle drank the tea in the cup, took the wine brewed by Ansel from Saville''s hand, poured himself a full ss, and drank it all in one gulp.


    "Pfft... cough, cough... I don''t know who Ansel learned this from, I clearly never drink."


    The man smacked his lips, "How can he drink wine like tea? Well... the taste isn''t too bad, I suppose."


    melle of Hydral stood up and walked to the cter of the courtyard, casting his gaze at the highest point of the imperial city, at the second sun that burned all day.


    The one who slumbers in the fire wakes up, and also casts a cold and dangerous gaze at him.


    "You, a struggling loser, have no right to look at me like that, Ephesande."


    The man in the noble suit, with an elegant and dignified demeanor, revealed a smile — that ferocious, cruel, violt... terrifying smile mixed with all negative emotions, proving that he was not as rational as he appeared in life, everything was like the madness in his sea-blue eyes.


    "How about," he said with a smile, "we start now, and let the empire perish at our hands."


    Shadow.


    At this momt, a shadow that does not exist in realitypletely velops the imperial city.


    Despite the clear weather and bright sunshine, all the people living in this huge city suddly feel an indescribable terror and coldness. They instinctively look up, but they have no idea where this fear from the heartes from, they can only see the dazzling sunshine.


    melle raised his left hand, and a huge cannon appeared at the bottom of the alchemical fortress in the sky, t thousand meters above the imperial city.


    The alchemical fortress, Nostos, excavated by melle from the Zero Realm Enigma, a relic from the Sky Conquering Dynasty era, and th upgraded by him.


    Saville bowed his head slightly, but his figure seemed to be betwe existce and non-existce; Lawrce''s tiny red eyes were filled with a deeper blood color; Tyrus siltly stood in front of melle, his terrifying body over three meters tall seemed to have grown a bit more; Toradon held his scepter, and the top of the scepter was brewing the purest destruction.


    As long as melle has any thoughts of bringing down destruction, they will carry out melle''s thoughts without hesitation, starting from the imperial city, andpletely destroy the tire empire.


    "..."


    That gaze was so long, but it seemed... so short.


    The aging empress hiding in the Source me chose to avoid melle''s gaze, no longer looking at him. This act of submission brought the usual gtle smile back to the man''s face. He waved his hand, Nostos retracted its destruction, still floating calmly in the sky above the imperial city.


    The pact heads also retracted their respective pressures, not caring at all about how many fifth stages in the tire imperial city were scared and almost ran away on the spot.


    "She is still so weak, so everything is fine."


    melle stretched, "Although Ans has his ns, since it''s a problem I should solve... how can I let him worry and work hard to do it."


    "As a father, I''m already unqualified ough, if I throw this mess to Ansel, Anne will make me sleep in a separate room."


    "Lawrce, Saville," he straighted his cor, preparing to leave the courtyard, and said, "Go and knock on the fifth stages who might be ready to make a move. Since Ephesande has backed down, it doesn''t matter if we kill a few more."


    "No problem, boss!" "Understood, dear lord."


    "As for Tyrus and Toradon... you guys forget it, if you start fighting, you''ll tear down the imperial city, and that will be a bit troublesome. I''ve be looking for the location of another Zero Realm Enigma rectly,e with me wh the timees."


    "Yes, my lord." "Understood, my lord."


    The man nodded, and walked calmly towards the outside of the manor.


    melle of Hydral walked on the right path, bathed in warm sunlight, full of brightness.


    *