"This is true. That is the only way to kill Mark," Freya said.
It was the first ti she had spoken since Max arrived, yet her single sentence washed over the entire eting ground like a command. Every voice that had been raised in panic or anger fell silent instantly. Even the elders who had served for centuries lowered their heads slightly when she spoke. Her presence alone radiated authority, and no one dared question her words.
Max looked at her, unreadable emotions flickering in his eyes, then turned toward the others.
"I believe this is our best chance to kill Mark," he said calmly after a mont of thought. "And I have reasons to think that even Mark himself is unaware of this weakness."
President William leaned forward, frowning deeply. "What do you an?" he asked.
Max gave a faint smile, though his tone remained steady. "It is simple. Ever since Mark beca the crownbearer of this world, he has not suffered a single defeat. Not once. He has never been injured, never been pushed into a situation where he might die. In his mind, he is completely immortal—an absolute being untouched by fate or danger."
Several leaders nodded slowly as he continued.
"Well, he did almost die one ti when a being from another world almost killed him and split his soul before sealing into three different parts of the world." Lucien added from the side.
"Yeah but aside from that he sees himself as the god of this world," Max said. "And to so extent, he is. But because of that pride, because of his overwhelming belief in his own indestructibility and immortality, he likely never bothered to consider that even he might have a vulnerability. The idea that he can be killed only under specific conditions probably never crossed his mind."
Max raised his hand slightly, spreading his fingers as if presenting the truth before them.
"That is our only shot," he said quietly. "We need to use the one weakness he doesn't know he has."
A heavy silence settled once again across the eting ground. But this ti, it was no longer filled with fear alone.
It was filled with the faint spark of possibility—however terrifying that possibility might be.
"I think everyone is forgetting one very important problem," Lady Divine said suddenly. Her voice was calm, yet sharp enough to cut through the tension in the air. "Where is the crown?"
Her question silenced the room instantly.
Every leader stiffened. Every genius turned pale. A heavy realization washed over them like cold water.
Yes… where was the crown?
Many of the people in this gathering had seen Mark in the past. So had faced him. Others had observed him from a distance. Yet not one of them—across all the centuries and all the battles—had ever seen Mark wearing his crown.
Why had he never revealed it?
The doubt and fear that followed this question were visible on every face.
"I know where the crown might be."
Max's voice broke the silence, drawing everyone's attention back to him. His eyes were calm, but his tone carried certainty strong enough to steady the trembling atmosphere.
Max continued speaking. "When Mark fought against that otherworldly being long ago, he should have worn his crown. That was the only ti in his existence when he was pushed to the point of near-death. The being could not kill him, so he chose to seal Mark instead. But to seal soone immortal, he needed a thod strong enough to suppress Mark's soul."
Max looked around the table before adding, "That seal split Mark's soul into three parts. Each part was locked away in a different location. I have personally unsealed one of those souls in the past. That soul was tied to a sword—an artifact used by the otherworldly being during his battle against Mark."
Whispers broke out, but Max continued before they grew loud.
"If one fragnt of Mark's soul was bound to a sword," Max said, "then I believe the other fragnts are also bound to specific objects. Without tying each soul to an artifact, sealing an immortal crownbearer would have been impossible."
Max paused, letting the next part sink in.
"And I believe one of those objects could very well be the crown."
The weight of his words settled over the eting ground. The crown was not lost. It was sealed. And if one sealed artifact had already been found, then the others—including the crown—must still exist sowhere within Acaris.
A murmur spread among the leaders, but none dared interrupt. Even the rulers of the Four God Nation leaned forward, their expressions severe.
Finding the crown was not just necessary.
It was the key to killing Mark once and for all.
"Everything you have said is useful," President William began, his voice steady but strained, "but what about the red cloud that seems to be devouring everything?" His expression tightened as he finally voiced the concern that had been pressing on him since the mont he arrived. "What do we do about that?"
His words brought the entire eting to a halt.
Max beca silent. His jaw tightened slightly, and for a mont he simply stood there, staring at the table without saying a word.
He knew the truth. He had seen it up close. He had felt his body—tempered by divine dwarven power—begin to disintegrate under that devouring force. He had witnessed Mimi absorbing the world's essence without even realizing she was doing it.
He understood the endga of this world.
No matter what they tried, no matter how many strategies they planned, no matter how powerful the combined forces of the Middle Domain and the Four God Nation were, Acaris would eventually be reduced to nothing more than food for Mimi's hunger.
Once her hunger awakened fully, once the devouring spirit inside her took complete control, this world would cease to exist.
It was a depressing end that awaited this world but Max could do nothing about it. He was simply powerless against a being whose very purpose was to devour worlds to satisfy her hunger.
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