Darius stared at Sorien from the raised seat, his expression dark.
The accusation hung heavily in the hall, and every guard present could feel the tension tightening.
"Sorien," Darius said slowly, his voice firm. "How dare you accuse of such a thing!"
He stood up from the throne and stepped down one level, his dragon aura faintly flickering around him.
"I did not work with a demon," he continued, his eyes sharp. "If what you say is true, then it was Darrell acting on his own."
Several elders behind him exchanged uneasy looks, but none of them dared speak.
Sorien didn’t look impressed. He folded his hands behind his back and took a small step forward.
"You continue to pretend ignorance," Sorien said evenly. "But the pirates around the God Archipelago were connected to Draconia."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you think I am stupid?"
The words were not loud, but the authority behind them made the air feel heavier.
Darius frowned deeply. His gaze shifted briefly toward the floor before returning to Sorien.
Inside his mind, his thoughts were racing.
What the hell is happening? This wasn’t supposed to involve the clan directly. Darrell... what the hell did you do?
His jaw tightened.
Did that fool really release the dragon without informing ?
For a mont, real frustration flashed across his face before he forced his expression back into a controlled glare.
Dahlia watched everything carefully. When she saw that brief hesitation in his eyes, a smirk slowly appeared on her face.
"Well?" she said lightly.
She tilted her head slightly and looked directly at him. "Cat got your tongue?"
A few guards near the pillars stiffened when she spoke.
Darius’s gaze snapped toward her instantly.
The father and daughter stared at each other again, the distance between them filled with years of resentnt and unspoken anger.
Sorien watched both of them for a mont before speaking again.
"So," he said calmly, turning his attention back to Darius. "What do you have to say about all this?"
Darius frowned and folded his arms across his chest.
"What do you want from , Sorien?" he asked, his tone sharp. "You co into my hall, accuse of working with demons, and now you expect to simply accept that?"
Garion leaned against a pillar nearby, clearly enjoying the situation.
"Honestly," he said casually, "I’m curious too."
Darius shot him a glare.
Sorien remained calm. A faint smile appeared on his face. "What I want is simple."
He stepped forward slightly and spoke in a steady voice. "You will apologize to Garion."
The words caused several people in the hall to stiffen.
Sorien continued as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world. "And you will transfer half of your territory to God Gym."
The entire hall fell silent.
Even Garion raised his eyebrows slightly.
Darius’s expression darkened instantly.
"Sorien," he said slowly, "how dare you say sothing like that."
His aura flared again, the dragon energy around him growing heavier.
"You want to give half of Draconia territory to this man?" he said, pointing directly at Garion.
Garion looked down at himself for a mont and then shrugged. "I an... I wouldn’t complain."
Dahlia couldn’t help but smirk.
Darius ignored both of them and kept his eyes locked on Sorien.
"That land belongs to the Draconia Clan," he said firmly. "It was built by generations of dragon blood."
Sorien did not move.
"And yet," he replied calmly, "one of your own heirs released a demonic dragon that attacked another Grand Faction."
He clasped his hands behind his back again. "Do you understand how serious that is?"
One of the Draconia elders swallowed nervously.
Sorien continued. "If this matter with your past reaches the Grand Council, the punishnt will not be half your territory."
He paused briefly. "It will be the collapse of your entire clan."
Darius’s jaw tightened.
Garion whistled quietly.
"Wow," he said. "That escalated fast."
Dahlia crossed her arms and looked at her father again.
"So?" she said calmly, her arms still folded across her chest. "What are you going to do now, Patriarch Darius?"
The question hung in the air. Everyone in the hall turned their attention toward the man standing at the center of the raised platform.
Darius’s expression hardened. He was clearly weighing his options, his eyes shifting briefly between Sorien, Garion, and Dahlia.
Before he could say anything... A voice suddenly echoed from above. "Of course we won’t be agreeing to that."
The voice was deep and mocking.
Every head in the hall snapped upward.
A figure slowly descended from the open ceiling of the hall, hovering in the air as dark energy gathered around him.
His presence felt wrong. The air itself seed to grow heavier and colder the mont he appeared.
Several Draconia guards stepped back instinctively.
Sorien’s eyes widened.
"How can there be a demon here?" he said sharply.
The figure in the air smirked as black mana flowed around his body.
"Why are you so surprised?" the demon replied casually. "The Draconia Clan has worked with us."
He spread his arms slightly, looking down at the people in the hall like he was enjoying the mont. "So how can you just take what belongs to Draconia?"
The hall exploded into murmurs.
Sorien slowly turned his head toward Darius. His expression had lost its calm now.
"So it’s true," Sorien said, his voice turning colder. "You really have been working with demons."
"How dare you, Darius."
Darius’s eyes widened slightly.
"No," he said imdiately. "I don’t know what this is."
He pointed upward toward the demon. "I have nothing to do with this."
Garion raised one eyebrow while watching the scene.
"Wow," he muttered. "This just keeps getting better."
Sorien looked back at the demon floating above them.
"Then explain this," he said.
But before Sorien could say anything else, the demon suddenly laughed. "You dare threaten Patriarch Darius like that?"
Dark energy gathered in his hand. "You humans really are arrogant."
A massive spear ford from condensed demonic mana. The weapon was thick and unstable, pulsing with violent power.
Then the demon threw it.
The spear shot downward like a black cot.
Sorien’s expression changed instantly. "Damn it."
He raised his hand and released his domain [Sol Radiant Order].
Golden light exploded outward from his body, filling the hall with radiant energy.
The spear slowed the mont it entered the domain.
But it didn’t stop.
The demonic spear pushed through the suppression and continued forward.
Sorien’s eyes widened slightly. "It’s not weakening enough."
The spear slamd into him.
The impact forced Sorien backward several steps as the attack tore through part of his radiant barrier.
A thin line of blood appeared on Sorien’s shoulder.
He steadied himself quickly, but his frown deepened.
"What the hell..."
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