[Fourth Realm — The Pinnacle]
[Mountain Peak — Unknown Location]
A small child sat cross-legged on the edge of a cliff that overlooked a swirling nebula of clouds. He opened his eyes, revealing irises that held the weight of eons, and smiled softly—a smile that didn’t reach his ancient eyes.
"It seems he has eyes everywhere... Knowing I allied with Morrigan. I am guessing he is planning on removing from my seat as one of the Realm Rulers."
The "kid" slowly stood up, his oversized black coat pooling on the ground around his small feet like a shadow.
"Maybe because I have been too lazy and lost track of what’s happening in my realm, the others are annoyed." He rubbed his neck, then stretched his small limbs, hearing the satisfying pop of joints.
"Those old n and won are a headache."
He took a single step forward. The air shimred around him, muscles bending to accommodate his true form. His body grew dramatically, muscles knitting together, bones lengthening. In the blink of an eye, the child was gone. Standing in his place was a handso young man with flowing silver hair that caught the starlight, radiating an aura of casual, yet terrifying power.
This was the Ruler of the Fourth Realm.
"I think I should visit my realm again... Uh?!"
He froze, his senses expanding instantly. He was dumbfounded. He felt intrusions—ripples in the fabric of his reality. Unknown energies were trespassing in his domain.
"Who?"
He waved his hand, and a pane of glass materialized before him. The surface rippled like water before solidifying into a clear image: The Ten Commandnts, Night Ghost, Patricia, and Executioner standing amidst the ice of the South Pole.
"Oh... What a surprise. Even that lady is here too... As a Realm Ruler, she should be relaxing sowhere, but she is after so Beasts." He rubbed his temples in frustration.
"I wonder why she is disturbing herself... That new Realm Ruler already got ten of those beasts. But." He held his jaw, his eyes narrowing in calculation.
"If he takes control of the last Beast, he will get much stronger... That’s why we must join together to stop him. If this continues, we will all be his slaves."
He swiped his hand, moving the screen to a different location. What he saw next made him freeze for a second before a slow, predatory smirk curled his lips.
"Wow... Who would have thought. Wait, is this luck? That kid won’t be so stupid to send his own kids into my realm."
He shook his head, dismissing the thought of pure luck.
"No, I should move carefully... If he sent these four, it ans he can’t send anyone else. I also can’t feel any more auras in my realm... Maybe if I take these kids hostage—No!"
He shook his head again, pacing on the peak.
"Why would these two groups be in my world? Is the beast in my realm?" He blinked, realization dawning on him. He slapped his forehead hard.
"I am so lazy! I should have checked this."
He closed his eyes. Invisible waves of Primordial Energy exploded from his body, sweeping across the entire Fourth Realm. It passed through continents, oceans, and cities, scanning every single one of the ten billion souls under his care in a nanosecond.
He opened his eyes again, a spark of triumph in them.
"Found it... What a sneaky beast. Hiding in my realm all this ti. Now, what should I do?"
He tapped his chin. "I think I should give this detail to her. It will solidify our relationship and also remove all doubts about my loyalty."
He finally nodded his head, the plan forming.
"Ok then... Let’s set the movie in motion, and sit back and watch the show."
__
[Fourth Realm — South Pole]
The wind howled across the ice shelf, biting at exposed skin.
"Is that all?" The First Commandnt asked, staring at Night Ghost with impatience.
"Yes. An SS-Rank Summoner will suffice. But, I also need powerful summoners around myself," Night Ghost waved his hand dismissively. "My mbers can help with that."
"This seems to be work, and it will surely take ti, right?" The First Commandnt stated with a frown.
"Well, it will take one week at most," Night Ghost answered confidently.
"One Week—"
The First Commandnt froze mid-sentence. Her head snapped up, her gaze darting around the desolate landscape, a deep frown etching her forehead.
"What happened?" Executioner asked, gripping his dagger.
"I think soone just scanned us? No, like scanned the whole planet," she whispered, looking up at the grey sky as if expecting it to crack.
"What the hell are you saying? Is that even possible?" Patricia asked, incredulous.
"To us, it’s impossible. But to Realm Rulers, it’s just a walk in the park," Night Ghost answered grimly, realizing they were being watched by sothing far beyond their grade.
"You guys are impressive."
The thirteen people froze. The voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere at once—from the ice beneath their feet to the wind in their ears. They sharply moved their gazes around, weapons ready, but saw no one.
"Don’t stress yourselves, you can’t see ... I know your mission, so take this."
The voice sounded again, smooth and amused.
POP!
A black scroll materialized out of thin air, hovering at eye level between the two groups. They all blinked, staring at the object in confusion.
"Your target, it’s right there."
The two leaders blinked and slowly walked towards the scroll. As they approached, it unrolled itself, revealing a detailed, glowing map of the realm. A single red dot pulsed in a specific location.
"This?" The First Commandnt was stunned speechless.
"Yes, take this as my gift. When the ti is right... You might have a chance to et ," the voice added, fading away into the wind.
"Who was that?" Patricia asked, her heart pounding.
"I don’t know, maybe an ally?" Executioner guessed, lowering his weapon.
"I don’t care who it was. At least we got the exact location... But there is a problem," The First Commandnt muttered, a deep frown returning to her face as she studied the map.
"Which is?" Night Ghost asked, looking up at her, then down at the scrolling map.
’Is this beast so valuable that gods are now interfering?’ he thought, a seed of doubt planting itself in his mind.
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