Gehrman rose from his seat as his arm began to glow with a sky-blue light.
Manipulating his aura, he lifted Nito with it and gestured for Snow to follow.
Snow walked behind him, asking,
"What do you intend to do with him?"
Gehrman replied without turning back, continuing forward.
"There's no need to worry. It seems you and I are thinking along the sa lines."
With steady steps, the two exited to the area behind the command headquarters—a barren, restricted zone where no one else was permitted to enter.
Standing there side by side, Gehrman and Snow stared into the dark forest ahead.
Only a few seconds passed before a massive, familiar warrior erged from the distance.
A colossal creature moving on all fours—it was Fulghor.
But what caught Snow's attention wasn't the powerful Shadow Sect warrior himself.
It was the guests he had brought with him.
"Several powerful auras…" Snow murmured, sensing the strength of the newcors .. who were certainly not human.
All of them were powerful, having reached SSS-rank.
Especially the man at their forefront .. his presence alone rivaled Nito's.
Standing beside Snow, Gehrman placed Nito's body at his feet, preparing himself.
"As you said earlier, Lord of Light—Nito is highly sought after by the Pantheon," Gehrman said calmly.
"I fully intended to use that to our advantage."
As Gehrman spoke, Fulghor and the others arrived.
Beside the Shadow Sect warrior stood four figures.
Each possessed a transcendent physique—overflowing with power, muscles perfectly honed.
All of them… were Pantheon.
"I originally planned to have them fight alongside us .. to exact their revenge on Nito on the battlefield," Gehrman continued with a smile.
"But you bringing him back alive makes this even better."
The Pantheon warriors stepped closer.
"With this," Gehrman said softly,
"we can bring them to our side for certain."
Snow stared at Gehrman in surprise, then shifted his gaze to the Pantheon delegation.
The most striking among them was their leader.
He looked young .. broad-frad, towering well over two ters tall.
Sharp features.
Thick gray hair covering his head.
Eyes of radiant gold, glowing with imnse power.
"Gehrman," Fulghor said, gesturing toward them,
"these are the Dragon Kings of the Pantheon—led by the Emperor himself."
In response, their leader stepped forward to face Gehrman.
Yet his gaze never left Nito's kneeling body at the feet of the blue-eyed man.
Hatred nearly burst from his eyes as he stared at Nito .. before the Pantheon warrior forced himself to look back at Gehrman.
"Forgive my rudeness .. and my delay in introducing myself," the young man said in a deep, rough voice that perfectly matched his appearance.
"My na is Kalaet .. Emperor of the Pantheon."
As Kalaet introduced himself, Gehrman smiled and extended his hand.
"I already know who you are, Dragon Emperor," Gehrman replied calmly.
"You resemble your father greatly—it's as though I'm looking at a smaller version of him."
"My na is Gehrman," he continued,
"the current leader of the Shadow Sect."
Kalaet stared at Gehrman's outstretched hand, remaining still for several seconds as he analyzed the man before him.
Kalaet was the eldest son of Midir—the current second-ranked among the Seven Supre Powers.
Though relatively young compared to Gehrman, he recognized him clearly.
And the sa was true for the Dragon Kings standing behind him.
They had already heard of Saint Gehrman, and of how formidable he had been during his days of active battle—before withdrawing completely from the battlefield.
Kalaet did not leave Gehrman waiting for long. He soon extended his hand in return.
"So the rumors were true after all… Gehrman, and the Shadow Sect. It seems Naless's sect has not perished yet."
The two clasped hands, then withdrew them at the sa ti.
"The Shadow Sect will not fall so easily," Gehrman said calmly.
"The warriors my lord Naless gathered are far from weak."
Kalaet nodded slowly.
"I have no doubt about that."
Gradually, Kalaet clenched his fist. Gehrman understood his intention at once.
"Let us not waste ti on aningless talk," Gehrman said.
"I can see that you've reached your limit, honored guests."
He kicked Nito forward, sending him collapsing at Kalaet's feet.
"I promised you the head of the Ninth Seat .. and here he is. Crippled, broken… yet still alive."
The mont Nito fell before him, Kalaet staggered for an instant as a violent killing intent surged from his body.
The sa was true for the Dragon Kings standing behind him.
Their hatred for Nito could be said to have reached the heavens.
Kalaet slowly knelt down, placing his hand on Nito's mangled chest.
"You have no idea… how long we've waited for this day."
From his arm, Kalaet channeled a portion of his aura into Nito's body, allowing him to recover just enough to slowly regain consciousness.
"A grudge that has lasted far too long. A debt that waited ages to be repaid," Kalaet continued coldly.
"This traitor was the reason countless mbers of our race died. He sold us all to the demons—abandoning his blood and flesh… for what?"
As Kalaet spoke, Nito's eyes slowly opened.
"For a pitiful power that never erased his weakness in the first place."
At that mont, Kalaet's gaze t Nito's .. causing panic to surge through the latter as he tried to move.
But a wave of searing pain tore through his body, making him realize that everything within him had already been torn apart.
"You look utterly pathetic, my old friend," Kalaet said, lifting Nito by the throat.
"I would have liked to fight you properly—to crush you with my own hands," he continued, disgust clear on his face.
"But it seems soone else already finished the job, sparing from staining my hands with your filthy blood."
Nito trembled, struggling to speak.
"Kalaet… you—of all people—you should understand… why I betrayed you…" he said hoarsely.
Kalaet's expression darkened even further.
Behind him, the Dragon Kings erupted in fury, urging their Emperor to let them end Nito's life.
Kalaet silenced them with a single raised hand.
In the distant past, Nito had been Kalaet's closest friend .. his direct rival and equal.
Both had reached the level of a Pantheon Emperor at nearly the sa ti, despite Kalaet being far younger.
Together, they had chased the shadow of the Dragon God Midir—the strongest of all.
They trained relentlessly, sharing the sa ambition, the sa goal.
But as ti passed, Nito strayed from his path.
Despair consud him, and the dream of catching up to Midir faded into nothing more than a fantasy.
It wasn't only Midir .. Nito could no longer keep pace with Kalaet's growth either.
He blad his lack of talent… and in his greed for power, committed the unforgivable.
Staring at his forr friend, Kalaet clenched his fist, filled with anger and revulsion.
"No, Nito," the Dragon Emperor said coldly, no longer wishing to continue this conversation.
"You did not betray ."
"You betrayed yourself .. and no one else."
With a surge of aura, Kalaet knocked Nito unconscious, then tossed his body to one of the Dragon Kings, gesturing for him not to kill him.
"My father is currently fighting on the Uncharted Continent alongside most of the Dragon Kings," Kalaet said, turning toward Gehrman.
"It is now my duty to cover for him in his absence."
"You gave your word, Saint Gehrman—and you kept it," Kalaet continued in a solemn voice.
"In return, I will uphold my end of the bargain as well."
Then, before the eyes of both Gehrman and the astonished Snow, Kalaet declared:
"We will fight on the side of humanity in the coming conflict—and wage this war alongside them!"
At those words, Gehrman smiled.
They had just gained another powerful ally .. one that would tip the balance in the coming conflict.
A conflict that would ultimately decide the fate of Earth itself.
Days remaining until the Shattering : 62 days.
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