[Grand Hall – The Moment After Reyon's Declaration]
The cold air froze in place.
For a moment, no one breathed.
The words Reyon had just spoken—"Let us establish the Phoenix Empire."—rattled the pillars of the hall.
The four Marshals stood from their seats at once.
Even the echo of the words seemed too heavy to be real.
Marshal Derox's face twisted first. His grizzled beard shook as he pointed a thick finger at Reyon.
"If we try this—!"
His voice boomed like thunder.
"The Brook Kingdom will see this as treason! And they'll unite with the Kingdom of Elise to suppress us!"
Reyon didn't flinch. He met Derox's furious eyes with a calm that unsettled even Edward.
"I don't want war," Reyon said plainly, his voice carrying across the hall like a breeze before a storm.
"But let's be honest—"
He walked forward, slowly, his boots clicking on the marble floor.
"Even if Brook, Elise, and every other small nation… combined all their forces…"
He stopped, turning to face the five leaders of the clan.
"They would still lose."
The room stiffened again.
Derox's eye twitched. Evelyn narrowed her eyes.
"But…" Reyon looked up, "that would make us tyrants. Rulers who conquer and crush. That's not what I want this Empire to be."
He turned slightly, facing Derox again.
"I've only temporarily handed control of the Classers to Julie. If Elise acts out of suspicion—"
He raised his hand.
"I'll command the Classers to ignite rebellion in their cities. Elise will drown in its own chaos before it can lift a sword against us."
Derox's fists clenched. He grit his teeth.
"Yeah… you've got the Classers… If you gathered all their strength and joined them yourself as leader, you'd be as strong as a kingdom yourself."
His gaze sharpened. "So what? You want to rule this new Empire?"
Reyon blinked, then smiled faintly.
"If I wanted power, I'd have accepted the heir position when it was offered."
He looked down at his own hands, then closed them gently.
"And above all do you really think I'd harm Ray… the only one who cared for me as a child and always treated me warmly?"
A short silence.
"Though i want to be known as the founder of the Empire. Nothing more."
Derox sat down heavily. His mouth opened, but no words came.
[Silence hung briefly, then…]
Edward finally spoke, voice low.
"We're not afraid of resistance from Brook or Elise," he said.
"But the real problem lies past the Dark Nation."
He leaned forward, eyes fixed on Reyon.
"You know what I speak of."
Reyon's face turned serious. He nodded.
"I do."
He turned toward all four Marshals and his father.
"The real reason Patriarch never subdued the Berserker before… was not because we couldn't."
His voice deepened.
"It was because of what lies beyond—within the Sky Mountains."
All four Marshals exhaled sharply.
"That monster…" Reyon said. "The one that lives alone… but is still called the Ruler of Monsters."
He looked each Marshal in the eye.
"Wyvern."
Even Marshal Alrin's stoic face cracked with concern.
Serena's hands gripped her sword tighter.
"For that," Reyon continued, "I've thought of a plan."
He stepped forward again, chin high.
"For the next few months, I'll form an elite squad—handpicked from our best talents."
His eyes burned with intensity.
"I'll train them myself. And exterminate the remaining monsters across the Dark Nation and Horizon Forest."
He looked toward the map engraved into the Phoenix Hall's central mural.
"By then, they'll have grown strong enough to defend our borders—those we'll share with Brook and Elise."
Then his tone lowered, almost like a whisper.
"And after that…"
He turned around to face them again.
"All four Marshals. Me. And the Patriarch…"
He exhaled.
"We'll subdue the Wyvern together."
[A sharp sound—like a cup falling—rang as Edward stood with fury in his eyes.]
"Do you hear yourself?!" Edward's voice cracked.
"You're saying we should go after that monster?"
His body trembled with rare emotion.
"Do you know what you've just babbled?!"
He pointed toward the high windows, beyond which the distant Sky Mountains loomed.
"The Kingdom of Elise used to be an Empire—until the Wyvern obliterated their capital!"
His voice grew louder with each word.
"They only subdued it after sacrificing most of their 8th-circle mages!"
He stepped forward, anger boiling.
"At that time, they had ten 8th-circle mages—double what we have!"
Even Marshal Alrin looked alarmed now.
Edward clenched his fists.
"Even I—at the peak of 8th-circle—can't kill that thing without self-sacrificing!"
Reyon stood still.
Silent.
Then he slowly raised his hand, palm open.
A faint shimmering symbol hovered above it—∞. The symbol of space-tearing magic.
"I know, Father."
The room dimmed slightly. The Void symbol began glowing black and blue.
"But listen…"
He closed his hand around the symbol.
"The reason the Wyvern is that strong… is because of its vast mana reserves."
His eyes burned with determination.
"It can launch powerful attacks without end. Magic beams… storms… flames…"
He pointed to his chest.
"But you won't need to worry about those."
He took a step forward again, steady and bold.
"Because I can cast Void."
All five of them froze.
"Void is absolute defense. A spatial inversion. Its strength grows with my mastery."
He raised his voice.
"If I cast Void continuously, it will nullify all incoming attacks."
Then he smiled slightly.
"And with that defense covering you—all of you can unleash your strongest spells. Together. Without restraint."
Silence settled again.
The candles flickered as if reacting to his resolve.