On that angelic face, there was a pair of blazing red eyes like rubies.
It was precisely those red eyes that caused the boy's aura to shift abruptly, shedding all trace of the so-called "innocence and weakness."
[...Who gave you the courage—]
The other's voice was light, slow, carrying the immaturity of a teenager.
Yet it seemed to crawl into every pore, striking directly at Diem Dai Bang's auditory nerves.
[...To challenge me?]
[...To challenge a Caesis, the supreme Emperor of the Galactic Empire?]
As Nero's "voice" ended, the pitch-black spiritual sea around them gradually turned a gloomy red. Diem Dai Bang's skin prickled with goosebumps!
He tried to open his mouth to call the system for help, but in the next second, he felt his limbs and abdomen being crushed apart by the spiritual sea.
No—this wasn't the sea itself turning red, it was his blood—
That's right.
He suddenly recalled a certain setting in the original work.
The Caesis royal family, to which the original host belonged, had ruled the Galactic Empire for over 900 years precisely because of their ferocious combat ability—an overwhelming spiritual power at SS-rank...
"...System... Damn it!! Help me!! Sys—"
Diem Dai Bang could not utter a third word. The opponent's spiritual power surged like an enormous wall, relentlessly tearing his soul into pieces.
The spiritual sea returned to silence.
Nero floated within it, gazing at where the intruder had vanished.
Tilting his head, he rubbed his neck lightly, his crimson eyes narrowing.
[...System?]
Nero opened his eyes.
His throat ached, as though dragged back from the spiritual sea into reality.
He became conscious again. Before he could even register where he was, he heard someone beside him murmuring endlessly: "Blessings of the gods... may you regain health..."
Nero tilted his head slightly on the pillow and saw a towering Wolf Knight clad in silver armor and a white cloak, kneeling by the bedside like a great hound. The knight clutched his hand tightly, forehead pressed against the back of it, whispering prayers.
Nero slowly raised his other hand and grasped one of the metallic wolf ears on the knight's helmet.
"!Your Highness...? Little Highness!"
The Wolf Knight suddenly raised his head. Though the helmet concealed his expression, the brilliant silver wolf-pupiled eyes of Lang Mu were enough to reveal his astonishment and joy.
"Little Highness, you are awake! You have been unconscious for nearly two weeks..."
Nero did not speak, only moving his lips faintly. Days of high fever had left his body limp, utterly devoid of strength. Yet the White Wolf Knight, his Chief Wolf Knight who had attended him since the age of five, could understand Nero's will with just a glance.
The knight immediately withdrew a vial of nutrient solution from his arm guard, uncapped it, warmed it with his palm for a moment, then carefully propped the young emperor against his chest and fed it to him slowly.
As Nero swallowed, his throat throbbed with pain as though still strangled. His crimson eyes remained cold, expressionless, as he finished the nutrient solution.
"During my coma, was there any unrest in the capital?"
Nero's voice was still hoarse, but his red eyes had lost the murkiness of sickness.
"None, Your Highness," the White Wolf Knight replied while tucking the blanket securely over him. "The Wolf Knight Legion has stood guard over the Solar Palace, the imperial fortress, and the armory at all times. Without your order, no one is permitted entry or exit."
"Grand Duke Harison?"
"The Grand Duke did come to inquire after you, Your Highness. According to your prior instructions, I kept all the Omegas he brought here in your chambers to serve you."
Nero's tongue pressed against his right fang, his gaze sinking slightly.
"During that time, aside from you, did anyone approach me?"
"No, Your Highness," the knight replied firmly. "I would never allow anyone near you."
Nero relaxed a fraction, then mused, "And what of those Omegas?"
"I deemed the pheromones released by Omegas might impair your breathing quality. Therefore, the moment Grand Duke Harison departed, I relocated them to other palaces."
The knight's proper answer brought a faint, sharp smile to the young ruler's lips.
Nero drained the nutrient vial, closed his eyes briefly to endure the dizziness, then extended his arm around the White Wolf Knight's neck.
"Your Highness?" The knight bowed his head to be embraced, instinctively supporting Nero's legs. "You have only just woken from a prolonged fever; perhaps you should..."
"Bathe and change." Nero's gaze slid past the knight's shoulder, fixed firmly outside the window at the splendid golden majesty of the Solar Palace. "Then summon the court ceremonial officer to proclaim a decree. At nine o'clock tomorrow, I shall ascend the throne at the Solar Palace."
The White Wolf Knight clearly wanted to speak further, but he knew Nero's temperament too well. In the end, he held his tongue.