Hate me, Miss Witch!

To others, such an appearance from the Queen of the Empire naturally suggested a mental collapse. It was understandable. After all, the man she loved had suddenly sided with her enemy, betraying her. Anyone would find that hard to endure.

However, these thoughts had barely formed when, in the next moment, a calm voice emerged from the black flames:

"Indeed. No matter how many times I witness it, their despicable scheming still nauseates me."

"The Eagle of May family… if I recall correctly, that's Gawain's maternal lineage, isn't it?"

"If that Gorilla saw his descendants dabbling in the vile business of slave trafficking, I imagine he'd be furious enough to claw his way out of his grave."

The serene words, emanating from within the black flames, weren't particularly loud. Yet, they caused those nobles—who, with fervent hearts, were attempting to join the Lord of Ashes' faction for greater benefits—to freeze, their gestures of allegiance halting abruptly.

Shiayar, bathed in raging flames, emerged step by step from the sea of black flames.

He didn't look at the groveling nobles. Instead, his gaze locked onto the silver-haired princess before him—no, the Queen.

"This is truly disgusting."

"Killing them all shouldn't impact your rule or the Royal Family, should it?"

Upon hearing Shiayar's words, a faint smile touched Isadella's icy, beautiful face.

"Of course not. They're merely fence-sitters. In the Imaginary Zone, they would be the first to be cleansed."

"Kill them, then. So be it."

"Good."

Shiayar responded casually.

The next moment, the sea of black flames surged violently. Wielding an unparalleled mystical power, it instantly swallowed all those fence-sitting nobles who had just pledged their loyalty.

Before these black flames—originating from the skull of a false god, potent enough to incinerate even a Demigod—ordinary Transcendent beings didn't even have time to struggle or scream. They silently perished in the light-devouring blaze, incinerated into the most basic Mana Factors.

The only one who lasted slightly longer was Tarik.

He was, after all, a veteran Legendary. Though the black flames consumed his body, every particle of flesh reduced to ashes by the terrifying heat, he barely maintained his consciousness.

"From the very beginning… you were… deceiving me?"

His skin and flesh had vanished, leaving only a skull in the black flames. It opened its mouth, emitting a hoarse wail.

"Yes. It was I who delivered the divine decree to you from the start."

"Well? Surprised? Didn't expect that, did you?"

"You—"

The skull struggled, twitching a few times, as if some intense unwillingness and resentment were anchoring its shattered remains to the mortal world.

But soon, the black flames breached the limits of the divine body and burned into his Soul.

With a SIZZLING sound, the scorching black flames carried everything away to another world.

「TAP, TAP, TAP—」

In the world incinerated by black flames, only the echoing tap of high heels on the ground remained.

Isadella walked towards Shiayar, step by step.

She removed the tie from her hair. Her silver hair, once in a ponytail, cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, billowing slightly in the hot wind from the blaze.

Dressed in a black military ceremonial uniform, the Queen approached Shiayar.

"Long time no see."

She looked up, her beautiful crimson eyes carefully examining the black-haired young man before her.

Although only three months had passed in real time, Isadella—master of the Sacred Sword and also Ye Yi, the former King of the Imaginary Zone—could naturally sense the much more pronounced marks of time on the young man.

"You were there for about ten years?"

"Mm," Shiayar nodded. He thought for a moment. "To be precise, ten years, one month, and three days."

"What a shame. I didn't expect to fall so far behind your childhood sweetheart without even noticing."

Isadella smiled. "It seems I'll have to work twice as hard to catch up after this."

Just then, Shiayar's spiritual power sharply detected a faint, mysterious ripple behind him, and with it, a spreading twilight that completely enveloped the distant night sky. There was also a white cat, craning its neck to peer out from the dim twilight.

This white cat was extremely familiar to Shiayar.

The Gray-Silver Witch—Silvia's Spiritual Entity. Ye Yi could also be understood as one of Silvia's True Eyes, left in the Empire Capital. She had left True Eyes in all the major Human cities on the Western Continent where Shiayar might appear, precisely so she could be the first to know of Shiayar's exact return.

Now, sensing the changes within the Royal Palace, especially the appearance of that familiar aura, the white cat naturally peered over impatiently.

Upon seeing Shiayar's figure, joyful spiritual fluctuations immediately radiated from the white cat.

However, the next moment, as if completely oblivious to the Gray-Silver Witch's spying, a mischievous glint suddenly flashed in Isadella's crimson eyes.

She rose slightly on her tiptoes.

Then, a soft, cool sensation bloomed on Shiayar's lips.

Tens of seconds later, they finally parted.

"Regardless, welcome back."

"My Swordbearer, and my Prince Consort."

"And..."

Isadella raised her alabaster fingers and caressed Shiayar's face, her voice lifting slightly. She spoke just loud enough for the white cat poking around in the twilight to hear.

"When do you think the Queen of the Empire's wedding should be?"