The Invincible Full-Moon System

In an instant, the ordinary man knew exactly what Emperor Dominar was talking about.

Since the empress was involved with the mission that took the attention of the entire empire—the flow of progress was monitored extensively. Even though the settlement of the White Mask was important, it doesn't outweigh the empress' safety.

No harm befell the empress, but the progress of the mission took an unexpected turn.

Vinarkin Bubble, the emperor's home bubble, was breached.

"Say the word, Your Majesty," the ordinary man said with fierce determination. "I'll take care of it."

As long as the emperor issued the command, he would certainly handle it.

But that wasn't what Emperor Dominar wanted.

"I am only venting—Kaine. Being an emperor for too long…" He sighed deeply, watching the bubble heal before his very eyes. "Most of the people I can talk freely to are already gone. Now—the only one I have who could resemble a pleasant talk is you, War General."

Kaine wanted to bow respectfully for the praising words, but he stopped himself from doing that.

It would only sadden the emperor.

"None could truly understand the suffering you've gone through, Your Majesty."

"I may be special, but this feeling is not special. I'm sure other kings and emperors also felt this."

Silence washed over them for a fleeting moment.

Then, Kaine opened his mouth again, "Are you sure letting Her Majesty handle it is a good idea? She has no experience—nor the respect you possessed. It's going to be hard for her to complete the mission, and forgive me if I overstepped, but I, too, have doubts about her… competence and origin."

A smile curled on Emperor Dominar's lips.

He wasn't offended at all.

"Do you know how I remained emperor all this time while others fall?" He asked—still poised in his graceful air. "It's because I don't mind listening to the opinions of others. Arrogance will only blind me. I steered clear of it."

Kaine doesn't feel like it was proper to say anything about the empress.

But it turns out to be the right choice.

'As always, I'm in awe at every quality His Majesty possessed. He's the true emperor.' He thought.

"I'm not the one who chooses who gets to be empress," Emperor Dominar stated—prompting Kaine to look at him in confusion. "It was neither her beauty nor her bearing that made me choose her. She was simply chosen by the land. I suspected she had ties with the true Sky People."

"Angels…?"

"Yes. Angels…"

Just that realization alone made Kaine look forward in shock.

If Empress Morgana really has ties or perhaps a direct tie to the Angels—then she was deserving of the crown. After all, the entire population of the Spirit Realm was able to survive the Black Rift because of an Angel, the Silent Consort.

However, this made Kaine even more uneasy.

"But Your Majesty, can it be that you're being tricked?" He asked, worried that this might be—a false signal from the land. "All Angels were eradicated. Chaos committed genocide on them, which we now know to cut the higher Angels' power supply. If there are any surviving descendants, chaos will not let them live, especially since chaos was becoming prominently stronger now."

"No sign of Her Majesty being pestered by Chaos." He added convincingly.

As Kaine said, descendants of Angels would not live a peaceful life.

Empress Dominar knew that Chaos always had their eyes on them, but he trusted the land's whisper.

"Morgana is young; she hasn't exhibited any powers from her bloodline. I'm sure when the time comes, Chaos will recognize her," He said firmly. He has full faith in the land that he had listened to for all these years. "Besides—Chaos has better targets than our empire. The Divine Saintess is watching over us and monitors Chaos' activity, while there are kingdoms out there that don't have a protector."

"I trust the whispers of the land, Kaine. You should too." He added with a dejected sigh.

"I trusted the land's whispers too," Kaine said with a firm tone—forcing Emperor Dominar to look at him. "But not this time, Your Majesty."

"What's the meaning of this?"' Emperor Dominar was taken aback.

Normally, Kaine was quite a reserved person, but he became bolder and firmer now.

"You lost your scroll, Your Majesty," He stated before inhaling deeply to ease his nerves. Kaine then continued, ignoring Emperor Dominar's change of expression. "When you were blessed by the Reap and Sow Echo, it also bestowed you the scroll. It contained half of the Echo's power. You claimed you lost it, but in truth, it was taken."

"What does that have to do with Morgana?" Emperor Dominar looked at his War General in confusion.

"It meant your Echo power is weaker now."

"…"

Emperor Dominar couldn't deny it, but Kaine was correct.

Not too long ago, his black scroll suddenly disappeared from his stash.

It was supposed to be soul-binding, but it vanished without a trace, which greatly crippled his Reap and Sow Echo, increasing the cost of using the Echo's powers to a price he could no longer overlook. That was the reason he had withdrawn from the public eye.

Because he was trying to figure out where the scroll had gone.

And it seemed his War General caught onto it.

"What's there to say the whispers had been true? What if the voice you're hearing is not the land?"

"But Morgana had not been doing anything substantial; she doesn't seem to be interested in anything."

"And recently, she has suddenly taken an interest in everything. Even volunteering to take on the mission, and recently, she decided to be the one—to hold the knighthood ceremony of Princess Davina's new fiancé. Don't you find that odd, Your Majesty?"

For once, Emperor Dominar forced himself to contemplate the situation objectively.

He had always tried to be impartial, but it was hard to maintain when he saw Morgana every single day.

And perhaps, Kaine, who has an unbiased point of view, was correct.

"I suggest watching over Empress Morgana closely, Your Majesty. In fact, if you assign me to it, I'll gladly do it." Kaine offered, his sense of loyalty is unbreakable, so he's the perfect person for it. "Since unless I missed my guess, something big is going to happen very soon, and Her Majesty will be the one at the center."

"Chaos corrupts…" Emperor Dominar muttered inwardly; his tone edged with concern. "Give me time to consider. For now, have the priests bless the army—and seize three of the dynasty's bubbles. Do it quickly, and make sure the dynasty takes notice."

Hearing this, Kaine bowed respectfully, "I'll get it done, Your Majesty."

He was already expecting this instruction from the emperor.

Since the mission was already underway, and the White Mask certain to cause damage, perhaps even harm to the nobles involved—the empire could not afford to appear weak. Losing an important bubble to the enemy would only embolden them to seize more.

So, the empire must retaliate hard—make the enemy think they are strong.

It would buy them the time they needed for the nobles to recover and the matter of the White Mask to be dealt with.

Just then, Emperor Dominar stopped a few steps away and looked over his shoulder.

"Oh, and Kaine…" He called, eyes firm like steel. "If I decided to allow you to investigate—and it turns out you're wrong about Morgana..."

His words trailed, but the intent was there.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Kaine nodded. "I will apologize to her directly for doubting her."

If the price of anticipating something bad happening to the empire is to apologize and admit his wrongs, then it was a cheap price to pay for him. All his being was for the empire. There's no price he couldn't pay as long as it's for the empire's safety.

Emperor Dominar continued to walk away, heading for the gate.

His task here was finished, and the rest he would leave for Kaine to handle.

For now, he had far more pressing matters to dwell on.

As Kaine watched, Emperor Dominar walked away, and a thought swirled inside his mind.

'It went well as I expected. The timing to bring that up was perfect, and I was right,' He thought, turning away and making his way toward the church. 'But though I said that… what exactly is Her Majesty aiming for, corrupted or not? What drove her to act now/ I can't think of a single reason. But whatever it is—I need to find out about it quickly.'

His brows dropped down, enhancing his serious look.

No matter what, he was determined to uncover what lies behind Empress Morgana.

…

Splash!

Althea watched in amazement as the crimson haze attacked the Faceless Reaper.

It obeyed Rex's will completely, which confirmed that the red haze was his Spirit Genesis.

But what surprised her was the hidden power within the haze.

'I came here fully expecting to witness a mediocre man—who was unfitted to be with Davina. She was only forced to marry due to the circumstances. Perhaps, the man she was betrothed to was unknown but had great connections,' She thought to herself, her lower jaw dropped a little—lips parted in stunned disbelief. 'But this… He even has the power of a Law? I hate to admit it—but my husband can't even compare'

Recalling what Princess Davina said to her, Althea was crushed by insecurity.

She thought the wheel of the world had finally rotated, and now, it was time for her to be above Davina.

But she was wrong.

Even with her house teetering on the brink of a landslide, she still had better options.

And it annoyed Althea greatly.

It's not fair.

Althea snapped out of her daze and bit her lower lip, staring at Rex's behind with a burning gaze.

'He has the potential to rival the Princess Davina or even the Crown Prince, not fair!' She grumbled as she watched Rex dash and stabbed the Faceless Reaper with his claws. 'And like Davina, he's also very arrogant! How can he slap me two times and even call me fat!'

Oblivious to the internal turmoil Althea was experiencing right now, Rex used the Reaping Skill.

Swish!

As soon as Rex unleashed the Reaping Skill, his claws erupted in a blaze of emerald light—not his own power, but the raw essence of the earth itself surging through him. The Faceless Reaper, already reduced to a pitiful shadow of its former terror, squealed like a slaughtered pig.

Its cries split the air, high and broken, as the emerald radiance pierced its core and rotted it from within.

Flesh and its Soul Artifact unraveled, melting away into writhing strands of dark green energy that bled into the air before twisting together, drawn inexorably toward a single point. Before Rex's claws, there was a single seed forming.

A Reaping Seed—gleaming, alive, and pulsing with stolen vitality.

Soon enough, the Faceless Reaper's existence dissolved completely, body and spirit torn away.

It was simply reduced to nothing.

Only the Reaping Seed remained as it swallowed the last vestiges of the voidal monster into itself.

And then, silence.

Rex's chest rose with sharp, steady breaths.

His claws trembled faintly in the aftermath, but his eyes gleamed at a sudden brilliance.

A notification from the System.

His lips curved slowly, dangerously.

<The Reaping Seed has absorbed and bound a power traced to the Berserker of Skartold Echo!>

<Does the user want to sever the connection and absorb the Echo?>

<Yes or No>

"Oh…? It even traced the Berserker of Skartold Echo?" Rex muttered in amusement, finding that the Reaping Skill was extremely useful. It was a shame that he could only use it once. "Haxel…Haxel. You made a really bad life choice by messing with me. Yes."

As soon as he clicked the yes button with his will, the Reaping Seed glistened with enormous power.

It wasn't the seed working, but the System severing the external connection.

Just as this was happening, Althea appeared out of nowhere and stood beside him.

"You saw me kill it, right? Now, piss off."

"I will piss off, but only if you give me that thing. You owe it to me, don't you think?"

"This fucking—what a noble woman you are..."