Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

Chapter 885: Banquet (III)

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Lord Gregory knew this man was mocking him…

In his point of view, Lord Stormrider’s contempt of him, his disdain, and dismissal of his achievements and everything else he’s trying to do were very clear. He’s barely even hiding his contempt anymore.

But Lord Gregory is also aware of how this game works. He started it after all.

Lord Stormrider’s words were flowery, polite, and admiring. And even beneath a mask, his eyes shone with splendor as he incessantly praised him. Lord Gregory couldn’t find any fault at all; his act was flawless.

And that’s what drove the point even deeper.

Lord Gregory started this entire thing. He was the one who, in public, had nothing but praise and admiration towards Stormrider while doing every trick in the book to pull the upstart down into hell so that he and his territory could return to their rightful place.

Every tip and trick that Lord Stormrider came up with to raise the Rising Sun Sector Domain to its current state was something that Lord Gregory personally used and applied to his own territory, at least publicly; that’s what he said. And yet somehow, Lord Stormrider was doing it better than him and even used them to usurp West Haven’s number 1 Sector Domain position from Lord Gregory.

And most importantly, it was Lord Gregory who approached him with the intent of starting something, planning to use his flowery words with a concealed edge underneath to start something. Yet before he could even deploy his tactics, Lord Stormrider already had him at a crossroads.

Now, Lord Gregory could either explode and lose his calm here, making a fool of himself, or concede and go home, swallowing this major loss.

He was thoroughly and soundly defeated before the fight even began. He couldn’t even muster up any form of resistance.

And this further adds on to the enigma that is Lord Stormrider. Lord Gregory realized that this man was no upstart. This was a real monster in human shape and clothes.

It was a horrible mistake for him to even think about starting something.

And so, after realizing that he’s cornered, Lord Gregory was left with no other choice.

“Y-you flatter me, Lord Stormrider,” he conceded and sounded subdued. “I am glad to be of inspiration to you. I didn’t do much, to be completely honest, but I’m glad that I was able to make your and your subjects’ lives easier through my foolish ways.”

“Oh, you did more than that, Lord Gregory.” Cedric’s eyes sparkled. “I don’t even know how to thank you enough for this. If you want, maybe we can have a deeper and more intimate conversation in my territory? I could give you a tour while we’re there too.”

“T-That’s great, and I’d love nothing more than to visit your territory one day. Alas, I’m too occupied, you see. Surely you understand how hectic it is to manage an entire Sector Domain. I’m afraid that my schedule doesn’t allow me too much freedom to do as I please. So, thank you for the invitation, but I respectfully decline. For now, at least. Maybe, one day.”

Now, that’s a lie, and both of them knew it. Lord Gregory could almost see the shit-eating grin beneath Lord Stormrider’s mask, and he hated it. That said, he can’t do anything about it.

“Oh my, you’re right.” Cedric sounded disappointed. “Well, that’s too bad. Definitely, one day, though. I look forward to it.”

“Well, then, I’ll excuse myself. I have to greet the others, you see. It’s very rare for me to be away from my territory to socialize. It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Lord Stormrider.”

“The pleasure is mine, Lord Gregory.”

They shook hands, and that’s when Lord Gregory caught a glimpse of the slumbering monsters underneath Lord Stormrider’s facade.

He felt immense pressure from this handshake. He felt as if the person standing before him was one of the councillors themselves.

And suddenly, it all made sense to him somehow. As it turns out, he’s not dealing with some random upstart who just blatantly copied something. He’s truly dealing with a monstrous existence. And being in its presence was already a fatal mistake in itself.

So, with a stiff smile, Lord Gregory walked away, his lackeys trailing after him in a daze. The pot-bellied man had never felt so relieved to have gotten away from the monster who nearly swallowed him whole.

And if he heard Philip’s uproarious laughter behind, which no doubt had something to do with him? He ignored it and pretended he knew anything about it, even though normally, he would make whoever it is pay for disrespecting him.

“Holy shit, that’s awesome!” Philip wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes from laughing too much. “Oh, fuck me! I haven’t laughed that hard in a while. And I never saw that whale swallow such a massive loss. Serves him right, though.”

“You’re welcome, I guess,” Cedric dryly responded.

Honestly, he felt a little bit bad about what he just did to the man. That poor dude had to serve as a warning and an example just because he dared to approach him first.

Oh, Cedric had no doubt that people were watching and listening to their hushed discussion.

After all, while Cedric himself doesn’t often appear in public as ’Lord Stormrider,’ even to his own people, his achievements were made public. The Sector Domain ranking was official and doesn’t lie. Everybody here knew who he was the moment he appeared.

And Lord Gregory, as the Sector Lord who previously held and monopolized that spot, was also famous on his own. Even more so with his questionable means and pettiness.

One could say that their clash was inevitable, and people were certainly looking forward to it.

It might look like their discussion was only privy to them, but in truth, everybody in this hall was listening.

And seeing Lord Gregory, one of the pettiest, greediest, and most overbearing lords, walking away in shame, fleeing in fear, and conceding to Lord Stormrider was a message loud enough for everybody to hear.

Lord Stormrider was not one to be messed with. He’s certainly not a pushover.

If Lord Gregory not only failed to intimidate the man but terrified him instead, then nobody, short of a councillor, could faze this man.

Because of this little event, Cedric and Philip were mostly left alone. People nodded politely and greeted them as they walked by, but nobody stuck around for a discussion.

It was peaceful for these two for a while.

That’s until somebody announced that the Human Sovereigns will appear shortly.

All of a sudden, all discussions ended. Cedric felt the atmosphere shift into something denser, heavier, and more stifling.

The longer the wait, the thicker the tension became.

With a quick yet invisible pulse of his senses, he could see the faces of the people around him. He could see their anticipation, their fear, and more importantly, their impatience. Especially from those who had their own agendas.

Then, the moment came.

The hall’s ceiling parted out of nowhere, and suddenly, the Human Sovereigns entered the fray, making a wonderful and dramatic entrance into this event.

They were sitting in their thrones, unmoving like statues and looking down at everyone. Their presence was accompanied by an unseen pressure, one that directly pressed down on everybody’s soul. It was uncomfortable for most, but not for Cedric. But he did wear a respectful expression beneath his mask.

He observed the differences between them…

Urek’s throne looked unreal. It’s some sort of a mirage that constantly shifted in shape and in appearance with every second that passed, one that easily messed with someone’s perception.

Berk was carried by a serpentine dragon with a large and comfortable cushion on its back. It’s coiled obediently and eyeing everybody warily as if it’s ready to attack anybody who dares to even flinch the wrong way.

Gibson’s throne looked digital, modern, cool, and equally majestic. It’s like an amalgamation of the most cutting-edge technology nobody’s ever seen. And it looked ready to transform into something else entirely the moment something wrong happens.

Patricia’s throne looked illusory. Something about it gives the impression of being distant, ethereal, fluid, and spiritual. Anybody who looked at it felt their souls touched for some reason. It emitted a unique pull that only those with decent willpower would be able to pull away from.

And last but not least, Nick. The man of the hour, the myth and the legend himself.

Nick’s throne looked rough. It’s like he collected fragments and pieces of raw meteoric ores, sliced them into shards, and built a rough, archaic, yet equally majestic throne out of them.

Pulses of destructive energy were emitted from it. It also gives off an impression of being unapproachable due to the sheer power of destruction emanating out of it. It’s like anybody who dares to come close to it will find themselves dead even before they understand what happened.

Nick himself looked like an enigma. He’s in the same room as them, but his presence felt so distant. It’s like the entirety of the Primitive Universe was staring back at them, for some reason.

“Thank you all for coming. I, Prime Origin Lifeform Nicholas, am grateful for this.”