Novel Full Chapter 839: Political Nonsense
Chapter 839: Political Nonsense
As for Michael...
He did not care about the prince.
Nor the empire.
Out of mind. Out of thought.
What drew his attention instead was something far more immediate.
Pressure.
A heavy wave descended from the sky, pressing down across the clearing in layered currents.
Michael’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked up at the approaching ship.
"...Rank Three," he murmured under his breath.
After being around Rank Three superpowers for so long, he was already intimately familiar with that level of strength.
This pressure did not belong to one individual.
It came from several people aboard the vessel.
And more importantly...
It was controlled.
Restrained just enough to not count as an attack, yet released wide enough to be felt by everyone below.
Michael’s gaze sharpened faintly.
Was it a display of strength?
Or a reminder of hierarchy?
He did not move.
He simply watched as the ship descended through the clouds.
But around him, the reaction was far less composed.
Several young nobles stiffened instantly.
A few subconsciously bent their knees as the invisible weight pressed down on their shoulders.
Others began circulating mana instinctively, thin defensive layers forming around their bodies.
The difference became obvious at a glance.
Those who had experienced high-rank pressure before, or could handle it... and those who had not.
Michael said nothing.
He simply released his mana quietly.
A thin, invisible layer spread outward from him, expanding like a calm tide.
It wrapped naturally around those closest to his presence.
Arianne.
Renn.
Uga.
The moment the descending pressure touched Michael’s mana field...
It dispersed.
Neutralized instantly, like wind crashing against an immovable mountain wall.
The three immediately felt the relief.
The crushing weight vanished as if it had never existed.
But the impression it left behind was different for each of them.
Arianne’s grip on her reins tightened unconsciously.
She lowered her gaze slightly.
"...Thank you," she said softly, though her voice carried something heavier beneath the gratitude.
Instead of comfort...
What filled her chest was unworthiness.
Even now... I needed him.
Her fingers curled tighter.
The gap between them felt even wider than before.
It had always been wide. She knew that.
But why...
Why did it feel like the distance kept growing no matter how much she advanced?
Arianne, you were naïve...
You really believed that reaching the next rank would close the distance between you and him...
Her lips pressed faintly.
It was not just wide.
It felt unreachable.
Renn’s reaction was quieter.
He inhaled slowly as the pressure vanished from his shoulders.
His muscles relaxed slightly.
He glanced at Michael, this time holding the look for a second longer before speaking.
"...Thank you, Sir Mic," Renn said sincerely.
There was no embarrassment in his tone. Only acknowledgment.
"I could withstand it," he added honestly, "but it would not have been comfortable."
He gave a faint smile.
"You saved me the effort."
But inwardly, the realization settled deeper.
He dispersed multiple Rank Three pressures... casually.
Renn lowered his gaze slightly.
I still have a long way to go.
As for Uga...
Uga’s eyes lit up.
He rolled his shoulders under the protective mana layer, testing the invisible barrier around him like a curious beast.
He pushed against it slightly.
"Strong," he muttered.
He turned toward Michael, eyes gleaming with pure, uncomplicated intent.
Uga pointed at him.
"Pretty boy," he said seriously.
"Fight me after."
Renn’s expression tightened immediately.
"Uga," he warned quietly, stepping half a pace forward, "this is not the place."
Uga did not even look at him.
His eyes remained locked on Michael like a predator that had found something interesting.
"Fight me after," he repeated, as if Renn had not spoken at all.
Renn sighed through his nose.
"You cannot challenge people every time you feel excited," he said, voice firmer now.
Uga scratched his cheek lazily.
"...After," he insisted.
Renn gave up.
He looked at Michael apologetically.
"Forgive him. He is... straightforward."
Michael shook his head faintly.
"It is not an issue," he replied calmly.
If anything, Michael wondered when the two had grown close. It seemed that during their separation, he had been the only one without access to the others.
Uga grinned wider at Michael’s response, taking it as encouragement rather than dismissal.
Renn exhaled, then his expression shifted as his gaze lifted back toward the descending imperial ship.
His brows drew together.
"...Still," he said aloud, tone thoughtful now, "what is the Empire’s purpose with this?"
Michael did not answer.
Renn continued, more to himself than anyone else.
"That level of pressure release... it is deliberate. But this is a joint ruin expedition. Won’t the other factions react?"
His eyes scanned the surrounding clearing where banners from multiple kingdoms fluttered.
"When will they respond...?"
Almost as if his words had summoned it...
The air shifted.
A ripple of power spread outward across the clearing, not descending this time, but rising.
Several figures lifted into the air from the faction zones below.
Michael’s eyes narrowed slightly as he observed them.
One figure stepped forward among the airborne group.
A woman.
Her presence was calm but vast.
Michael recognized her instantly.
Princess Priscilla.
A Great Being of the Lionheart Kingdom. One of the kingdom’s peak pillars.
Her cultivation had long reached the threshold of Rank Three supernatural prowess.
Even among Great Beings...
She stood high.
Her voice rang across the clearing, amplified yet controlled.
"Imperial guests," she called, neither hostile nor welcoming, "your arrival is noted."
The imperial ship slowed slightly.
Priscilla’s aura spread outward. Not oppressive, but firm.
A declaration.
You are not the only Rank Three present.
Balance was soon restored.
Michael watched quietly.
Was that it?
He felt a bit odd and simply summed the action up to political nonsense.
If they wanted a fight, they should just fight.
Why waste time showing off?
Meanwhile, below...
As the two waves of pressure, imperial descent and kingdom response, stabilized against each other, the suffocating weight that had blanketed the clearing finally eased.
The relief was palpable.
Eyes lifted toward the sky again.
They watched as the Rank Three figures from the surrounding factions, those who had risen in response, slowly withdrew.
Above, the imperial vessel completed its descent.
But rather than leaving after...
The massive ship glided across the clearing before settling at a distance.
Dust and leaves scattered outward in controlled spirals before settling again.