Chapter 2405: Answer

Rhykan rose from his throne slowly, almost lazily, as though the announcement naming him the victor had done little more than confirm something he already expected.

The narrow slit in the center of his forehead brightened first, its muted gold deepening until it looked almost molten, and then his body began changing beneath the black robes that had hung loosely around him since he entered the World of Spirits.

Two wings grew from his back, each one spreading wider with every breath until white feathers stretched out behind him in layered rows. Gold gathered along their edges rather than through the feathers themselves, outlining each one so cleanly that from a distance it looked as though someone had fitted delicate pieces of armor over the wings, while two horns pushed upward from his forehead and curved proudly toward the heavens.

Caracos Thar answered the transformation with a roar.

The enormous lioness rose from where she had been resting beneath Rhykan’s throne as her body began swelling, white fur rippling across expanding muscle while the blue-steel lightning surrounding her changed along with her. The bolts no longer snapped wildly through the air, instead becoming slower, thicker, and far more defined, moving around her body in languid arcs that looked almost gentle despite carrying several times the power they had before.

Rhykan smoothed out his robes once the transformation settled, pulling the black fabric straight across his chest before exhaling a long breath. Only then did he look toward Januar, his expression carrying the same calm amusement it usually did.

"I’m not entirely sure why you thought you could come into my territory and take things from me."

Januar didn’t answer.

Rhykan smiled faintly. "You’re just as arrogant as I remember, Januar, and somehow you still have just as little to show for it."

The historian’s expression remained a mask of cold indifference, his hands resting near the typewriter on his lap as though the words weren’t worth acknowledging. Rhykan didn’t seem particularly disappointed by that response and turned away almost immediately, his gaze shifting toward Tomoe instead.

"Tomoe." His smile warmed slightly. "It’s been a while."

She would have been nearly perfect if she wasn’t so unruly.

Rhykan had thought something similar before, though every encounter with her tended to reinforce the part that made the idea impractical. Her talent, bloodline, Will, and sheer potential were difficult to find fault with, yet the woman had the temperament of someone who would cut apart an empire simply to see if the ruler inside could make her sword interested.

Not that it mattered for now. It wasn’t time for Rhykan to establish a lineage anyway, and until that changed there was little reason to spend much thought on women who would complicate his life more than improve it.

Tomoe tilted her head toward him. "Are these matters finished now?"

Rhykan’s smile widened slightly.

"Can I fight Sylas?"

A laugh escaped him as he shook his head. "You can fight Sylas whenever you want. That has nothing to do with me."

Tomoe seemed satisfied enough with that answer, though her gaze had already drifted back toward Sylas before Rhykan finished speaking. Whatever interest she held in the throne, the Beast Emperor Sanctum, or even Rhykan’s transformation was clearly secondary to the man still sitting across from her.

Rhykan followed her gaze for only a moment before looking toward Elara instead.

The expression he gave her changed almost immediately, carrying the indulgence of an older brother looking at a younger sister who had somehow wandered into a place she shouldn’t have been and done well anyway. "You have quite a good brother, but I didn’t expect you to be so good yourself. You’ve done well for yourself."

Elara stuck her tongue out at him before giggling, clearly pleased despite making no effort to give him a proper response. She settled deeper into her dimming throne afterward, though the brightness in her eyes made it obvious that she had no intention of behaving simply because Sylas had already scolded her once.

Finally, Rhykan looked toward Sylas.

Sylas hadn’t moved.

Even with the four other thrones dimming, the palace transforming, and the Fate gathered around Rhykan swelling to a level that pressed against every corner of the World of Spirits, Sylas remained seated as though none of it had given him reason to stand. His fused scythe and brush rested nearby, while the Crown above his head still carried enough pressure that Rhykan could feel it from across the palace.

"Hopefully one day we can have a fair fight." Rhykan’s tone remained light, though there was no mockery hidden within it. "Until now, it’s mostly been me taking advantage of you."

His gaze drifted toward the blazing palace and the mountains still rearranging themselves around the Beast Sanctum. "Unfortunately, this matter is too important to me to let you take this victory as well, so I hope you don’t mind that I cheated a little."

The admission was made so casually that several people nearby couldn’t help looking toward him, though Rhykan didn’t bother explaining what exactly he had done. The Perfect Path had already been accepted, Caracos had become Slovenly Madness, and the system itself had named him Progenitor, so whatever advantage he had prepared was already far past the point where anyone could pretend it hadn’t mattered.

Rhykan looked into the distance.

"For powerhouses like us, affiliations were never going to hold us forever. Clans, Races, organizations, even worlds, all of them are useful until the day they’re too small for the people inside them." His golden eyes shifted back toward Sylas. "What I’m interested in now is what you do next."

The smile on Rhykan’s face faded into something calmer as he stood beside Caracos, one hand resting lightly against the lioness’ head while the blue-steel lightning around her reflected against the gold across the edges of his wings.

"Will you accept this outcome?" He paused, giving Sylas the same patience Sylas had shown almost everyone else throughout the event. "Or will you try to fight me still?"

Rhykan waited for his answer.