Chapter 193: Untitled

"You have incredible gall, Mogar! You dare send your people to kidnap my children?!"

Duke Ao’s furious voice resounded throughout the massive stone hall, shaking the very foundations of the fortress.

Although the sovereign man seated at the helm had completely suppressed the acoustic shockwave from causing physical harm, the raw intent remained utterly terrifying.

The sheer authority contained within his booming voice made the ambient air feel as heavy as liquid lead.

"Mogar..."

Ethen, who was currently standing beside Ulric and several other angels, muttered the ancient name quietly under his breath. Humanity possessed four Almighty Gods standing supreme.

Each one was significantly more terrifying than the other in terms of sheer destructive strength and absolute authority. They stood at the very pinnacle of human civilization, existing as supreme beings whose casual decisions could influence the fate of entire kingdoms.

This man, Mogar, was one of them. He was known across the continent as the King of the Sky. He was an existence so ancient that even the deepest history recorded by humanity contained little factual information about his true origins.

Yet here this legendary figure was, breathing and speaking in the flesh. He was sitting completely casually at the helm of the Bastion, facing down one of the most powerful and ruthless beings among the entire beast clan hierarchy.

"Gall, no gall. What is the actual point of this posturing?" Mogar said casually, resting his chin on his knuckles.

"I just want to see what rare treasures you brought in exchange for this precious heir of yours today."

His calm, piercing gaze remained fixed on the giant, imposing man standing before him in the ruined entryway. Duke Ao’s massive body was covered entirely in thick, crimson scales, giving him the terrifying appearance of a heavily armored, humanoid snapping turtle.

His massive, muscular frame towered over absolutely everyone present in the assembly hall. The suffocating spiritual pressure radiating from his core was enough to make even powerful, battle hardened angels remain completely cautious and silent.

The Ao bloodline members were widely known across the realms for their incredibly hot temper and their tendency to resolve disputes with overwhelming violence.

They were also famously known for their immense, incalculable wealth, having hoarded resources for thousands of years.Taking one of their royal children hostage was exactly like being given a free, unrestricted selection from a lavish buffet whose server was a raging glutton that would do absolutely anything to get their prized possessions back.

"You..." Duke Ao growled, his golden eyes flashing with barely contained fury as he tightly clenched his massive, scaled fist.

His thick red scales tightened audibly as immense, world shaking power gathered rapidly around his physical body, but he quickly forced himself to release his hand.There was absolutely no strategic point in losing his legendary temper inside the enemy’s most fortified stronghold.

"What is it that you want?" he asked calmly, forcing his booming voice into a measured, icy tone."You know very well that I do not have the time or the patience to stand here and argue with you." Only the Four Gods truly understood the complex, high stakes political games they constantly played amongst each other behind closed doors.

To absolutely everyone else in the universe, these supreme beings were untouchable, mythical existences standing alone at the very peak of the world. But to one another, they were simply old, familiar acquaintances who had been playing the exact same geopolitical game for countless, bloody years.

[I want complete jurisdiction over Marcor Island.] Mogar stated his demand flatly, projecting the burning text into the space between them.

[I decline that offer completely.]

[What about surrendering the Heavenspring Jade Temple?]

[No. I decline that as well. Ask for something purely monetary.]

[No. I do not want something purely monetary. Give me accurate information on exactly where Long gets his Golden Drops.]

[I do not know the answer to that. I can only give something monetary from my vaults.]As the two ancient sovereigns conversed, glowing text boxes constantly appeared and vanished in the air, indicating that they were speaking directly through their own unique divine authorities.

No one else standing in the grand hall could speak or even properly perceive the actual flow of the conversation.Only a highly select few individuals possessing extraordinary perception could understand what was actually happening before their eyes.

To absolutely everyone else present, the silent sight was nothing short of deeply astonishing.

Two Almighty Gods were casually, quietly negotiating over the ultimate fate of a captured royal dragon prince.For Ethen, however, the entire display felt strangely different from what he had originally anticipated from divine beings.

It honestly felt no better than watching two ordinary women in a crowded local market haggle stubbornly over the price of something they did not particularly understand.

[Okay, monetary, right? Give me all the refined gold currently resting on Hargon Mountain.]

[You are being completely ridiculous now. I should give you all the gold located on a mountain literally made entirely of solid gold? Sure, keep dreaming.]

Ethen’s eyes twitched slightly as he read the translation of their divine exchange. Naturally, absolutely everyone who could perceive even tiny fragments of the divine conversation could only be filled with deep awe and wonder at the cosmic scales being discussed.

But the longer Ethen watched the silent exchange unfold, the stranger the entire interaction became to his mortal mind.

The two absolute most powerful humans and beasts in existence were haggling like cheap merchants in an alleyway.

And somehow, despite their limitless cosmic wisdom, neither of them seemed particularly good at the art of bargaining.

[For your son’s safe return, give me the Heaven Sitting Turtle Suppression Art. That is my final, non negotiable price. Without that scroll, I will keep him here and use him as a personal steed.]

Finally, Mogar put his foot down firmly, completely unwilling to move any further on his steep demands.

He had rapidly gone from bargaining for complete control over heavenly places that even the angels knew absolutely nothing about, to requesting naturally occurring treasures, and finally settling on a single martial technique.

Duke Ao stared intensely at the glowing message floating in the air.

[He is only worth about that much to me anyway.]

Duke Ao smiled, a cruel, mocking grin spreading across his reptilian face. He genuinely felt like he had just won one over on the arrogant human sovereign by relying on his high intellect.

Naturally, everyone else observing the exchange thought the exact same thing as the dragon god. But after a few tense seconds of heavy silence, Mogar smiled coyly from his high throne.

[No take backs on this deal.]

At that exact moment, Duke Ao frowned deeply, realizing something was terribly wrong.His scaly eyebrow twitched violently in sudden, absolute outrage.

Then, his golden eyes went completely blank and lifeless. His divine consciousness instantly withdrew from the physical projection standing inside the Bastion, shooting back toward his true, physical body located countless miles away in the beast territories.

[You absolute fucker!!!!]

The psychic curse exploded violently from his main body across the continent. The delayed reaction from his physical projection, however, had already shown absolutely everyone in the room more than enough.

Mogar simply smiled, looking thoroughly satisfied with the outcome.

[Hehehe.]

His piercing gaze shifted smoothly toward Ethen, who was standing quietly on the ground. The amused smile on his face became even wider, as though he had just remembered something particularly entertaining.

He had clearly heard Ethen’s previous, disrespectful thoughts about their haggling skills.

"Let the foolish boy go back to his angry father," Mogar commanded. After a short, tense exchange, the two Almighty Gods finally reached a solid conclusion.

Mogar formally released Ao Lorn from his heavy bindings.The battered, half beast, half man immediately scrambled away, moving quickly toward Duke Ao’s side for protection. But Duke Ao did not leave the hall. His expression remained completely dark and murderous.

"This is not a fair bargain, and you know it," he said, glaring angrily at Mogar

."Fair?" Mogar raised an eyebrow before giving him a deeply mocking smile.

"Funny turtle. What exactly do you want?" Those present did not know it, but the Beast God had suffered a massive, serious blow from this deal, far beyond what they could ever imagine.Duke Ao’s expression hardened into solid stone.

"If my son had not been taken, I would not have left my domain. And if I had not left, I would still have total control over my territory."

His fiery eyes slowly shifted across the room.

"And if I still had total control, none of this disaster would have happened." He paused, letting the heavy silence linger for a moment.

"I want the cause of this."The atmosphere changed, growing cold. Duke Ao raised his hand.

[Give me the boy who kidnapped my son.]

As he spoke, his gaze panned toward Ethen. The murderous intent was unmistakable. In that moment, the entire hall went silent as everyone panned to the mortal tier 5 summoner standing infront of several angels.

It was him again!!