Chapter 116: The Black Empress

Far from the Vesperion Duchy, in the heart of a massive estate.

Polished black marble covered its floors, catching the reflection of the dim light spilling from the chandeliers hanging above. On both sides of the hall, obsidian pillars rose to the ceiling, while dark black drapes fell over the tall windows, interwoven with delicate golden threads.

Ahead, two figures were kneeling on the cold marble.

A man with crimson hair and a red mask, and beside him, a woman with dark blue hair and a matching blue mask. They kept their heads bowed in reverence, neither daring to lift their gaze.

And in front of them, upon a high-backed throne, sat a woman of absolute, breathtaking beauty.

Her coal-black hair cascaded down her elegant, dark attire like a midnight waterfall. As for the jagged, dark metallic crown-mask she wore over the upper half of her face, it did not hide her beauty; rather, it amplified it, highlighting her pristine pale skin and her glowing golden eyes.

She possessed that captivating beauty capable of toppling kingdoms. But beneath that beauty, there was something else... something that made merely standing before her a test in itself.

A suffocating, terrifying aura surrounded her, to the point that the bodies kneeling before her struggled just to catch their breath.

This woman was the Emperor’s elder half-sister, the founder and current leader of the Faceless, known throughout the Valorian Empire as The Black Empress.

The woman withdrew her aura and began to speak in a sweet voice.

"For ten years, I have owed Vaelzareth a favor. Throughout all that time, he never once called upon it. Whatever he asked of me, no matter what it was, I would have granted without question. But... he never did."

Her sweet voice echoed throughout the vast hall.

"And now that he has finally chosen to use that favor, he has spent it covering the tracks of an unknown figure on the border."

A faint smile appeared on her lips. "Isn’t that interesting?"

Her golden eyes settled on the two kneeling figures before her.

"Tell me... what did you discover?"

The red-haired man swallowed hard before he spoke.

"Nothing, Your Majesty the Empress. There is absolutely no information regarding his background. Everything circulating right now is just rumors with no solid evidence."

The blue-haired woman shifted slightly, keeping her gaze fixed on the marble floor.

"Your Majesty, after digging deeper into the region, I found several strange anomalies that occurred recently."

The woman seated on the throne gracefully rested her head against her knuckles. "What kind of anomalies?"

"Baron Blackthorn was suddenly transferred to the borders, and his position was taken by the seventh son of Duke Vesperion."

"And when I looked further, it seemed extremely strange. How could a newly awakened youth take over a fortress located on the borders of the Duchy? The most logical explanation was that this was a test for him as a banner-bearer."

A light, alluring laugh escaped the woman’s pale lips. "Ah, yes. I almost forgot about that insane tradition of theirs. The banner-bearer’s test. What else did you find?"

The blue-masked woman continued, "The seventh son did not arrive alone, but brought with him his personal maid, Marquis Ashmore’s son—Ronan—along with his team... and another woman."

The golden eyes of the woman on the throne narrowed slightly in the shadows. "Another woman? Do you not know who she is?"

"When we searched for her, we found absolutely no records. It was as if she appeared out of thin air, Your Majesty. The people of Blackthorn call her ’Goddess Lily’. Our investigations confirm she is an Ascended of immense power, and it seems she is a direct subordinate of the seventh son."

"A Goddess?" The woman chuckled. "Fascinating. And what about this ’Black Reaper’? He must have left something behind."

"He hasn’t appeared anywhere else in the Empire except in Blackthorn, Your Majesty. Just like this Lily. They both appeared at the exact same time out of nowhere, without any traces hinting at their identities."

The seated woman fell silent for a moment as her mind connected the pieces. "What is the current rank of the seventh son? And where was he during the attack on the forest?"

"He is a newly Awakened, Your Majesty. According to the witnesses, he was standing on the fortress walls during the attack, alongside Lily and... the tenth daughter of Morgana."

Her lips parted in a stunning, yet terrifying smile.

"It seems that little test was quite entertaining. And what about the Reaper’s rank?"

The kneeling woman answered quickly, "We cannot be certain of that, Your Majesty. A large portion of the forest was completely destroyed, erasing any trace that could help us determine his true strength. But given the massive number of ’Fallen’ Morpheths he slaughtered, it is highly likely that he is also an extremely powerful Ascended."

The woman tapped her slender finger against the armrest of her throne.

"You said the Black Reaper appeared at the exact same time as Lily. Are you suggesting the Reaper is also a subordinate of the seventh son?"

"I do not know for sure, Your Majesty. But it is a highly probable scenario."

"Hmm," she hummed. She lowered her hand, her golden eyes gleaming with deep interest. "It seems the seventh son is not as simple as I thought. Very well. We must place this boy on the chessboard alongside the rest of his siblings."

She stood up slowly, and her dark presence filled the entire hall.

"The strategy is simple. If the Duke refuses to join me, then what about his children? Will he remain a spectator when his own children are sent onto the battlefield? Once they are dragged into the war, he will have no choice but to step in himself."

She shifted her gaze toward the dark, shadowed corner of the grand hall.

"What do you think, Veyla? Can you bring him to our side?"

From the pitch-black shadows, a young girl emerged. Her skin was pale and pristine, and her long black hair flowed smoothly behind her. Her red eyes held a strange charm that made it difficult to look away. And resting on her waist was a black katana.

The young girl knelt gracefully on the marble floor and bowed her head.

"Just give the order, Your Majesty the Empress, and I will do my utmost to achieve it."

The woman smiled—a smile that promised certain ruin.

"I heard he’s around your age. That means the two of you will be studying at the Academy together this year. You need to move quickly, Veyla. Bring him to our side before the Emperor’s dogs get to him first."

She turned around and looked out the massive window at the dark horizon. Her voice shifted, becoming completely serious.

"The Vesperion family now officially harbors four Supreme rankers. We cannot afford to lose them to my foolish brother under any circumstances. There is no room for error, Veyla."

Veyla kept her head bowed.

"Understood, Your Majesty. I will not disappoint you."