Captain Zerrion Draal, now a Judge of Lunaris, looked out over the surrounding encampment.
Nanofold Shelter Tents were pitched across the rugged terrain, and throngs of Evolutius Beasts were encircling it without so much as a single roar in protest.
He took it all in with a sense of power and pride, his body beginning to glow with a brilliant purple light as he lifted off the ground and floated into the sky.
The Ethereal Physiology Masters and Meridian Transformation Advanced Humans merely glanced up at him without question, returning to their business like nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
The Judge of Lunaris soared above thousands of Evolutius Beasts, occasionally passing over monstrous Ethereal Behemoths resting on shattered mountains or collapsed buildings still reeking of nuclear radiation.
Eventually, he reached a region thick with tall, dark trees that looked like tall Skyscrapers, the heights of some even reaching the clouds!
The proximity of this place pulsed with ominous power. Massive Behemoths, cloaked in dark and violet light, glared at him and then quickly looked away.
Not at all intimidated, his power at the level of Dharma Manifestation allowed him to move freely across these lands. He pressed forward into the mysterious forest of Ancient Ash Trees- trees so vast they obscured vision, emanating waves of power that seemed to warp time itself.
This was the domain of the Clockwork Ancient One, Seraphelle the Eidolarch.
A terrifying being- an Ancient One who had now recovered her power to the realm of Dharma Manifestation.
Through a tenuous agreement with the Lunaris Throne, she had shared knowledge and power that strengthened both sides. But she was unpredictable and volatile, and only Zerrion Draal was trusted to speak with her.
"I seek an audience," he called out towards the dark forest, his tone cold and direct.
He didn't go too deep. The further one ventured into the Eidolarch's territory, the lower the odds of returning. Agreements with Ancient Ones were fragile at best as no one could predict when they would break them.
So, they kept the alliance at arm's length and understood it could collapse at any moment.
And then, unexpectedly, a voice came from a tall tree to his left, a tree from which he hadn't sensed even the faintest presence.
"Why has the dog of that man come to my little forest? This body of mine is still adapting, slowly feeding on the surrounding Evolutius Energy. Are you about to ruin my restful days?"
On a dark branch pulsing with ancient power, the figure of a pale woman with pure purple hair sat lazily.
Her eyes were serpentine, her pupils glowing with a terrifying violet light. Deep within them flickered golden sparks of Primordial Authority.
Zerrion Draal's expression turned even colder as he replied.
"The Lunaris Throne commands that you join the assault on a nearby Colony City. You're to lead the Evolutius Beasts in a slow, steady campaign that is drawn out over days. Any humans you devour or utilize during that time are yours. But it must be a bleed. You're not to reveal your true power. Not yet."
Even as he spoke, his power of Dharma Manifestation wrapped around him like a second skin as he sought to protect himself. He truly disliked this Ancient One.
Her serpentine eyes shifted as they were peaceful one moment and menacing the next, like she was moments away from devouring him whole.
Still, she only smiled.
The dark robe swirling around her with purple smoke made her look like a creature misplaced from some forgotten age.
"You humans are always so fascinating. You were slaves once many, many years ago. Generations later, even after this world chose to favor you…perhaps you will still be slaves for eons to come."
Zerrion Draal's face darkened, but he maintained his composure and authority as he asked commandingly.
"Can I take that as a yes? Should we expect your assault to begin soon?"
And then, her smile widened, and she nodded lightly.
"Why yes, my dear human. This poor young lady shall do your bidding, right away."
The moment she finished, her entire body dissolved into drifting purple flower petals, vanishing in the wind before Zerrion Draal's eyes.
His expression soured further.
He couldn't sense even a shred of her aura- like she had never been there at all. Like he had been played.
And yet she had spoken those words as if she was truly going to obey him.
But Zerrion knew that she didn't have to do his bidding. Whatever bond she had with the Lunaris Throne, that was what compelled her.
His objective here was complete.
Now, as a Judge of Lunaris, he had another duty- to decree a certain daughter of the Lunaris Throne a heretic within the Colony City of Neon, along with the inferior Transcendent Humans she was conspiring with.
Achilles Maxwell. Rose Adrian.
'Transcendent? None of you even know the meaning of that word, or what it truly takes to categorize it. You will see. You will see!'
He shot out of the dark forest, watching as tens of thousands of Evolutius Beasts and Behemoths began moving like tidal waves in a violent sea that would soon be bearing down on a single city.
In the past, across the lands of the Thirteen Dynasties, many Colony Cities had fallen to such waves.
Now, it looked like another would soon join that long, grim list.
"Little princess… this one falls on you."
Judge Zerrion Draal muttered these words as he returned to his encampment, preparing to board a warship headed straight for the Colony City of Neon.
After all, he had to act in his capacity as a Judge of Lunaris to impose the will of the Lunaris Throne and declare a few Heretics in the Colony City of Neon!
And as this development unfolded, far away in that very city.
Atop the floating island known as Fort Cape of Hope.
A certain Emperor King lay in deep sleep, lost in a dream unlike any other!