The Magitech Throne blinked, as if she'd misheard him.
But Achilles looked entirely serious.
She rose in astonishment, her gaze shifting toward the direction he pointed. As she lifted into the air, stellar obsidian lotuses bloomed around her in brilliant waves.
"Just... start the ambush?" she asked, as though needing confirmation.
Achilles, well, his Primordial Avatar, merely nodded.
"Hoo…" The True Magitech Throne exhaled, then nodded back in affirmation before shooting forward, her form dissolving into the folds of the clear sky, starlight shimmering in her wake.
Behind her, beyond the Colony City where Achilles stood atop the dome, multiple other Colony Cities floated in procession like a celestial fleet, carrying millions of humans in one unified direction.
Achilles didn't anticipate much resistance from the Phoenix they were targeting. This one was weaker than Princess Atlana, far weaker than the Ancient Millennium Acheron Phoenix he had already slain- Ayan.
All this ambush would accomplish was gaining him another Astral Core Ascension entity, one already laced with his spores, free for him to control as he pleased.
And on the other side of the skies, over two hundred and fifty miles away…
An Atlantian Commander was flying toward a false target, sent into emptiness.
This confrontation was one he planned to resolve without force at all.
The Atlantian Commander sped through the air, racing toward the coordinates given to him by Princess Atlana.
He slowed, eyes narrowing as waves of water curled through the atmosphere, delivering a new message.
He turned sharply. A shimmering, watery image of Princess Atlana appeared before him. In her hands were dazzling purple-gold fruits, their fragrance so potent it opened the very pores of his body from a distance.
His expression flickered with awe as he floated toward the illusion of Atlana, his senses pulled by the irresistible aroma.
Her gaze was firm as she spoke.
"These are treasures I obtained from that Kingdom," she said. "They're part of why this being poses such a threat to the Heart of the Sea. Their people consume them freely, I've taken some myself. The purity of energy within them… it's effective even for Celestbone Stage Astral Core Ascension entities."
Her watery form extended the fruits, and the Commander opened his arms to receive them.
"Princess… we should take these back. Let the Alchemists study them…"
He was barely holding back. Every cell in his body buzzed, crying out to consume the fruits immediately.
But he tried to focus, tried to see the bigger picture.
Then Atlana spoke again, and with those words, his restraint vanished entirely.
"I've seen hundreds of these fruits already. I'll gather more for our Thalassphere Arx. For now, grow stronger before you face your next enemies."
That was all it took.
He nodded eagerly, licking his lips before biting into the fruit with fervor, trusting her without question.
In seconds, he devoured all four. A burst of energy exploded within him.
Above, a stream of stellar light descended from the heavens, bathing him as his power surged.
"Haha… if we could get a hundred of these…" he whispered, his trident glowing with golden majesty.
A new voice echoed, sharp and quiet, slicing through the air.
"Some battles truly don't need to be fought with force at all."
White flames danced through the illusion of Princess Atlana.
The Atlantian Commander froze in stunned disbelief. Before he could react, before he could even process,
Achilles raised his hand.
The spores within the Commander's being bloomed and activated.
The Commander's eyes dulled. His consciousness sank into silence.
Achilles stood still, watching as new fragments of memory unraveled into his mind, another window into the Thalassphere Arx and the secrets of the Atlantian Behemoth Tribes.
"Who is your King?" Achilles asked calmly.
And the once-proud Commander replied without hesitation, crossing his arms in a salute, voice ringing with conviction.
"My King is King Primal, the Adrastia Emperor King!"
His tone was sure, his loyalty sealed. The spores of Draconian Pathogenicity V worked flawlessly, even without active control, Achilles had configured them to render perfect obedience.
Both Atlantians were now his.
He controlled the information flow to the Thalassphere Arx. In the hazy distance, floating clan masses could already be seen as the Colony Cities of the Magitech Colony Dynasty neared.
At their forefront, a phoenix had already fallen, ambushed and bound in Aeonic Chains, infected with Draconian Pathogenicity V.
And now, Achilles could play whatever games he wanted.
He commanded three newly awakened Astral Core Ascension entities, each one trainable, each one ripe to be raised through Primordium Evolutius Fruits, Biological Nurturing, and even Limited Assimilations.
He calculated they would reach Celestbone Stage before the meeting of Dynasties and Ancient Ones in two days' time.
"With multiple Colony Cities raising the human population to over forty million... will the invisible and unseen Planar Destiny alter anything around me?"
It was the force many Ancient Ones hungered for.
As Colony Cities converged toward the Kingdom of Neon, he wondered: Would this unseen fate bring luck? Chaos? Miracles?
What would shift, now that so many humans fell under his protection?
He welcomed the unknown.
With the scouts from both continents neutralized, Achilles whispered his next command.
"Begin feeding false information to your people. Delay them. Wrap me in mystery so the Phoenixes and Atlantians grow too hesitant to act."
His voice and will carried far.
To the Atlantian Commander.
To Princess Atlana within the Kingdom of Neon.
And to Libya, the Ancient Millennium Acheron Phoenix now captured and en route with the Magitech Colony Dynasty.
With that, Achilles' figure flared with white flames, and he vanished once again, reappearing atop the Primal Neon Tower.
Rose was already waiting.
She smiled, wrapped herself around his arm, and leaned her head against him.
Achilles rested his chin on hers, lips moving in silent resolve as he opened the Adrastia Imperium Vitae Ascension Codex.
Bloodline refinement.
It was the swiftest path forward, and he would walk it without pause.
Because soon, he would lead the strike against the capital of the Thornveil Dynasty, where likely, multiple Ancient Astral Core Ascension beings awaited!