Elizabeth did her best to stay expressionless, while revealing her shock inwardly. Birds! They were gigantic talking birds! She was speechless. All along, there was a tiny speck of skepticism that the human world was really a small part of the larger, true known world. Because who could believe that these three great human civilizations, which spanned mountains and oceans, could be so insignificant? Elizabeth heard it firsthand from Rena, but she reserved her belief. Could these stories of fantastic and bizarre species and civilizations, of Emperors and Gods truly exist? But when she laid eyes upon Ludin and Crus, she had to accept the truth… that there were entire worlds just beyond humanity! Her sense of adventure and fear of the unknown began conflicting endlessly.
Moreover, that was not all because they were strong, really strong! If the two before her were responsible for the carnage below, then it meant that they had power equal, if not superior, to a fleet of twenty thousand men! That was absurd! And the aura that they radiated was palpitatingly hair-rising… Elizabeth had her fair share of exposure around Sir Winstin and the Royal Guards, but this felt qualitatively different. It was 'richer' and more 'vivid', as if comparing real gold with fool's gold. She realized that these two must be at the half-Rank 3 level, one point right before a Rank 3 King! This made her mood plummet though. What about the rest of the Featherwind Sect then? How many numbers did they have? How strong was their strongest combatant? Facing against the Xingyuu Empire was one thing but facing against the unknown Featherwind Sect was another. She had to break this alliance at all costs!
(They're Vogels,) Rena deduced.
(Vogels?) Elizabeth snapped out of her trance.
(Yes, they're exactly what you think: an intelligent species of bird. Their ancestor was a normal bird that managed to grasp energy and evolved to grow sentience, climbing to become a Rank 4 Beast Emperor. I didn't think that their species survived…)
(Survived what?)
(…) the spirit grew quiet.
The girl was mildly irritated by her master's uncooperativeness, but still, she gained some very useful information. She composed her thoughts and said, "I am Princess Elizabeth Etuvel Reindel, heir apparent of the Alzar Kingdom. It's my pleasure to meet the Vogels."
Presenting a plain expression, Crus summoned several of her doppelgangers to her side before aiming them at Elizabeth. With a heavy air, she said, "And why should we listen to you? What's stopping me from killing you and everyone else? Say anything we dislike, and your head will fly."
Of course, this was a bluff since they lacked the strength to annihilate this fleet. Crus severely underestimated the extent of her backlash and aggravating it with her Bloodline Ability and Demon Wind Resurrection made it much worse. When she tried to transform her technique into different forms, it nearly knocked her out! That was the sole reason why Elizabeth and her friends survived! Judging by her current state, Crus could maintain her technique for one or two more attacks before it goes beyond her control. Still, they had to present a hard front. The image of Prime Minister Pon-Wai was imprinted on her mind. She refused to be taken advantage of again!
Elizabeth looked at the razor-sharp sword-like doppelgangers and felt her blood growing cold. These were the same weapons potent enough to bisect a warship! Although she had yet to see them bisect a person, one could imagine the devastation they would cause. Not to mention, there was the greater problem of what she was standing on! At a height high enough to see the horizon, with just a foothold created by her enemies, one misstep and she would plummet to her death! Thanks to her royal training, she could barely keep calm. Her mind spun at sonic speeds, trying to rationalize how could she convince them.
She began listing everything out. Firstly, the Featherwind Sect must be around equal status to the Xingyuu Empire. They were cooperating, not acting subservient nor superior. Therefore, this must also be indicative of their military might which would make sense, because if they had the power to destroy the Alzar Kingdom, then they would have done so immediately. There would have been no point to this skirmish. Secondly, their numbers and scale must be small. This also had to be correct, since the Alzar Kingdom heard nothing about the sect. With how extensive and overreaching their intelligence network was, there was no way that the Xingyuu Empire could feasibly seal all news of a large foreign entity arriving in their borders. As to how small the Featherwind Sect was left up to debate.
Next, there must be a common point of agreement between the sect and the empire. For the empire, it should be obvious: 'destroy the Alzar Kingdom and the Li Family', but what could convince the Featherwind Sect to act? What did they have to offer that the Alzar Kingdom did not? The two civilizations were arguably equal in economy, military, cultural, scientific, and every other aspect imaginable. That was why the First and Second Great Kingdom Wars dragged out so long! But Elizabeth was not about to go down that route. Turning the alliance into a bidding war was both stupid and unproductive. There was also the problem of loyalty if the Featherwind Sect flopped sides on a whim.
The girl wanted to sigh. Although she wanted to handle this peacefully, it might be counterproductive to show a weak side. Ludin and Crus would not respect her, but rather look down at her. That was the iron-clad rule she learned during her training! When strong, stand strong. When weak, stand even stronger! Never let the enemy grasp your weakness and always present yourself as superior! It was the only way she could bring them to the negotiating table. In the best case, they could forge a new alliance against the Xingyuu Empire. In the worst case, she could dissuade them from attacking the Alzar Kingdom. The key point was to reveal how strong of an opponent the kingdom was! Thinking along those lines, she glanced at her Whiteangel Bow.
(…) Rena was silent and Elizabeth could sense the spirit's obvious dissatisfaction. Still, there was no sound of disagreement so…
In the real world, she made a chilling smile, as frigid as the deepest oceans. Ludin and Crus initially felt a slight sense of respect for Elizabeth, seeing her appear unfazed by the monstrous killing intent, but that feeling quickly changed. Why? Because her aura was beginning to swell up and soar to an absolutely ridiculous level! Half-Rank 2 Lord, Early Rank 2, Mid-Rank 2, Late Rank 2, Grand Rank 2, Half-Rank 3 King, and even Rank 3 King! Elizabeth's presence transformed from a mere ant to an unfathomable monarch in the blink of an eye, unleashing unprecedentedly unbearable pressure, the pressure of an ocean! Similarly, Ludin and Crus went from apathy to curiosity to confusion and finally to fear! They staggered backwards, half-kneeling, as every trace of their grandeur was smashed apart. It was far stronger than their Sect Master or Commander Infernal Witch King! It was far, far above!
Yet, as quickly as it came, it vanished. Everything returned to normal and Elizabeth returned to her usual self. But that burst of heavenly power and infinite supremacy lingered on the two birds' minds, paralyzing them. They were too afraid to say anything! Seeing this, Elizabeth had to admire her master. Rena could bring the two birds, responsible for nearly annihilating the fleet, down with a mere hint of their divine aura. Elizabeth was awed, but at the same time, it served as a stark reminder of just how dangerous her master was. If… there came one day where Rena stood at odds with the Alzar Kingdom or humanity in general… then it would be a very, very dark day… Nevertheless, Elizabeth focused on the task at hand and shelved the pessimism for another time.
"I think that should answer why you should listen to me. That wasn't my power, but my master's. I think you understand what should happen if you anger my master."
Ludin and Crus ignored Elizabeth but focused on her bow instead. As seasoned Half-Rank 3 Kings, their senses were keen enough to pinpoint the true source of the aura. They heard of such things before. Powerful beings were able to imbue a fragment of their presence onto objects, making them a symbol of their omnipotent authority! In larger, more expansive territories, it was an important tool for deterrence and obedience. Carrying one was equivalent to carrying the will of the superior! So, for it to appear here, in Elizabeth's hands, was the greatest answer. She had the power of a Rank 3 King backing her! This made her status equal to theirs which created an awkward situation. In the first place, they were pretending to have the backing of a Rank 3 civilization, but the Featherwind Sect was gone. Now that a genuine Rank 3 King appeared, what should they do?