In Marki, the capital of the Leai Kingdom.
In the heart of the capital city, a stunning architectural marvel stood tall, embodying both elegance and power—the Royal Palace of Leai Kingdom.
Prince Louis is seated in the administrative office of the palace, contemplating the recent kingdom's transformations.
While lost in thought, he heard a knock at his door.
"Is it permissible for me to enter, your highness?" inquired the voice coming from the other side of the door.
Without delay, the prince said affirmatively, and an armored man walked in.
"Prince, Count Ynder's escorts have reached the outer gate of the capital."
Listening to it, Louie got up from his chair and exclaimed.
"They are highly esteemed guests; guide them with utmost respect to the castle."
"By your request, your majesty." The man in armor nodded politely and exited the room.
---
Eventually, the convoy reaches the interior part of the royal castle.
Louie and leaders from his group, along with leaders from other groups, have united to greet Ynder, including the official from the 1st Prince faction, and that is given as Ynder is rumored to be the Leai Kingdom's first SSS rank cultivator; essentially, an SSS rank has a status on par with the nation's king, so no one can ignore him.
Following that, a carriage escorted by Elite cultivators, mounted on a war horse, clad in silver-blue full-plated armor with only their eyes visible, came forward, exhibiting the banner of ballads as they reached the premises of the royal palace.
Just a glance at them shows that they are more intricate than they seem, and they are definitely not your simple soil.
After a few moments, the convoy came to a halt as the knights at the front of the carriage took their positions next to the carriage, ensuring its smooth journey through the center.
Then the carriage started to move, eventually halting precisely 50 meters away from Louie's group.
Next, a knight dismounted from his horse and immediately approached the carriage door in hurried steps and positioned himself next to it.
All the people in the compound were eagerly waiting to catch a glimpse of the rumored SSS rank cultivator, yet the knight remained still and the carriage showed no signs of activity.
After a short while, the knight standing next to the carriage door began to make a dramatic announcement.
"The Duke of Ballad, leader of Ballad Dukedom, Ynder Ballad, and pontiff of Helious Temple, Rufus Von Volare, are honoring us with their presence." The soldier shouted loudly, with his voice further amplified by the mana.
Immediately, the atmosphere was dead silent.
"Who do they think they are?" whispered William, the leader of the royal guards, upon hearing the announcement from Ballad's knight.
This is not just happening to William alone; every official, soldier, and servant were enraged by the audacity of the ballads. Not only do the ballads proclaim themselves as a dukedom without royal approval, but it is also required by everybody that they display their family flag at head level when entering the royal palace to show their submission and loyalty to the royal family.
Nevertheless, the ballads proudly kept their banner raised as they entered, showing a direct challenge to the authority of the royal family. Although the royal family now seems weak, no one is willing to openly imitate them.
°°
Willam Helms, the leader of the royal guards in Leai Kingdom, is an S-rank cultivator possessing the rare element of darkness and is recognized as a top swordsman.
It is known that a rare element cultivator is more powerful than a normal element cultivator of equal rank.
He is currently positioned behind Louie and is also part of Louie's fraction.
"Lord, they have overstepped the boundaries by using mana on the royal palace grounds, and not only that, they also show disrespect towards you by declaring their presence in your presence.
Regardless of its SSS rank or not, I will personally evaluate it. Kindly grant me permission." William said, seething with fury and wrath. All the royal guards, including him, are filled with rage and willing to fight to the death to defend the honor of their lineage, to which they have sworn oaths.
However, Louie remained composed.
Being of SS rank himself, he understands his own monstrous capabilities, but if the rumor of Count Ynder reaching SSS rank is true, then his own arrogance is insignificant, as an SSS rank cultivator can easily wipe out a small army of thousands alone. He also pondered about the Pope of Helios temple, whom he had never heard of before.
However, when the knight opened the carriage door, Louie received all his answers instantly.
The individuals who exited the carriage were not men; they were essentially walking calamities. Everyone in the royal compound experienced the intense force of the lightning aura [1] and the divine power of the god, causing those who were once enraged to now display fear and desperation.
While the two individuals approached Louie and the other group without using any mana, the high-rank cultivators in the area, particularly Louie and Willam, felt a strong sense of alertness in their instincts. Being of SS and S rank, they were able to discern the type of monster these individuals were.
Upon Ynder and Rufus's arrival in the group, Louie's forehead becomes covered in a layer of sweat, and at the same time, Louie is grateful that he did not make any hasty decisions; if correct, both Ynder and the person with him are SSS ranked; one mistake and the entire Leai Kingdom is doomed.
With all those thoughts running through his mind, Louie quickly approached them and began speaking in a warm and respectful manner to them.
"Duke Ynder and esteemed pontiff of Helios temple, I am honored to have you both here in response to my invitation. I would like to personally accompany you to the meeting hall. I would consider it a privilege."
Louie said, giving them a way to enter the palace with a slight bow.
--
There were a combined total of four people present in the meeting room.
Being the host of the meeting, Louie naturally got up and began speaking.
"Thank you, all the men, for coming together here. Today, we will talk about what lies ahead for this kingdom.
Duke Balri, our esteemed guest, has specifically requested your presence. I trust you're okay with this."
Duke Balri responded promptly.
"Yes, I am, your highness; in fact, I'm honored to be recognized by the mightiest warrior of our kingdom."
Louie heard it, grinned, and replied.
"Then, let's continue with our meeting."
Our inaugural subject for the meeting is "
Then suddenly, Ynder rose from his seat, interrupting Louie's speech, and headed towards the window.
Despite feeling embarrassed, Louie suppressed his anger and inquired humbly, knowing he had no other alternative.
"Lord, what occurred? If there are any issues, kindly inform me so I can work on fixing them to the best of my abilities."
While looking out the window, Ynder turned back towards Louie and replied.
"Louie, I am not interested in having pointless discussions. Therefore, I will suggest three requirements, and I trust that none of you will decline."
The room's atmosphere turned extremely serious.
Everyone's anticipation caused their mouths to feel dry as Ynder's proposals were not mery "conditions," but clear threats: either agree and advance, or refuse and risk destruction.
Amidst all those struggles and guesses about the so-called 'conditions' in the minds of people, Ynder spoke, breaking the anticipation.
"First condition: I want Duke Balri to leave this country and return to where he belongs."
But then Duke Balri voiced his protest in an angry tone.
"What is the meaning of these words? Count ynder. I am a true patriot of this great nation." Upon hearing it, Louie inwardly scoffed, but then Ynder's eyes glowed purple as he gazed at Duke Balri, causing tremendous pressure to weigh down on him.
"Do not act ignorant with me, and it's ARCHDUKE, not Count."
Duke Balri, trembling in terror and feeling like he's been thrown into a grinder, topples from his seat and coughs up blood on the floor, but manages to respond with great effort.
"Yes, archduke."
After hearing it, he shifts his focus from Duke Balri to the gathering, instinctively easing his tension.
"Then the next requirement is that Ballad County will be recognized as an archduchy, as well as our family's designation as an Elite family.
Ynder pauses momentarily to glance in Louie's direction.
Sensing Ynder's stare, Louie quickly stood up from his seat and announced.
"Archduke Ynder, your wish is my command. Regarding the status of the Elite family, it has been acknowledged that the SSS rank cultivators' family has promptly been identified as an Elite family." said louie. After hearing Ynder's first two conditions, Louie feels a sense of relief because they benefit him and the kingdom. However, he senses that trouble may be on the horizon, as Ynder has yet to reveal his final conditions.
Upon hearing it, Ynder just nodded in response. Despite being aware of this, he brought it up to prevent a potential conflict with the neighboring country's elite family in case his home country's royalty rejected his family's elite status.
"My third and final requirement is for the Helios temple to be acknowledged as a state religion, alongside the Theos church.
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Lighting aura: an individual who cultivates a particular element has an aura similar to that element.