"Whats..What's...wrong.....lord emissary!" Pontus asked in a slow terrified voice that chattered with every word.
There should have been no way for even a toxin immortal to detect the poison present.
It was a colorless, odorless, and tasteless devilish poison that had been obtained from the deepest pits of the Abyss.
It was seamless and completely untraceable in its action and took days to act. Once ingested, the person affected would go about their lives in a normal fashion before the posion flared in a brutal outburst.
First the victims bones would rot, then their flesh would crumple all while they were alive, thus effectively ending the target's life.
And both of the Emissary's dishes and wine had been infested with the poison.
At this point the Nereid elders present had deduced there was something wrong, while Corissa who had already guessed the horrible truth was even more certain of the deduction.
Strangely though, as they all fearfully observed the emissary for his reply, they found that he continued to maintain the amiable smile on his face.
In truth Caanan was not able to detect the posion. While his reality bending powers could allow him to change the composition of substances at will, it did not grant him the ability to analyze them.
But with Pontus's cowardly and atrocious performance he would have been able to tell that it was poisoned even if he had only half his normal brain cells capacity.
He was still rather curious as to the poison Pontus used.
'Let's find out.' Canaan thought with an evil smile as he began: "Nothing is the matter, great ocean king. I merely remembered that the second prince is not present here because of me.
It's bad enough that he must pay such a grave penance, I will not have him miss the festivities of this gathering. So as I propose a toast to the future, I offer him him my first glass." He said warmly as he beckoned a nearby attendant to come and take his cup.
A wave of relief spread throughout the hall as all the elders present felt the tension bleed out of their hearts.
However as a servant placed the emissary's glass onto a plate, Pontus body spasmed and he failed to stop the flesh of his face from scrunching up into a forced, unnatural smile, before he could speak though, a serene and soft voice rang out through space.
"The emissary is indeed a very virtuous soul. I am certain the second prince would be touched once he learns about your concern. However, we Nereids have a culture that demands that wine served does not go beyond the walls the gathering.
Since the emissary does not intend to dishonor us, surely he will allow us to bring the second prince a fresh dish and wine goblet instead, right!?" Corissa said with a calm smile.
'Oh this woman....is quite interesting.' Canaan thought as he gave the mermaid queen a deeper look.
Within the span of a few moments, she had already guessed that her husband had poisoned the emissary's meal.
While she was uncertain as to whether or not the emissary's offer was genuine, or if he has truly detected the poison and intended to punish them, she had efficiently given a reason that would allow them to prevent a catastrophe, while her husband had long since frozen up under the pressure.
He was willing to bet that she was the one who handled most of the House's affairs in place of her idiot husband.
Unfortunately the one thing she should not have done, was engage him in a battle of words.
Despite being inexperienced, Canaan possessed a shockingly astute mind. With a slightly crafty light flashing across his eyes he answered. "Oh, but the one of the greatest honors toxin immortals can show each other is to share one's wine. It's a gesture of intimate trust. And as I said before, the second prince will be taken to our clan to be raised as a true power house. From this day on he shall be one of us. Surely a gesture of trust between two members of a clan that is not your own will in no way violate your culture!
And even is it does.." A but of frost entered the emissary's gaze as he spoke: "I your culture more important than ours?"
With a bit of intimidation backing his words, the hall quieted down as everyone was pressured into silence.
Pontus gnashed his teeth with such force that they nearly broke while Corrisa's chest heaved up and down continuously in discomfort.
Faced with this mysterious emissary, she felt so pressured that she could barely breath.
There was something intoxicating about his eyes that seemed to peer into the depths of his soul as well as his immensely captivating appearance that hid much danger.
This feeling of a mysterious depth that pressured her without giving her room to breath was one she desired very much in a paramour as many women did.
In a fit of horror she realised that her terror was actually a secondary emotion, that compared to it she actually felt a greater degree of attraction towards this strange emissary.
And so the cold silence hung up I'm the air. At this point, even the dumbest of fools had realised that things were not quite right.
I'm the oppressive silence Pontus felt as if a heavy mountain sat on his shoulder and chains shackled his heart.
As he furiously searched his own mind for an answer, a stray thought flashed within it and then suddenly most of his uneasiness was gone.
'The elder devil cobra's venom kills over the course of several days. We will have time to give him the antidote!' Pontus reassured himself as his tense expression assuaged.
With that thought calming him down he resumed the dignified air of a monarch as he laughed with ease: "Very well, I am certain my son will appreciate your kind intentions as much as I do!" And while saying that he motioned for his gaurds to open the gates and allow the servant with the poisoned goblet to leave.
Corissa was surprised at his now relaxed demeanor, wondering if she had guessed wrong.
But then the emissary spoke while sporting a strange smile."Of course I was this adamant because I already had my gaurds escort your son to the land of the toxin immortals this morning. After being forcefully uprooted he deserves sweet wine that carries the taste of home."
Pontus "!!!!"
"You… you… you… you!!!" Pontus howled. His twisted roar seemed to have come from a deranged beast.
He then let out a frightening as he propelled his entire body propelled towards the emissary in a crazed rage, "Ill kill you!!!!"
"Fool!" Corissa hissed as she attempted to stop him, unfortunately she was too late.
Pontus's rationality had already completed collapsed as he rushed towards the emissary.
A cold silver light flashed within his sleeve and strange silver blade had already appeared in his palm, arcing toward the emissaries.
The hall had fallen completely silent with this new development as no one had expected that it would suddenly devolve into violence.
Even more surprising, the one that had made the move was actually Pontus who was supposed to seek peace at all cost.
'He is truly a rare fool. It actually only takes this much to provoke him into making an irrational choice?' Canaan laughed inwardly with incredulity.
Just when his palm was not even ten meters away from Yun Che, the Yun Che who was in his sight slowly turned around and revealed a soft smile towards him.
Still, Pontus was after a genuine third circle gold class devil god. The waves of his great power caused a heavy pressure to befall the great hall he approached the emissary.
But just when his his clawed hand was not even mere inches away from the emissary, the emissary before him who should have been flystered and frightening exploded with a vast incomprehensible power. On his gace a strangely warm and welcoming smile sat.
At that moment, Ponstus's whole body turned cold as an icy feeling came down from his spine and spread to his whole body… In the that, he seemed to have seen the emissay lift his palm…
The motion was not quick and startling, rather the emissary's palm seemed to be moving in slow motion as it armed towards Pontus's throat, however Pontus could not move or think under the deep pressure that sunk into his bones.
Never before he had felt a sense of insignificance so vivid and terrifying, it was if the person he was clashing was not a mere being but a deathless force of nature millions of times greater than he was.
His momentum vanished into nothing as his throat was seized. In his shock he had also already dropped his weapon.
The hall fell into completely disarray as one of the Nereid elders stood up and questioned in fright. "Lord Emissary what is the meaning of this!?"
The Emissary's face was dark and frightening as he clutched their monarch's throat, then....he smashed Pontus's face onto the the plate beneath him with unforgiving force.
"AAAHHHHHHH!!"
Pontus let out a furious and frightened yell.
At the same time, the food that had been smashed into his face begin to sizzle and dissolve into a frightening dark red liquid.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH" An even hoarser scream escaped his lips as the liquid corroded the part of his face it had touched.
The acrid stench of burn flesh now filled the previously fragrant hall.
"My lord!"
"My king"
The elders and gaurds yelled with concern as they approached both him and the emissary, however as they noticed the scent of the corrosion and a saw the posion that metled through the dining table and eroded the ground they expressions immediately became frightened.
"How can this be?"
"The toxin immortals forgave us and there was even hope for the grand wedding to continue, why would our king do this?"
"Certainly this is some sort of mistake!? He cannot be so foolosh as to attempt to murder the emissary?"
"This is not possible?"
But as the the worried whispers carried on, the emissary threw Pontus's body onto the floor of the hall as if it was some trash and slammed his fist onto the table.
[BAMMM!]
Then with a menacingly cold look he directed his attention towards Corissa, who sat on the throne with a palid expression.
"You have three bresths to give me a reasonable answer!" His cold voice concealed a cast and irresistible devilish might that wantonly pressured every soul in the hall.
"Lord Emissary we beg your forgiveness. My husband is a muddled fool with less common sense than a thre your old child. Someone of your importance need not bother with him." Corissa pleaded in fright.
"Hmph!" The emissary scoffed as he cut her off "Insult my intelligence in such a manner again, and you need not doubt your doom. If he is indeed a known buffoon, why then, do you allow him to wield the highest authority in the house of oceanus as its king.
"I should it bother with him!?" Had I not detected the posion within the goblet I would be dead right now. That us to say that your king, planned and nearly executed an emissary of the toxin immortals after inviting into his home.
This is a unforgivable offense and there must be a blood price, if not his own then....."
The fifth circle silver rank devil gods that had journeyed with the emissary suddenly exploded into action.
"All your descendents must perish." In a cold voice that seemed to have come straight from the bowels of hell the emissary made this impossibly cruel pronouncement.
The hall gell into chaos as ll the gaurds rushed to the protection of the escaping princes, however these strange silver class devil gods erupted with strength that far out paced their rank.
"Father… Father!! UUWWWAAAA…"
Despite their pitiful wails the gaurds showed no mercy as they swung their poison scimitars.
"Aaaaah!"
"Father, save me… SAVE ME!!"
The veins in Pontus's now red eyes had bulged to the point of exploding and he felt as if his heart and soul had collapsed. His body shook violently before he suddenly shot through the water currents and propelled himself towards the hectic scenery, "Stop!!! STOOOOOOP!!!"
A cruel smile appeared on the emissary's face as he yelled. "So damn noisy! Teach them how to he quiet!!"
Immediately heads fell to the ground as they were separated from their bodies, while clouds of blood polluted the waters around them.
"Sigeyi"
"lepira!!"Pontus roared madly as he called out the names of his children.
"AAAAAHHH!!"
Waves of pure agony exploded out of Pontus's chest as his wretched screams caused the surroundingwaters to tremble.
His were like the howls of a perishing beast, or the wails of a tourtured demon… had this people not already fled, none of them would have been able to believe that this voice was actually coming from their monarch.
Before he was a king he was a father. And as a father no torture could ever come close to that of watching his children die before him.
He suddenly felt someone nudge his shoulder and his eyes trembled as he sensed a familiar presence.
His gaze slowly trekked towards the source of this feeling, unfortunately he did not find the solace he so dearly wished for, rather the decapitated head of his favorite son slowly brushed against his shoulder.
"Dolar..." He said in a weak, trembling voice.
His heart trembled, and as he suffered the greatest mental strain of his life, his body shook and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Then his eyes rolled up as his head as he collapsed.
Even in the state he was in, Canaans hate filled gaze was locked onto his form. 'This is only the beginning.'