Chapter 260: The Wrath Of The Sun's Daughter 3!
"A lesser god…and a bunch of peanuts," she murmured, the words slipping from her lips with a venomous playfulness that carried only to herself. Her tone was laden with mockery, her gaze flicking dismissively from Dzek to the six princes. "And here I thought this might actually get interesting."
Ambassador Dzek, resplendent in his radiant attire, stood at the forefront, his towering figure illuminated by an aura of divine brilliance. His booming voice filled the square, a practiced baritone designed to command attention and instill awe. Yet, to Tessa, it was all theatrics—an overplayed performance by a self-proclaimed deity seeking to intimidate those beneath him.
The crowd was quick to respond, their knees hitting the ground in a collective thud as they bowed in reverence. Voices rose in desperate pleas for mercy, the fear in their tones a stark contrast to the amusement dancing in Tessa's eyes. To them, Dzek was a beacon of divinity—a lesser god capable of extinguishing lives on a whim.
But Tessa stood tall, unmoved by the display of power and the collective submission around her. Her posture exuded an unshakable confidence, her hands loose at her sides, the faintest flicker of energy simmering beneath her skin. This was not fear—it was control, power restrained only by her will.
Dzek's gaze swept across the bowing crowd before landing on the one figure who defied him. His radiant presence dimmed slightly as his eyes locked onto Tessa, narrowing in surprise and irritation. There was something unnerving about her calm defiance, as though she were an immovable force standing in silent challenge to his divine pretense.
For Tessa, the arrival of Ambassador Dzek and the sons of King Rhopgin wasn't a threat; it was an opportunity—a prelude to yet another lesson in dominance. They had come to assert their superiority, but they would leave—if at all, understanding the vast chasm between power and pretense.
Tessa's eyes narrowed as she fixed her gaze on Prince Derek, her voice cutting through the tense air like a blade. "Prince Derek, the spineless prince with daddy issues, now stands with a glorified, power-hungry thug to oppress innocent citizens. When you whispered sweet nonsense about a potential alliance, was it all a pretense? A ploy to cling to power? And now that you've latched onto this excuse for a lesser god..."—she glanced at Dzek, her tone as casual as if she were discussing the weather—"...you seem to have become very bad at hiding your desperation."
Derek stepped forward with a smug grin plastered on his face, his siblings flanking him with similar arrogance. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he began mockingly. "The last time I saw you, you were waddling around, stomach protruding, heavily pregnant. Now, it seems you've popped out these... specimens beside you." His eyes darted to Tessa's twins, disdain dripping from every word. "Are they even supposed to be standing at this age? Clearly abnormal, just like their mother. And as for you..."—his grin widened—"you're outmatched. You don't have your precious blue thieving god, that waste of a god isn't around to help you this time. I wonder what you'll rely on to keep running your mouth like a broken tap."
His words drew hearty laughter from his brothers.
"Broken tap—that's a good one!" Prince Tumil doubled over, holding his stomach.
"Our dear Derek is becoming a comedian," Prince Egler added, wiping tears from his eyes.
Justin, one of Tessa's one-month-old twins, scowled, his tiny face scrunched in irritation. "You overgrown fools," he spat, his voice unnervingly mature for his age. "Spineless, arrogant, and utterly powerless. My mom doesn't even need to waste her breath to reduce you all to protein powder. Maybe I'll handle you this time. But, Mom, you owe me an extra 100 Kaelrian joules for this."
Tessa's eyes widened in alarm. "Justin, no!" she barked, but it was already too late.
Justin leaped effortlessly into the air, his body glowing with an otherworldly energy. Flames erupted from his tiny form, vibrant and alive, as if they had a will of their own. The fire spread in an instant, consuming the six princes before they could react. The heat was blinding, the intensity overwhelming.
Dzek, who had been preparing a snide retort, found himself frozen mid-thought as the supernova-like flames closed in on him. The six princes were reduced to charred remains that disintegrated into powder, carried away by the wind. Dzek, though partially protected by his divine essence, was left with half his body burnt, the other half trembling in shock.
The lesser god, realizing the vast disparity in power, abandoned all pretense of dominance. With what remained of his strength, he fled, vanishing into the horizon like a wounded animal.
The crowd, which had been groveling moments earlier, now stood in stunned silence, their collective disbelief palpable.
"A baby…a baby did that?" someone finally whispered.
"Is this the power of Lord Solaris's bloodline?" another murmured, their voice quaking.
"I...I can't believe my eyes..." The speaker fainted, collapsing into the dust.
Chaos erupted. Some cheered, chanting Tessa and her twins' names with fervent admiration. Others whispered in hushed, fearful tones, glancing at the young mother and her children as though they were harbingers of doom.
Amidst the commotion, Tessa crossed her arms, her expression grim. "Justin, you deliberately disobeyed me," she said, her voice laced with disappointment.
"But, Mom," Justin protested, his eyes wide with innocence. "I hated the way they talked to you. I couldn't just stand there and—"
"Enough!" Tessa interrupted. "You deliberately disobeyed me. Your punishment is no energy consumption for a week."
Justin's face fell, and he immediately clung to her leg, his voice pleading. "Mom, please don't! I promise I won't interfere again, even if they curse you out next time!"
Tessa raised an eyebrow. "Don't twist my words, young man. That's not the point."
"But, Mom..." Justin's voice wavered, his eyes filling with a tearful sincerity that even Tessa found hard to resist.
Her scowl softened, breaking like a fragile pane of glass. She sighed, crouching to meet his gaze. "Alright, but if you do it again, I won't be so lenient next time."
"I promise, Mom." Justin's smile was impossibly cute, though the mischievous glint in his eyes remained.
The exchange did not go unnoticed by the crowd.
"Those babies...they're not normal," one murmured in fear.
"They're demonic!" another hissed. "We should avoid them at all costs."
Yet, another faction erupted into cheers, their admiration for Tessa and her twins growing.
"Did you see that? They're invincible!"
"Praise Lady Tessa and her boys!"
Tessa, standing amidst the chaos, sighed deeply. She had hoped to avoid such a spectacle, but it seemed her life was destined to defy normalcy. "This is going to be a long day," she muttered under her breath.