"… Me?"
The little prince who hadn't said a word from start to finish, until now, that is, was astonished. He hadn't thought anyone was paying attention to him, so how had these words so suddenly come out?
As for Dyon, he wasn't thinking about the little prince's reaction at all. Instead, he was happy that he would finally have a disciple younger than him, the way things were meant to be.
Seeing Dyon neither confirm nor deny, the little prince realized that he really was the one Dyon was speaking to. Unfortunately, just as Dyon was dreaming about ridiculous things, the words that came next threw cold water over his aspirations.
"… I appreciate your over-evaluating me, Sir Sacharro… But I want to be a warrior, not an alchemist."
Dyon was speechless. Though he had asked, he hadn't even considered for a moment that he might be rejected. What a blunder.
The small cauldron over Dyon's shoulder suddenly began to spin furiously once more, violently shaking every which way as though to say: 'Who said alchemists can't be warriors?'
Grand Elder Vata smiled bitterly. "Please forgive my grandson, he's always been very straight forward."
Though Grand Elder Vata apologized, it seemed he had no intention of forcing his kin to accept Dyon's offer. It wasn't that he didn't understand the value of having such a master, but rather that he wanted to respect the little prince's decision.
"Ai…" Dyon sighed, patting his forehead. "… I really have to destroy that damned Sacharro Clan, brainwashing everyone into believing soul path cultivators are weak, what an embarrassment."
He waved his hand. "It's fine, we'll see how you still feel the same way in a week. I was planning on going all out for this war, but I will use nothing but my soul and my wills from start to finish. If you somehow still haven't changed your mind after seeing how valiant your Master is, forget it."
The little prince's lip twitched. Why was this man already calling himself his master?
"You and Saru will follow me to the vanguard. Emperor Shruti." Dyon looked toward Saru's father. "It's a lot to ask, but I hope you'll give me command of your warriors."
As expected, the clamoring began the moment these words left Dyon's lips. How could an outsider command their warriors? It was preposterous.
Even Emperor Shruti frowned. Despite knowing Dyon's value, he really couldn't agree to such a thing.
"How about you leave joint command to Saru and Brahman?"
The frown on Emperor Shruti's brown lessened slightly, but that was all. In truth, he was thinking about having his brother-in-law take the Commander role already, but he decided against it due to optics. Grand Elder Vata was already accusing him of using outside influence to suppress him, so this was obviously a move he couldn't make without losing more support.
But this Sacharro's suggestion was good. The only issue was that was he truly worthy of commanding their armies? Even if he alchemist abilities were great, that didn't make him a star General.
"Take it one battle at a time." Dyon said nonchalantly. "The moment I lose a single battle, feel free to take this right of command from me. Of course, though there's a 0% probability this will happen, I will still help your Shruti Empire to the end. Depending on how much the Beast Protection Association is supporting them, it's not impossible to subdue Supreme Kitsune Territory within a year."
"What did you just say?" Emperor Atlas suddenly sat as tall as a spear in his chair, his aura shining. He didn't bother with Dyon's boasts, his mind was on something completely different. He had remained silent this whole time, but he couldn't contain himself any longer.
"Oh, it seems you didn't know." Dyon said calmly. "The reason you're struggling against the Kitsune is because they're receiving help from BPA."
"How… Do you know this…?" Emperor Shruti asked, his deep frown returning.
"Even without much evidence, this is the only possible answer. Though the Kitsune managed to keep their supreme grade bloodline, it was at the expense of having weak bodies. They're in no position to become so powerful so quickly.
"However, if this isn't good enough for you, I can only say that I have my… sources."
Of course, these sources were Glorianice and her sisters. Though normal individuals wouldn't recognize BPA experts, how could they not? With the footage the war circulating, it was a simple matter for her to point out those she recognized.
Because BPA was normally so secretive, hiding under the guise of protecting the rights of beasts, not many knew how strong they truly were. But, Glorianice, as a number warrior, was very much aware.
"To BPA, though the kitsune are practically fake supreme grade beasts, their bloodlines are still powerful. If they agree to inter-marry, the bloodlines of their offspring would be similarly powerful as long as they don't clash too much.
"Plus, in all likelihood, BPA is also aware of the matters of the Federation. Even though beasts are a part of that endeavor, I'm sure you're all not foolish enough to think that BPA actually has the best interest of beast-kind at heart, right?"
The hearts of the two emperors seized. They hadn't even considered that such a massive matter might become a problem. Could it be that the tower quadrants would become embroiled in war even before the Ancient Battlefield descended?
"BPA has been laying the foundation for something… Don't forget that beasts alone control an average of 30 to 40 universes in every quadrant. It's very possible that we will soon be faced with a widescale civil war just when we believed peace was at hand."
The elders of the meeting hall sucked in a cold breath, realizing Dyon was correct. Just as they were preparing to compete with one another, they might be faced with an enemy they least expected.
Even in the Kitsune-Shruti Quadrant, both leading Clans only controlled about 30 universes each, leaving about 40 universes completely untamed.
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