Minos stiffened at Lydis' unexpectedly familiar greeting, a sense of displacement washing over him like an intruder stumbling into a ceremony mid-ritual, utterly unaware of his true role in the unfolding spectacle.
Lydis' expression betrayed more than the measured poise of a faction leader welcoming a potential replacement. There was a timeless quality to his gaze—as if he had awaited Minos for ages, yet saw through him like a parchment inscribed with secrets he had never written.
A cold dread settled over Minos as he witnessed nearly his entire group collapse unconscious before the overwhelming presence of the Level 129 True Celestial.
Only Devdar remained standing beside him, though the man's ashen face mirrored none of Minos' guarded composure.
Devdar was even more shocked than Minos, looking as if he had just seen a ghost when he entered Lydis' throne hall. Unlike his ally, he knew more about the kingdom's long history and the figures who were legendary even to him and Lydis.
