Bam!

The courtroom door swung open as I walked in shirtless, with my trench coat draped over my shoulder.

Many eyes fell on me, watching my every movement to spot any form of weakness.

Thanks to my naturally pale complexion, it was difficult for them to tell if I was hurt or not—especially since there was no visible wound on my body.

All they could see were bulging red veins and burning crimson eyes.

I made my way to the throne and took a seat before letting out a sigh.

Serena and Caelum stood beside me while my eyes scanned the court filled with familiar and new faces from the six kingdoms.

"I gave you all a week to kneel at my feet, and you chose to show yourselves on the last day," I began.

"Am I a joke to you all?"

Buzz!

Everyone in the room turned pale, glances were exchanged, and they murmured amongst each other—but none dared to speak up.

Sigh!

Exhaling loudly, I ran my hand through my hair before speaking.

"Zevrath, Renar, Aldurion… show yourselves!" I said with knitted brows, and the three Kings ran outside without hesitation.

The fear on their faces spoke volumes about their feelings toward me.

The last time they visited, there were six of them—but now only three remained.

Receiving the torn-out limbs of their colleagues must have broken them.

"When Tiberion, Orun, and Kaelus moved to attack Solinthar, why didn't you lend Empress Althea a hand?" I asked casually while looking at my nails.

I frowned after discovering my nails had turned pitch black, like nail polish had been applied.

My corruption level wasn't even up to two percent, yet my body was changing drastically.

What would happen when I got to ten percent? Would I really become a disfigured monster?

I couldn't help but wonder what Dark Keepers looked like. Thankfully, I would get the chance to see one in this world.

"W-we... we..."

"I-I..."

"..."

The three kings stuttered as they racked their brains, looking for an excuse—but couldn't think of any.

Initially, I planned to give them more time to come up with something, but their stuttering became so annoying I had to stop them with a wave of my hand.

"I'll overlook that act of disloyalty and stupidity only this once. Should it happen again, it will be your corpses that will be paraded across the kingdoms," I said and clapped my hands.

Pa! Pa!

Clank!

The door to the room yanked open, and Selric walked in with two guards carrying a wooden chest.

Under numerous gazes, they walked up to the throne, then stopped and turned to face the people before yanking the chest open.

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

People screamed, and many covered their noses as they jerked back in terror.

It was the filthy heads of the three kings, stacked together like a can of sardines.

A small smile played on my lips, satisfied with their reaction.

I needed to take their minds off the rumors of me getting injured and push it in another direction.

Maintaining this facade of invincibility while my body bled within was difficult.

Small cracks were bound to show—so I needed to keep their minds preoccupied.

"That's enough, you can leave now… I just needed to clear the doubts of those who questioned my capabilities," I said.

Selric bowed with a mischievous smile before leaving with the knights.

Bam!

The door slammed shut, but the stench remained.

Amongst the crowd, I could see some people shivering with pain, anger, and sorrow at the sidelines.

Some were young, some were older—a mix of boys, girls, women, and men whom I presumed to be related to the three kings whose heads I just displayed.

But their rage meant nothing.

Their displeasure meant nothing.

Against me, they can only kneel or die.

"Now, to the main topic… Why are you all gathered here?"

I paused, letting their fear settle in deeper.

"I wish to start a new empire—one that involves all six kingdoms."

Heads snapped up in my direction, filled with shock.

Suddenly, a woman jumped out of the crowd and stood before my throne, her chest huffing and puffing like someone who had just finished a marathon.

She stomped forward, standing in front of my throne, while the three kings instinctively stepped back a few paces.

"You killed my husband. You killed our heir. You stole our army—and now you wish to steal our throne?" she growled like a wild beast.

"Over my dead body!"

Swish!

[Crimson Threads activated]

I clawed in her direction, unleashing five crimson waves from my fingertips.

Pfft!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

People screamed as the lady split into five pieces in an instant, and blood squirted in all directions.

I felt Serena and Caelum shudder beside me, but I said nothing and casually rose to my feet.

"You will speak only when I allow it. You will act only when I allow it. My opinions will not be questioned. Do I make myself clear?" I asked with narrowed eyes, and everyone nodded.

They didn't dare speak—because I didn't ask them to.

This is it.

This is what I want.

Complete obedience.

"Solinthar City will be the capital of the Empire of Althea, ruled by the Empress and her cabinet." I gestured at Serena, indicating she would be the empress.

I noticed Serena's shocked gaze, and I guessed it was due to the name I gave the empire.

She must have thought I was honoring her mother by using the name, but the truth was… I couldn't come up with a better name, and her mother's name was really cool.

"This cabinet will be made up of a representative from all six kingdoms, with Prince Caelum representing Solinthar." I gestured at Caelum, and he nodded.

"All decisions taken by the Empress must be approved by the majority of the cabinet. That way, every party involved in forming this empire will have a say in its affairs. No one man's decision—except mine—will supersede the decision of the cabinet."

As I explained further on my plans, the expressions of everyone present lightened in shock—especially when they realized the Empress had no power in this new empire.

Realizing they were part of something big, where their decisions mattered, was all I needed to quell their rebellious spirits.

In their opinion, Solinthar was going to lose all its power from this unification—and that pleased them greatly.

Not long after, they took turns asking complex questions.