On the Orian continent, Emperor Rozwald was still in his working room, reading the documents in his hand. Recent days had truly been full of commotion for his family, as the Avilandis family unilaterally broke the engagement between the crown prince and the young miss of the Valroy family.

This caused an uproar within the empire, and even other powers were shocked by this development. They never expected that he would be bold enough to break the engagement with a power that held the same standing as theirs without giving a clear reason.

The Avilandis family merely stated that there was a disagreement between them and the Valroy family, which led to the engagement being broken. They also seemed to give subtle hints that the Valroy family was to blame for forcing them to end the arrangement.

However, the Valroy family gave their own response, stating that they felt aggrieved by the imperial family's unilateral decision to break the engagement. They claimed that the Avilandis imperial family had acted as they pleased and had not adhered to the agreement between their families.

They also demanded compensation, as the decision tarnished the reputation of the young miss of the Valroy family.

There were many opinions regarding this situation, but one thing was certain, many believed something might have happened behind the scenes. The powers from the Ancient Blue Gate World did not comment too much, but it was different for the powers from the Akares star.

The populace of that star condemned the Avilandis family for their actions, causing the family's image in the Akares Empire to plummet. Even those who had business dealings with the Avilandis family from that star began to be affected by the shift in public opinion.

However, despite all the commotion, the imperial family seemed not to care too much. At this moment, Emperor Rozwald was checking a document containing a letter from some of their connections in the Akares star, stating that they had been affected by the public sentiment there.

Another document on his desk was a demand from the Valroy family for compensation due to the broken engagement. The list was not long, but some of the demands were extremely expensive and even outrageous. For example, the Valroy family requested two divine-grade artifacts.

Emperor Rozwald only snorted at their demands and intended to keep ignoring them. So what if he did not want to answer? Would they seek confrontation? Bring it on.

He was not afraid, as it was far better than maintaining a relationship with a family that had already become one of Aldrian's targets. He would be insane to keep any connection with those people. There were far more benefits standing behind Aldrian, and Rozwald would not hesitate to stand against the Valroys if he had to.

Knock, knock.

While he was deep in thought, he suddenly heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," he said without looking up, still reading the documents in front of him. A moment later, a handsome young man in noble robes entered the room. He stopped a short distance from the emperor's desk before bowing.

"Father," he said.

Emperor Rozwald then looked at his son, Crown Prince Ronwell Avilandis.

"What is it?" he asked, placing the documents on the table. Ronwell, seeing what the documents were about, chose not to comment on them and instead looked directly at his father.

"Father, it seems the Valroy family truly intends to make this situation much worse. Since you did not answer their demand for three days, they seem to be trying to instigate other powers, even from other stars, to condemn us," he said.

Emperor Rozwald only smiled at this. "They can try all they want, and I still will not care. As long as Aldrian the Great has hostile intent toward them, we will stand behind him. They can try many things, but in the face of absolute power, all their barking will be useless, and in the end, they will only keep barking."

Ronwell nodded. Of course, he already knew about Aldrian, as his father had told him after returning from the Akares star. Since he had never liked the engagement, he fully supported the decision to cancel it, moreover after hearing the factor that made his father bold enough to act.

"I also think the same, Father. But I believe we must prepare for a long battle of intrigue until Aldrian the Great deals with them. After all, we do not know when he will make his move," Ronwell said.

"Well, that's true," the emperor replied.

Knock, knock.

The knocking sounded again, and the emperor granted permission to enter. A middle-aged man in knight's armor stepped into the room. He was the commander of the imperial guard and one of Emperor Rozwald's most trusted men. The knight immediately knelt a short distance from the emperor.

"Your Majesty, I have come to bring a new report from the Fallen Star Cluster," he said.

Hearing the knight's words, Emperor Rozwald and Ronwell frowned. There was never anything good about receiving a report from that place.

"What is it?" the emperor asked.

"Our spies in the nearby Fallen Star Cluster detected the arrival of a dozen giant interstellar vessels about fifteen minutes ago. We do not know where those vessels came from, but judging from their course toward the largest star in the Fallen Star Cluster, we suspect they are devils from elsewhere," the knight replied.

"Given the size of the vessels, our spies believe there could be hundreds of thousands of devils aboard, their strength unknown. They may even be powerful devils from outside our galaxy," he added.

This caused both members of the imperial family to turn solemn. It truly sounded a bad news. Such a development had never occurred before.

A dozen giant interstellar vessels carrying hundreds of thousands of devils of unknown level and origin was an undesirable factor to appear at this time—especially not when their family was already in a cold war with a powerhouse from another star.

The arrival of such an armada in the Fallen Star Cluster felt more like a sign that something significant would happen in the near future.

"Is there any movement from the devils since the convoy arrived?" the emperor asked.

"As far as the report states, there has been none, Your Majesty," the knight answered.

Emperor Rozwald thought for a moment before looking at the knight.

"Alright, thank you for informing me, Nolan. You may return to your post," he said. The knight bowed in response before leaving the room.

Once the knight was gone, leaving Emperor Rozwald and Ronwell alone, Ronwell looked at his father.

"Father, I have a feeling that those unknown devils from outside are the same ones we received information about a few months ago. Two years ago, a dozen interstellar vessels from the central region of the Heaven departed for an unknown destination. Now that something like this has happened, it could be certain those vessels are the same ones that left the central region," he said.

"Because there has been no report of any other movement from that place, I am truly certain of it," he added.

Emperor Rozwald thought for a moment. "Yes, I think so too. But for that many devils to come from the central region, it looks more like a reinforcement to me," he said.

"The devils must have been planning this reinforcement for more than two years. If my guess is correct, then they would have already attacked this star or the central star cluster, and at this moment our star would already be in the middle of a war. I can imagine those reinforcements joining the war later."

"However, before the reinforcement from the central region of the Heaven could arrive, the immortal was defeated by Aldrian the Great, and the devils from the Fallen Star Cluster canceled their attack plan." The emperor paused after giving his analysis.

Ronwell nodded. "That could be true, Father. Those reinforcements must not know about the news that the immortal was defeated and are still coming. I can only imagine their expressions when they realize their plan is in shambles because of Aldrian the Great," he said with a smile.

The emperor, however, did not smile. He remained frowning, which made Ronwell look at him in confusion.

"What is it, Father? Do you think there will be more problems with those devils in the future?" he asked.

Emperor Rozwald sighed and nodded.

"I think so. We must not forget what those incoming devils might be thinking, Ronwell. What if, after hearing what happened to their plan, they still persist in attacking us? We do not know how they will react, but I lean toward the possibility that they will recklessly attack this star, undeterred by the news that their immortal was defeated."

"If those outsiders decide to attack, then there is a possibility the other devils will follow them. This could lead to another great war."

Hearing that, Ronwell's face turned into a frown. What his father said was true, this could lead to another great war unless—

Ronwell's expression eased.

"Well, if that happens, then those devils will receive a harsh wake up for their arrogance and foolishness," he said, which made Emperor Rozwald sigh and nod.

As long as Aldrian the Great was in this star, those devils would have to prepare for a surprise they had never seen before, a surprise that would bring a harsh reality to their faces.