The air in the parade square had thinned to the point where breathing felt like a conscious effort. Lord Valen’s mouth was open, his lips dry and trembling, ready to form the words that would decide his fate.

  Li Yu watched him, his foot still tapping an impatient rhythm on the stone. Tap. Tap. Tap.

  Just as Valen’s vocal cords tightened to speak, a sound like tearing canvas ripped through the atmosphere.

  KR-ZZAACK!

  It came from above. The blue sky over the Alliance headquarters darkened instantly, bruised by a sudden infusion of violent crimson energy. Li Yu looked up as he sensed the void energy from above. He then detected what was inside and a few thoughts came to his mind. Then he gave a small knowing smile. ‘Looks like things are going to get more lively now.’ He thought to himself.

  A vertical fissure opened in the air a bit off in the distance. It wasn’t very far from where they were but given the location it was clear that the fissure was avoiding the defensive formations and arrays at this headquarters.

  It didn’t look like the smooth and silent void movement Li Yu was accustomed to. It was jagged, ugly, and unstable. A brute-force tear that bled a bit of red lightning into the clouds. After just a moment the fissure closed and revealed what had come.

  Six figures descended from the spot where the fissure was.

  They didn’t float down gently like leaves. Their auras were fully blazing, as though they wanted all the attention in the world. They flew over and dropped with a heavy authoritative weight, stopping abruptly ten meters above the ground. They stopped there and were looking down on the assembly like gods inspecting insects.

  The leader was a man who looked like he had been made from polished obsidian and draped in blood. His robes were a deeper, richer red than Valen’s. They were embroidered with thread that seemed to shimmer like liquid gold. His hair was white and pulled back severely. It revealed a face that was unlined but ancient in its coldness.

  Behind him floated five others. Elders of the Crimson Fang, each radiating a cultivation base that made the air distort around them. From their aura alone, this was nearly the full upper echelon of their house. All five elders were at least in Soul Formation.

  Li Yu had never seen a single sect or clan have so many experts in Soul Formation before. Two of them were in early stages of Soul Formation, no more than 3rd stage. Two of them were around the middle stage, probably no higher than 6th stage. That alone made them a terrifying force to behold.

  ‘I can see now why so many forces were afraid of them. Their power is indeed impressive. For a single force to have such power, not many would be willing to break relations with them.’ Li Yu thought as he probed them a bit.

  The pressure descending on the square multiplied tenfold. The disciples who had been struggling to stand earlier were now forced to their knees. Even Shen Tu narrowed his eyes, his hands clasping behind his back as he looked up.

  The leader of the five was Patriarch Cyrus. The absolute ruler of the House of Crimson Fang.

  Valen looked up, his eyes widening with a mix of salvation and terror. He had been saved from the boy, yes. But he had been found wanting by the Master. He knew he had made grave mistakes today and will surely be punished for it. However, he only felt relief right now. This entire matter will be taken over by the Patriarch.

  “Patriarch!” Valen gasped as he dropped to one knee instantly.

  Patriarch Cyrus didn’t look at Valen. His dark calculating eyes swept over the massive form of Tekton, lingering on the metallic sheen of the beast’s armor before settling on Li Yu.

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  “A misunderstanding,” Cyrus said.

  His voice was smooth, cultured and utterly at odds with the violent entrance he had just made. It carried no anger, only a benevolent grandfatherly weariness.

  “This is all a regrettable misunderstanding.”

  Cyrus floated down with the other five until his feet touched the stone pavement. The five elders landed behind him in a V-formation, silent and menacing. They haven’t said a word but their auras were still there for all to see.

  “Valen,” Cyrus said, finally acknowledging the man with a tone of mild disappointment. “You have allowed your zeal to cloud your judgment. The House of Crimson Fang exists to protect the people, not to bicker with allies. We are a righteous group that puts the lives of the innocent above all else.”

  Many people in the area thought otherwise but they didn’t even dare give him a sideway glance. They forcefully made sure they were perfectly still. Any slight seen could mean the end of their lives and the end of their entire organization.

  Cyrus turned his gaze to the crowd, his voice projecting effortlessly to every corner of the fortress.

  “My House Elder, Lord Valen, is a man of great passion. He sees the threat of the beasts and the strangeness of this war. He sees the suffering of the mortals and his heart burns with a desire to secure every advantage for the war effort. In his haste, in his desperation to save lives, he spoke clumsily. He allowed his righteousness to appear as greed.”

  Cyrus shook his head slowly, a master actor on a grand stage. What hadn’t he seen before in his long life as Patriarch. He didn’t care at all that Valen was trying to rob and steal openly. He was currently more upset that Valen let a child turn things on him, that he failed to get this beast and in the process lose face for the Crimson Fang.

  “It was a mistake of words, nothing more. He saw a powerful beast and thought only of how it could be used to defend the walls. He forgot that Fellow Daoist Li is also a hero of the Alliance, capable of wielding such power himself.”

  He turned to Li Yu and offered a small practiced bow. It was respectful enough to look good but shallow enough to maintain his superiority.

  “Young friend from the South, I apologize for my subordinate’s lack of tact. He will be punished severely for causing this friction. Confinement, loss of resources… he will learn that unity is our greatest weapon. We all fight for one single goal, the well being of humanity.”

  Cyrus smiled, a thin expression that didn’t reach his eyes. He indeed looked kind and respectful. Like an old man that had long ago put away his pride and now only cared about his family.

  ‘This is why I hate old men. They are all so ugly and nasty!’ Li Yu thought to himself as he looked at Cyrus. Memories of being beaten nearly to death by Zephyr coming back into his mind.

  “As for the Sky-Iron Dreadnought… the House of Crimson Fang has no claim to it. You tamed it yourself. It is naturally yours. We hope only that you use it to slaughter the enemies of humanity, just as we would have done. Let us put this unpleasantness behind us, yes? The war waits for no one and we can’t be fighting ourselves.”

  The crowd let out a collective breath they didn’t know they were holding. It was over. The Patriarch himself had come to smooth things over. He had humbled his own house, apologized and withdrawn the claim. It was the perfect diplomatic solution but not a satisfying one.

  Those that wanted to see the Crimson Fang finally suffered sighed internally. They knew it was too good to be true. How could that house ever suffer, they were impressed things even got to where they did.

  Other onlookers nodded in admiration at Patriarch Cyrus' handling of the situation. Some thought this was the magnanimity of a great leader. He didn't escalate; he de-escalated. He framed the conflict as a byproduct of patriotism. The focus was now shifted towards what the boy would do next. It was brilliant.

  Shen Tu watched, his expression unreadable. He knew Cyrus well. The man was a snake who spoke like a saint. He had just turned an attempted robbery into a "zealous mistake" and painted Valen as a misunderstood hero rather than a thief. Of course he could do this because few would challenge him now. Just looking at the force he brought with him, few could stand up against it.

  Everyone expected Li Yu to nod and accept the face-saving exit. They apologized, no harm was done and he could walk away with his beast and his points. It would be a great injustice though but many of them had to shallow this injustice all the time.

  It was the smart thing to do. The safe thing to do. The boy had technically won; he kept the beast and forced this massive house to apologize to him. They would surely be trying to get revenge later but he brought it upon himself. There was no need to push further against a powerhouse like Cyrus who was on the same level as Shen Tu.

  “Are you done?” Li Yu asked in a bored tone.