"How are they fighting?" one of the Generals asked quietly.
It had become common knowledge, at least among those who still bothered to watch Cylas closely, that the world had been shaped into a realm of forced justice.
Through Liliana’s discoveries, she had learned the decrees and creed that bound it: no being on Cylas could open a true dispute unless an Angel of the Aegis Law Pantheon stood present to permit it.
For nearly fifty thousand years the Angels had shown almost no direct interest in the inhabitants themselves.
And the reason was pretty straightforward—they hadn’t felt the need to.
Their supreme divinity seemed to flourish the longer people avoided fights and arguments.
In the past, conflict had been permitted only as a kind of performance, a calculated display meant to speed their generation of Supreme Divinity.
That permission was merely a device, while true gain came from the restraint in general....
This wasn’t usually a bad thing... or at least, it wouldn’t have been under normal circumstances.
However, over the past month, everything the Generals had once considered rock-solid had started to unravel.
With a simple motion, the second General raised a hand and altered the projection.
The vision of scattered cities and winding, restless roads faded from sight, giving way to an endless expanse of pristine white and pale gold stretching as far as the eye could see.
With a stark, imposing presence against the pale landscape, the Dark Hold stood.
Liliana’s black castle loomed against the pale expanse, an intruder in a world it clearly did not belong to.
Shadows poured from its walls in slow, weighty waves, a darkness so palpable that even its projection felt like a warning.
The First General’s mouth drew into a tight line.
"This... must be the cause of it all."
The other offered no argument—he had sensed the Hold’s presence from the instant it emerged.
Their Decrees and Creed still gripped the world, and for a while, that had been enough to make the Dark Hold seem irrelevant.
To them, it was only one strange, foreign building... as unpleasant as it was—it still appeared like something that could be kept in check under the sway that had already overtaken the rest of Cylas.
But now, it was becoming clear that this was a gamble they couldn’t afford to lose.
The tension between them hung in the air, sharp and unspoken, like a blade poised to strike.
They couldn’t afford to let this world slip from their grasp—not after it had once been stolen from them, not after so many years of sustaining themselves on the fragile peace they had imposed.
The second General turned away from the projection, his voice steady but edged with resolve.
"Gather a squad of Star Union Angels... to destroy this place," he commanded. "I’ll lead them myself."
----
While the Angels prepared to bring ruin to the Dark Hold, its ruler, Liliana, was inside, focused on something far more important.
Ever since she had completed her first contracts, it had triggered a domino effect.
One person after another came seeking essentially the same thing—they wanted their autonomy back.
They wanted to decide for themselves whether a battle was necessary or, even worse, if someone should die.
Each time, Liliana granted them what they desired, seemingly asking for nothing in return.
That was, of course, until she revealed the fine print—something that rarely changed.
Her aim was always to gather knowledge about the faction each contract bearer came from, and she had an additional clause to ensure someone new would always find their way to her.
Within just two weeks, her influence had spread across 25% of the entire world of Cylas.
By the third week of distributing her contracts, her reach had expanded to a staggering 55%, and that was when she began making subtle changes to the fine print.
Not everyone was sought after for their knowledge anymore; eventually, many came from the same factions.
So, gradually, she began adding members to the Second Dark Hold.
At that moment, she floated in the air with her eyes closed. It wasn’t exactly cultivation, but rather as if she could sense an impending ascension approaching.
HUMMMMMM!!!!!
[You have ranked up.]
[Cosmic Union Rank, Tier 22]
[+25,000 Divinity]
----
"Ah~"
The sound left her as the new power settled through bone and blood, and a satisfied breath followed it.
"Ranking up always feels so divine."
She descended until her boots met the floor and started toward the castle exit with the unhurried confidence of someone who had already decided the next hour belonged to her.
The long blood-red coat of the Red Lady hung around her in its usual weight, and the wide-brimmed hat of congealed blood sat in place as though it had never been anywhere else.
"This is moving faster than I expected..." she murmured, her crimson eyes half-lidded as she strolled down the empty hall.
"I figured it would take a full year... but at this rate, I could have it wrapped up in just another month."
The thought should have been more satisfying than it was.
She had come to Cylas seeking reinforcements and room to expand...
Aside from expanding for Akasha, she needed bodies and strength to bring back to her father, and while this world seemed stronger than Kalpa at first glance, the contracts had already revealed the harsher truth.
Every Ancestor, every being who had once stood among the Cosmic Union ranks of this world, had been wiped out long ago.
And that thought made her pause, hesitant to rush straight to her father once this mission was over.
If she chose to leave now to help him, she knew she wouldn’t have many truly strong allies left to stand by her side.
As she approached the doors, Akasha flickered through her thoughts, unbidden but lingering.
"Hmm... I wonder if I can find something back on his mountain to help me?"
---
When she stepped outside, two massive suns hung in the sky, one white and one a deep, heavy blue, and their light fell across her coat and across the white-and-gold grassy plains that surrounded the Hold.
She took in a deep breath of the crisp, bright air and exhaled slowly, her mind already turning over the next step.
She wasn’t entirely certain Dream Land held any answers to her problems, but she’d soon find out—and she hoped she could manage it without having to call on Akasha again.
He had already done more than enough for her, or at least that’s how it felt.
"Alright," she murmured, "once I’ve got the rest of the strongest under my influence, that’s when I finish this world."
HUMMMMMM!!!!!
After those words, she had not taken another step when the presence arrived from above.
It came down from the clouds in a tight, organized descent, Star Union Angels holding formation. At the same time, a Cosmic Union General rode at their head, his power pressing against the plains without quite managing to dominate them.
Liliana sensed the weight pressing against her, but she stood steady, unfazed by its presence.
The pressure was there, distinct yet unthreatening, nothing worth more than passing acknowledgment.
Tilting her head upward, a faint smile curved her lips.
"Oh? Do I have new clients?"
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