From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

Once the ritual had completely concluded, everyone left the underground chapel and began the banquet that followed. Meanwhile, Byrne and Chris ventured out alone, beyond the borders of Nasir Town.

Byrne quite strikingly noticed that Chris's appearance visibly rejuvenated, returning to the youthful state akin to that of an angelic boy.

Very good!

He finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although the Fischer family did not follow the Consecution of Bloodline power, ascending the God Pantheon stairway up to the 5th Rank still provided the benefit of extending one's lifespan.

The offering used for advancing to the 5th Rank on the Path of Tranquility as a "Demon-Hunting Master" was the "Shattered Soul Core," a Class 5 Extraordinary Material that Byrne had recently brought over from the Alchemy Council.

It was traded from the "Time Stasis Stone," originating from the Aphotic Sea, a product of many devoured and cursed souls together transformed by alchemy into Extraordinary Material, with each creation bearing considerable value.

By now, he could definitively confirm that the "Time Stasis Stone" was indeed a person from the Aphotic Sea; each time they acted, they brought rare specialties from the Aphotic Sea.

The old man made no attempt to conceal his location.

Perhaps he felt supremely confident, unconcerned about revealing it.

And now in the Alchemy Council, not only was Viscount Bast's "Dragon Crystal" missing, but "Star Metal," who had always been in search of the Lost followers, had disappeared as well.

No one knew where she had gone or why she no longer participated in the Alchemy Council.

Apart from the still enigmatic Council Leader, the only members remaining were "Mithril," "Time Stasis Stone," "Moon River Stone," "Spirit Essence," and "Solar Gold."

Almost no one cared about the whereabouts of "Dragon Crystal" and "Star Metal"; only occasionally would "Time Stasis Stone" express some regret, suspecting that they probably had died somewhere.

"But it doesn't matter, for I will always be here in the Alchemy Council, accompanying all of you... until the end of time," Time Stasis Stone said, his voice laden with profound meaning.

Byrne still remembered that the reticent Lady "Spirit Essence" had been one of the participants in the ambush of the Tempest Bishop, the "Thunderous Monarch." Yet, over the years, he had never brought up the matter.

And "Spirit Essence" was still as silent as ever, only occasionally making some trades.

To this day, Byrne still felt pressure when facing the inscrutable and sonorous "Solar Gold," a mid-level Monarch powerful expert.

However, looking at Chris standing not far away, a sense of confidence surged within him!

What did it matter if "Solar Gold" was a mid-level Monarch powerful expert? With the barrier of Nasir Town to rely on, Chris, having ascended to the 5th Rank, might very well defeat him!

The Fischer family now possessed a powerful trump card!

"Chris, we need to test something... how strong do you feel now?"

"Very strong," Chris replied, ever so calmly, as his lean and beautiful body slowly lifted off the ground.

"Flight" was not a common ability among Consecution Extraordinary Exponents of the 5th Rank. Nevertheless, a "Demon-Hunting Master" could perform aerial movements using telekinesis from their acquired spells, albeit at the cost of consuming some Spiritual Power; while Monarch powerful experts could fly without any consumption.

He tested his midair movement speed and found that if he wanted to increase his speed, the consumption of Spiritual Power would also be greater.

Even at the lowest speed, he could fly for a maximum of thirty minutes, while at full burst, he could probably not last more than five minutes, Chris pondered silently.

Byrne watched and took notes quietly. Compared to the average speed of low-level Monarch Extraordinary Exponents, Chris's short-distance flight speed was not inferior, and he was even faster when bursting at full speed.

However, his long-distance movement would lag due to the consumption of Spiritual Power.

High in the sky, the serene Chris, like a judging angel, slowly stretched out his hand toward a nearby expanse of trees; his palm began to swirl with twinkling runes.

"Boom!"

The next moment, the entire tract of trees splintered into pieces under the force of an invisible shockwave!

He then changed the spell, and raging flames incessantly erupted from the center of his palm!

They scorched the clouds above, turning them into crimson fire-clouds!

"Compared to a low-level Monarch who specializes in flames, these flames are clearly at a disadvantage, yet they are much more potent than those of a high-level Transmutation Extraordinary Exponent," Byrne murmured to himself, making a judgment as Chris moved back in front of him.

"Wait a minute, you aren't planning to test it on me, are you?"

Byrne paused, quickly grasping the other's intent, while Chris, calm as ever, effortlessly performed a slight gesture that swiftly bewitched him.

When Chris calmly lifted the bewitchment spell, Byrne took a deep breath, shook his head, and said with a touch of helplessness,

"Hmm, the bewitchment spell should work on all Extraordinary Exponents below Monarch level, but my prediction is that your ability might not be effective against Monarchs of the same level."

After pondering for a while, he continued, "To sum it up, these spell abilities should just play a supporting role for you. After all, 'Demon-Hunting Master' is essentially a close-combat Consecution power... perhaps the effects of 'Fire of Sin' and 'Lethality' will be most useful."

Now, Chris's "Lethality" could affect low-level Monarch Extraordinary Exponents, making the commonly used defense of "spiritual power conversion to life" recovery techniques among those low-levels useless.

"Also, as a 'Demon-Hunting Master,' you will have unexpected effects when facing non-humans."

Byrne thought for a moment and then added, "Facing a mid-level Monarch strength mysterious creature, the victory would probably be yours."

"Indeed," Chris nodded calmly in agreement.

Byrne finally displayed a broad smile, spread his arms wide, and continued,

"Chris! Next up, just as we planned, we'll inform the whole of Cyart in a month about you becoming a 'Monarch'!"

We can't announce it right away. We need to give Chris at least "one month of breakthrough time." After that, we can claim he's been attempting the breakthrough.

He paused and went on,

"In two months, we'll host a grand celebration for the Fischer family, and at that time, we will invite every major family across the nation to attend!"

----

A month flashed by, and one invitation after another was sent out, quickly spreading throughout all the provinces of the country.

"How is that possible?"

Within the Romann family, Ariel stood up abruptly from her seat in her room, still feeling a strong sense of disbelief deep inside her upon receiving the news from the servants.

Although she had always been aware that Chris Fischer stood a not-small chance of successfully reaching the level of a Monarch powerful expert, the news still struck her as incredibly unbelievable!

"The Fischer family is now our ally, not a vassal, Ariel."

Aldrich slowly walked in from outside the door, nodding calmly and continuing, "From now on, we can never underestimate them. In fact, we must absolutely not underestimate any large family that already has a Monarch powerful expert."

Without a second thought, Ariel immediately said:

"How did Chris get his inheritance? The Ten Great Families, the Church, and those few ancient orders almost monopolize all the inheritances that can reach the Monarch Level. Was the inheritance that led to Chris's promotion given by you?"

Aldrich slowly shook his head, explaining, "No, Ariel, that's not the case. In fact, I am very suspicious of one thing."

"Perhaps, there is a powerful Extraordinary Exponent hidden in Nasir Town, very likely possessing the strength of a high-level Monarch…"

Ariel was stunned for a moment, then instinctively shook her head:

"How can that be? There are only a handful of high-level Monarchs throughout the entire East!"

Aldrich closed his eyes, continuously reviewing the history of the Fischer family over the past decades, finding many clues.

"A powerful expert on the brink of death ends up in a coastal town, accidentally receives assistance from the Fischer family, and decides to conceal his identity, remotely controlling the Fischer family from behind the scenes as his own tool…"

"The most likely deduction I have made over this period is just this, the development trajectory of the Fischer family over the decades and the circumstances where they encountered disasters and were saved, all align with this theory."

Ariel fell into deep silence, unable to help but ask, "Could it be the Chairman of the Alchemy Council?"

Aldrich shook his head, saying, "I don't know."

"Regardless of what the real situation is, we have to be cautious in dealing with the Fischer family. You must always remember this in the future."

"What do you mean?" Ariel was startled, not understanding why he was telling her all this.

Aldrich looked at her with a profound gaze, saying seriously,

"I and the Duke have made a decision, Ariel, it will be you who will inherit the position of family head of the Romann family in the future!"

—

In the depths of the White Sea, atop the sea surface, the Sea God Cult had just once again repelled an attack from the Winged Folk.

The remaining members of the entire Sea God Cult were very exhausted.

The sea surface was littered with numerous corpses of the Winged Folk; they looked very similar to humans, except for the white wings on their backs and sparse white feathers along their limbs.

In the sky, the leader, High Priest Sky Blue, covered in wounds, took a long time before he could muster the spiritual power to heal himself.

If it were not for the glacier inhabitants and the Winged Folk being heatedly engaged in battle, forcing the Winged Folk to split their forces into two, the Sea God Cult would have stood no chance against their attack.

The Sea God Cult was close to being completely annihilated.

"No matter what, we won't have the energy to harass the East Coast Province in the short term. It's time to rest and recuperate…"

The voice of Sage Dark Blue emerged from within High Priest Sky Blue.

"And the truth is, we might be able to hold our own at sea with the help of the sea tribe, but aiming to conquer the East Coast on land is almost an impossibility."

High Priest Sky Blue fell silent, while his twin brother, Sage Dark Blue, continued to speak.

"Such a pity, I was the only one who disagreed with starting a war back then…"

Right then, High Priest Sky Blue suddenly received an incredibly unbelievable piece of news from a member of the sea tribe.

"How can that be?"

"Someone from the Fischer family has actually become a new Monarch powerful expert!"

—

In the Royal Capital of the Rhea Kingdom.

In a palace that could not be considered splendid, the "Blood Flames King," "Skyfire" Flamme, was calmly reviewing a series of documents.

At that moment, his spy emerged from the surrounding shadows, presenting him with a highly confidential letter.

"My king, please look."

The "Blood Flames King" Flamme nodded, took it, and fell into a deep silence for a long time after reading the contents of the letter.

"The Fischer family…"

Two members of the Meyer family had died at the hands of the Fischers.

He naturally remembered those people and would never forget them for as long as he lived.

But Flamme never imagined that one day the once meek and feeble Fischer family would leave the dining table to step onto the real stage and become "predators."

He said calmly and indifferently,

"Well done!"

"However, your ultimate fate will still not change, because the Meyer family will never forget its vengeance."

"Let us continue our struggle upon the stage."