The Empyreal Gem Master

Alexander stared at the round table where no doubt, the highest Gem Masters of the Mortal Branch of the Galanis Bloodline used to eat around- and he sighed.

They now lay dead, and what was it all for?

Shaking his head, he flashed in front of the metal doors of another lodging and entered.

What could be deemed as a luxurious bed for the times they lived in stood at the very center, the mattress padded with gray covers as a small desk with a metal chair stood opposite it.

Papers showing the logistics of the forces and the Airships of the City of Anan were laid all over the desk haphazardly as Alexander only gave them a glance before he floated towards and fell back on the bed.

"Haa…"

Too much had happened in a short period of time, and he felt like he didn’t give himself even a moment to breathe.

Things that he liked…he stared at the black ceiling above as he remembered how he used to relax in the mansion within the center of the City of Carthage.

Thinking of it made him want to go back and observe how his father was doing soon, but it also reminded him of one of the things he liked to do the most.

Sleep.

A simple joy, but many humans stretched out in the lands of Ephesus found it hard to even get sleep without having night terrors of being ripped to shreds by Beasts that could invade their homes at any time.

He did not have this terror as the son of the Branch Leader of a Mortal Branch of the Asmodeus Bloodline, and he had even more freedom now as he had Beast Minions equivalent to Beast Lords and two even more powerful ones equivalent to Beast Kings protecting him!

Not to mention the obscene protection of the Gem Constellation, Endless Glacial Dream, and now the Scion of the World Tree Ability Gem.

He could afford to not fear.

Feeling the stress leave his body, he closed his eyes when…

WAP!

A flash of silver light bloomed in the dark room as near the door, a figure appeared.

Alexander didn’t have to even open his eyes as the few connections he held told him who it was- the figure of Anastasia in a golden green robe appearing as she bowed towards him respectfully!

"I apologize for intruding without permission, Master. I came to see if you were free to cultivate with me by utilizing the Gem Resonance Cultivation Technique."

…!

Her gold green hair cascaded past her shoulders gorgeously as a figure like this could cause many misunderstandings, but she was very clear and direct regarding what she wanted right now as Alexander couldn’t help but become stern.

The Gem Resonance Cultivation Technique.

A technique that allowed two entities to undergo a resonance of their Gem Sockets- with this technique increasing the levels of Ascendancy of their Gem Sockets as it was most effective with entities who held more and more Sockets!

What it truly required was…intimate contact between the two cultivating entities.

Alexander cleared his throat as even though he was curious about the resonance of Gem Sockets and the effect if would have on his Enneagram, he felt a mix of emotions towards this idea as unconsciously, he turned to the side past the Walls of this room- it was like he could see exactly where Claire was.

He felt a little guilty as he rose up from the bed and looked ahead, seeing the figure of Anastasia already walking towards him in a mesmerizing fashion as her hands had already pushed part of her robe off her shoulders.

With his mind always in a calm state, he spoke calmly as he reigned in any of his basal tendencies.

"We can try it out just with proximity."

There were too many complexities regarding everything to take into account.

Himself.

This woman of the Peacock Lineage that was bound to him.

Claire in the distance.

He didn’t need to do anything irreversible right now as he said this to Anastasia!

"Oh?" Disappointment was clear on her face as her tantalizing shoulder was covered once more, her face actually becoming stern a moment later as she stepped back.

"Proximity alone…no, that won’t do, Master. The first Gem Resonance produces the most astounding effect as if it is done, it has to be in the most intimate manner. If the Master still has reservations now, we can carry this out later. Please, pardon my intrusion."

…!

Her eyes shone with the light of defiance as she bowed her head towards him again, her figure becoming wrapped in a silver light as she disappeared!

"..."

Alexander sat there and blinked as he felt like he had suffered a loss.

The darkness of the room felt all the more suffocating as he fell back on the bed, feeling like he had lost a chance of something, but not really.

There were too many complexities to account for.

He couldn’t be too reckless!

With such thoughts, his mind felt the calm breeze of the Enneagram along with its low hum while it spun, the newest Gem Recipe that carried 9 Gems in total slowly having its Gems become smaller and smaller as they were being broken down and assimilated.

A dark night to rest through.

Tomorrow, the plan was already set as he would go obtain another Gem Recipe that could provide powerful combatants to fight on his behalf.

The one who currently held such a Gem Recipe was another Beast Lord moving under the banner of Variant Beast Lord Atticus- an entity called Dread!

He could live through one more night.

Come tomorrow, whatever was his would become Alexander’s!

—

A few hundred miles away from the City of Anan.

The borders of the Four Human Lineages were indistinct and rough, with them maintaining a sense of closeness and covering quite a distance at the same time to ensure that uncontrolled Breaches did not entirely cover all of Ephesus.

The Human Lineages of Galanis, Asmodeus, Drakos, and Argyros all shared some borders as their Mortal Branches and Ascendant Branches could be considered on the heart of a massive circular stretch of a continent that Humanity still defended.

Inside this stretch of a vast domain.

Near an Ascendant Branch of the Drakos Bloodline known as the Willow Tree Stronghold that was surrounded by white willow trees barely hanging on to life around their walls.

A terrifying army led by a cruel Beast Lord was bearing down on such a Stronghold!