The meeting that was supposed to decide the empire’s comeback for the current crisis was now in shambles. Because he had put down a raging Nero, Joesph was facing off with his wife, along with enraged members of the Primus branch behind him and looking like they were ready for blood. To make matters worse, Andreas and Ecko were also upset about what happened.

(This is extremely bad. I need to find a way to diffuse the situation before things get way out of hand.)

Kimiko’s body flickered.

“The problem is, how the hell am I gonna do that?!”

He spun around and lowered his body. The sounds of blades cutting through the air came from above his head. He punched forward and slammed his fist into Kimiko’s body. His eyes widened when his hand went right through her and she faded away like a puff of smoke. Clanking reached his ears, followed by a cold sensation around his neck. His oxygen supply was cut as black chains wrapped around his neck.

“?!”

He could feel Kimiko’s feet pressing on his back. She leaned back and tightened the chains while pressing her entire weight on his back.

“Fuck!”

Darwin couldn’t sit back and watch anymore. He flew up from his seat and moved towards Kimiko and Joesph.

“?!”

Sensing danger, he twisted his body and leaped to the side. A burning sensation assaulted his chest. He looked down and saw that his clothes were torn and a long cut was across his chest. He turned his head and saw Nova standing in front of him.

“…Nova, were you aiming for my heart just now?”

“I said that anyone that gets in the way will die, didn’t I?”

Nova stretched his hand to the side and the space distorted and darkened. A night sky opened inside the room. The sky had countless purple stars moving like they were alive.

“Anyone who gets in the way of him dying will be slaughtered before they take ten steps towards him.”

“Are you guys being serious right now? This could lead to a war between our two clans? Do you really want to do that at a time like this?”

“War? The first act of war was committed by your founder. We’re merely retaliating.”

“Tsk. You’re insane.”

Darwin tore off his ripped clothes.

“Flameheart Clan, no matter what happens don’t intervene! It will only make the situation worse!”

“Y-Yes, Clan Leader!”

(G-Good going, Darwin. We need to contain this madness while dealing with their rage. That being said-)

Joesph grabbed them chains around his neck and pulled it.

“I refuse to let you brats destroy my master’s legacy!”

He broke the chains and a blast of emerald energy rushed out of his body and hit him Kimiko. She was sent flying back with the air trembling. He sprung his feet and his body flickered. He appeared in front of her and grabbed her throat.

“I’ll have to subdue you too!”

Kimiko’s aggressively blinked and all color was erased from the world. Black ice covered Joesph limbs.

(I’m losing my strength? Did she summon the ice of Niflheim in this world?)

“Subdue? The only way you can stop me is to kill me!”

She broke free of his grip placed both palms on his chest. An explosive sound resounded and the world itself pulsated. Color returned to the world with Joesph red blood leaking out of his mouth. He clenched his teeth and thrust his fingers, Kimiko did the same. The two stabbed each other in the chest barely missing the heart. Kimiko leaped back and Joesph chased her and caught up to her in a flash. He slammed his palm on her chest.

“Emerald Heartbreak!”

A deafening shattering noise rang out. Cracks appeared in reality itself. Kimiko’s skin cracked open and blood sprayed into the air.

“I’m done going easy on you people!”

He grabbed Kimiko’s leg and slammed her into the ground so hard the palace walls crumbled around them. He lifted his fist into the air and locked his eyes on Kimiko’s chest.

“?!”

His body froze. A heavy pressure fell on everyone.

“Oi, bastard.”

Only one person talked or moved. That person was Nova. His bloodshot eyes were widened to the max as he walked with unsteady steps towards Joesph.

“Just whose fucking mother do you think that is?”

His body trembled with every step. Even Joesph was unsettled by the terrifying aura he was emitting.

(This kid…Is he a reincarnation of Cthulhu or something?)

He could see millions of eyes and tentacles dancing behind Nova. It was like he was looking at chaos itself.

“Joesph Flameheart, I’ll kill even if it costs me my life.”

He stretched his hand out. That hand distorted into a skeleton hand for a second before returning to normal. Sweat ran down Joesph back.

(Is this the monstrous blood of Loki and his wife, Angrboða?)

He narrowed his eyes.

“He can’t be reason with. I’ll have to kill him.”

Nova locked his eyes on Joesph. Darwin didn’t move, not because of fear but because there were people who could stop him from making moves already.

“…….”

Nova stretched his hand out but it was grabbed before he could do anything. He turned his head.

“Stop it, Nova.”

“Maria….Let go.”

“That’s my father.”

“And that’s my mother and father on the ground.”

“And I’m your wife, and I stopped you. Are you going to kill me as you declared earlier?”

“……..”

“If one wife isn’t enough, what about two?”

Another walk blocked his path. She had the Dragna trademark azure eyes and hair, but her eyes were slit.

“Alisa.”

She placed her hand over her heart.

“Are you going to kill the mother of your children, Nova? Are you that far gone?”

“………”

With the two women blocking his path, Nova couldn’t move forward. He gritted his teeth in frustration but made no moves.

(It was a good idea sending Alisa. If it’s her and Maria, Nova is powerless.)

Rouge thought while still holding on to Ecko, who wasn’t raging as before. She was instead looking at Nero in wonder.

(Did she finally catch on?)

Andreas was also calmly looking at Nero.

Joesph noticed that things were calming down and sighed.

“La Scène De Pierrot!”

The space warped and everything changed into a theater stage.

“What the?”

“Did you forget that there was another enraged son?”

He turned his head to the clacking of shoes. He saw a man standing in a jester mask and clown clothes.

“Rihan?”

The jester, Rihan bowed.

“The Devil’s Joker is ready for his performance.”

Joesph clicked his tongue.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ve already realized that my father isn’t dead or isn’t in danger. I can tell that you placed an animation-suspension spell on him. In other words, he’s frozen in time. Or saying that he’s in a state between life and death would be more accurate. I also don’t wish to destroy this country with our conflict.”

“Then….”

Dozens of black broadswords stabbed into Joseph’s body. Pain assaulted him made his ears ring and vision blurred. He looked at Rihan in shock.

“I understand everything, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not angry anymore.”

He pointed at Kimiko.

“She may not be my blood mother but she’s still the woman who raised me. I’ll appreciate it if you get off her.”

Joesph was blasted off Kimiko and found himself on a crucifix. Thick nails appeared out of nowhere and flew into his flesh. Nailing him to the cross.

“What the hell is this ability?! I can’t gather my strength!”

“That’s because on this stage I’m the leading actor and you, the supporting character, have to follow my story.”

It was only then that Joesph realized that no one else was there beside him and Rihan. Even Kimiko, who he was just mounting, was gone. A devilish smile appeared on Rihan’s face.

“Looks like even a dinosaur like yourself can’t immediately see through this technique. Primal Era’s Ancient Magic is really something.”

“Primal? Ancient? How did you get your hands on that?”

Rihan placed his finger on his lips.

“Only the star can talk in this act.”

************

A bright light flashed and Joesph returned to reality. He was breathing heavily and kneeling on the ground while covered in wounds.

(It took a while but I finally broke out of it. Just where did he get his hand on that kind of magic?)

He stood up and Rihan walked past him with Kimiko in his hands.

“You shouldn’t have let your guard down like that. It allowed me to make you suffer. Although, I am disappointed that I have no way to kill someone like you.”

He smiled and headed towards Nova.

“Damn brat.”

Joseph’s injuries healed at a visible speed.

“What a shitty day.”

He cracked his neck with a frown.

“Since you all seem to be settling down can we resume our constructive talk?”

Everyone looked at each other. Some still looked upset but no one showed signs of wanting to fight.

“Good. Then-”

“What did you say?!”

“Fuck! What now?!”

Joesph glared at Alexus who was on a call.

“….I’m getting reports that someone destroyed our teleportation arrays. We can no longer gather our allies from all over the world as speedy as we would like now. Until they’re fixed, the Federation will take a long time to become a reality….We’ve been staled.”

Joesph released a big sigh.

“Of-fucking-course.”

At the same time, Nina Dragna was looking at the burning pillars in front of her, with dead bodies scattered across the floor.

“Mission Complete.”