Published at 30th of October 2026 12:01 pm

Chapter 1263: Speculations

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Azaron’s figure reappeared above the Zarethorne Empire after he had crushed yet another one-time spatial artefact. Floating high above the empire, he stared down at the various battles unfolding below and observed everything happening across the vast territory.

He could see people dying, their numbers increasing with every passing second, their blood flowing like rivers across the battlefield. He shook his head as he wondered why people just couldn’t stay in their homes instead of starting wars all the damn time.

While he personally loved battles, he didn’t go around starting them with anyone. He only responded to those who made the first move against him.

Although he had wiped out billions of people from the Velkarin Empire, he didn’t feel a shred of guilt, remorse, or a guilty conscience. Nor was there even a moment when he considered that perhaps he had overreacted by wiping out billions of people.

His eyes turned towards another direction, and within that space, or rather, hidden within it, lay Cindralis’s Separate Dimension, which housed the Star Academy. His gaze tore through the layers of space until he could see the entire Separate Dimension, searching for any and all individuals from the Zarethorne Empire.

Normally, Azaron wouldn’t have bothered with something like this, but he had a son who was still within the Star Academy. And he couldn’t allow anything to happen to the boy.

Thalric, the Ninth Sun, was now a final-year student who would be graduating in four months.

Cindralis, who was working within her office, froze the moment she sensed someone invading her Separate Dimension. She didn’t even need to guess to know who it was.

Only one person could enter and leave as he pleased: Azaron.

With that, her eyes shot skyward as her vision tore through the ceiling and roof. However, she didn’t see Azaron anywhere. Then, she immediately understood... Azaron had never been there in the first place. He was simply spying from the outside, something he had never done before.

She vanished from her office, her figure appearing beside Azaron in a flash as she spoke.

"Is there a reason you’re spying on my Dimension?"

She asked the moment she appeared. However, just as she was about to wait for an answer, she immediately froze as her senses took in everything around her.

Her eyes darted to the right, then the left, and finally towards every direction as an expression of surprise and confusion flashed across her face.

"What is happening? When did the Velkarin Empire decide to invade? Has Empress Nymeria Sol Virelle finally lost it?"

She changed her question, now unbothered by why Azaron was spying on her, as she had immediately reached the conclusion that he was worried about his son, Thalric. After all, Azaron wasn’t the type to bother anyone without a reason.

The man was practically the most boring person on the entire planet Crymora, doing nothing but staying at home, training, and signing documents.

"Empress Nymeria Sol Virelle is dead."

Azaron stated flatly, his tone indifferent to the woman’s death. His eyes remained fixed on the battlefield, where Great Elder Morgana was battling two Crownstar Life Rankers on her own, and she was on the losing end.

Although she was losing, Azaron never bothered to interfere. There was nothing the Wargraves loved more than a battlefield where an opponent capable of pushing them to their limits existed.

Cindralis’s eyes snapped towards Azaron, widening in pure horror and surprise. She could hardly believe what she had just heard.

She was a woman who always isolated herself from the affairs of the outside world as long as they didn’t concern her. Only matters such as the Inter-Empire Tournament, which connected her to the Zarethorne Empire, truly compelled her to show her face once in a while.

If Azaron hadn’t spied on her, she would have remained within her Separate Dimension, oblivious to everything happening in the outside world.

"What happened?"

She asked, her tone containing a hint of curiosity. Even if she usually cut herself off from the outside world, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t want to know the full details of what had happened, or what was happening, after receiving a little information.

"Empress Nymeria was assassinated during childbirth, and Zolthemire was said to be the culprit. According to the people of the Velkarin Empire, Zolthemire’s hair, or whatever it was, was found at the scene after he escaped."

Azaron stated, his eyes not leaving his aunt as she bled, yet wore an excited smile on her dashing face despite losing an arm.

Cindralis couldn’t help but frown at the ridiculousness of what she had just heard.

"And how did they reach the conclusion that the hair belonged to Zolthemire? After all, various people possess black hair."

She asked, her eyes leaving Azaron as she looked at the piles of corpses scattered in every direction.

"I don’t know, Cindralis. Someone could have used their ability or whatever to reach that conclusion. Whether he is guilty or not doesn’t change what is happening."

Azaron stated, his tone cool and calm.

Cindralis remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"Indeed, whether he is guilty or not doesn’t change the current situation or its repercussions."

She paused for a moment, her eyes shifting towards Azaron as she continued.

"But do you think he is guilty or being framed?"

Just like the First Regent, Second Regent, and Third Regent, she, too, believed that Zolthemire was being framed. After all, the perception of a Crownstar Life Ranker, or even a Soulstar Life Ranker, wouldn’t allow them to miss something like their own hair at the scene.

Azaron remained silent for a moment as he deliberated over the matter. Cindralis didn’t rush him to speak, remaining calm as she awaited his answer.

"Honestly, I don’t know. This is a man who has manipulated the minds of countless people across his own Empire while serving as its Emperor. If he could do something like that, killing an Empress wouldn’t be crossing a line for him."

Azaron finally spoke, his words holding reason and logic, as he personally didn’t know what to believe at this point.

Cindralis didn’t rush to argue. Instead, she couldn’t help but come to the realization that she, too, had overlooked that possibility.

"But still, he could still be framed... by the Sinvairas, perhaps?"

She asked, her tone cool and somewhat persuasive, forcing Azaron to consider the matter.

Azaron sighed and couldn’t help shaking his head as he asked;

"How many wars and small skirmishes have there been between the various Empires since you’ve been alive, Cindralis?"

Cindralis arched an eyebrow as she wondered where Azaron was going with this, but she still replied.

"Definitely over a hundred. I never bothered to count."

"And how many of those wars within that number were the Sinvairas behind?"

At Azaron’s words, Cindralis perfectly understood where he was coming from. Just because a powerful enemy existed didn’t mean they were responsible for everything. If that were the case, couldn’t the Emperor’s mind manipulation case simply have been framed as the work of the Sinvairas?

"Besides, even if Zolthemire was truly framed, what evidence do we have that it’s the Sinvairas? It could be The Convergence, for one, or even the Vandross and Thalvorn Empires, which might want to incite a war."

Azaron continued calmly as he disputed Cindralis’s words. There was no evidence supporting any of the theories surrounding the incident, and there were far too many enemies to pin the blame on a single party.

"Besides, we forget that Zolthemire might have deliberately planned all of this. Assassinating the Empress, purposely leaving his DNA behind, and deliberately igniting the war. At the end of the day, he is a masterful schemer."

Azaron stated in finality as he remained floating in place.

Cindralis didn’t know what to say. At the end of the day, Azaron was right. There had been hundreds of battles between the various Empires, but how many of them could have been planned by the Sinvairas? One? Ten?

Besides, other enemies existed who could also have orchestrated all of this. And as for Zolthemire having planned everything from the beginning... that was also possible. As for what he stood to gain from such a scheme, they had no idea. Just as they didn’t know The Convergence’s goal or the Sinvairas’ true objective.

Everything was damn speculation, and nothing was known to be factual.

Her eyes shifted towards the battles unfolding below. For a moment, she wanted to join in, not because she had suddenly developed patriotic feelings or anything of the sort, but simply because, with such a huge number of enemies gathered in one place... couldn’t she steal their lifespans and add them to her own?

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