Chapter 411: Damn Circus

All the newcomers were over two meters tall, with bluish skin and features that mixed traits of marine creatures and humanoids. At the center of the group stood an equally tall man, though he was leaner than muscular, radiating a terrifying aura of power.

Priam casually checked his status. His name was Neel, and he came from Safira’s Sacred Family, the Ceruleren.

As soon as they approached, the man in the center looked at Safira with a mocking smile before turning his attention to Priam.

"I came here personally because I need to thank you, kid."

Priam frowned. "Thank me for what?"

"Hehe... For getting rid of a nightmare!" Neel mocked, laughing as he pointed toward Safira behind him. "That hysterical brat would have been nothing but a headache if she joined my faction!"

"GO FUCK YOURSELF, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Safira roared, instantly losing her temper. "I’m the one who would never set foot in a faction commanded by an incompetent piece of trash like you!"

"Hahaha! You’re nothing but a mediocre spoiled brat with an inflated ego!" Neel shot back, laughing in her face.

"Honestly, I don’t know what the elders saw in you. With that shitty personality of yours, you’re not fit to lead, let alone obey. The heavens have truly been merciful... It took a man with some fucking balls to charm you and put a leash on you. At least you were blessed with an eye-catching beauty. And I got rid of that damn nuisance!"

"SON OF A BITCH! I’LL KILL YOU!"

Safira screamed, her face turning completely purple with rage as she pulled out her heavy staff, ready to throw all restraint out the window. Immediately, five female core disciples who had come with her jumped on her, grabbing her arms and waist to stop the fight.

"LET GO! LET GO OF ME, I’M GONNA SMASH THAT BASTARD’S FACE IN!"

"Hahahaha! Seriously, young Priam, thank you so damn much!" Neel continued, thoroughly entertained by the girl’s outburst.

Priam merely let out an incredulous snort. Apparently, that explosive and aggressive temper was a genetic curse affecting the entire Ceruleren bloodline. Safira and Neel hated each other on an almost instinctive level; putting them in the same faction would have been absolute chaos.

At that moment, Dandara stepped forward and replied with a faint smirk.

"You don’t need to thank us. Helping people get rid of nuisances is a pleasure in itself. And giving a few good slaps to people who think they’re the center of the universe is simply a public service. It’s not even worth mentioning."

Hearing the double jab—which applied equally to both Safira and Neel—the blue giant laughed even louder. Safira, on the other hand, froze instantly. She swallowed her insult, lowered her head, and didn’t dare utter another word to Dandara.

After all, Dandara really had beaten her before, and Safira had indeed behaved like an idiot. But Dandara hadn’t held a grudge and had even protected her during the battles of the Celestial Event.

Safira had learned her lesson the hard way and now held an almost terrifying level of respect for her.

While the commotion continued, Rhys’s eyes burned with demonic jealousy. Seeing Safira, Nise, and Dandara—three shockingly beautiful women perfectly gathered around Priam—awakened a visceral desire in him to crush that newcomer right there.

The members of the Favonian Alliance around Rhys exchanged tense glances, understanding how serious the situation was.

Rhys’s parents were close friends with Nise’s parents. Shortly after Nise displayed her frightening talent, both sides had agreed to unite the two youngsters, who were close in age.

Rhys had loved the idea. After all, Nise possessed rare beauty and extraordinary talent; what man would refuse? Everything had already been arranged to be sealed as soon as she joined his faction.

Nise had never said yes or no, but with the forced proximity within the faction and the suffocating pressure from their families, the marriage would have been inevitable sooner or later.

But now... Looking at this scene, Rhys was absolutely convinced that the rumors about Priam being a womanizer who had manipulated both Nise and Safira were a thousand percent true.

Until...

"I think you’ve all got this completely wrong," Priam finally spoke, his voice unsettlingly calm, almost contemptuous. "I do what I believe is right—that’s all. I’ve never tried to seduce anyone. I’m not that kind of person, and my heart already belongs to someone else. Dandara is the only woman in my life, and that’s never going to change. Everything you’re saying is just baseless gossip."

"Haha, great! Beautiful speech!" Neel let out a mocking laugh, slowly clapping his hands. "But since you’re taking the greatest young talent of my family away from us, I have an obligation to crush you completely. From today onward, you are the number one enemy of my Seiche Alliance. Everyone in my Sacred Family will focus every resource on you until we get back what’s ours."

"Fuck! Why all this drama?! I’m not cutting myself off from my bloodline!" Safira shouted, completely baffled by the absurdity of the situation.

Neel snorted coldly, looking at her with disdain. "I don’t like you. But you not being part of our bloodline faction is exactly the same as betraying us. Everything you accomplish from now on will benefit another group instead of directly benefiting our Sacred Family."

Safira tensed, clenching her fists. She turned toward Dandara in desperation, only to find a calm and serene look directed back at her.

"And so, what are your plans from here? Are you really taking her with you?" Neel asked Priam, crossing his arms.

Priam shrugged indifferently. "What plan could I possibly have? I don’t like looking for trouble... but I’m not afraid of it either. Studying and training all day is boring. Killing or humiliating a few people every now and then will at least make things more interesting. If you guys want to entertain me, that’ll be a great idea."

Just from their casual tone, an outsider might have thought the two were old friends chatting and laughing together. However, the weight behind Priam’s words made the air around them freeze.

"Very well. Then we’ll wait and see. I hope you don’t disappoint me," Neel said, letting out a cold laugh before turning around and leaving with his people.

Priam took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. ’What a damn circus.’

He had barely arrived at this place and had already been confronted several times. Now, just because he agreed to recruit someone, an entire Sacred Family was swearing to bring him down? The level of competition and pettiness inside this place was downright sickening.

At that moment, realizing the danger that was about to unfold, Nise stepped forward and spoke hurriedly:

"Lord Priam, why don’t you join our Favonian Alliance? You and your group don’t need to officially submit to us; you can become an autonomous and independent branch within our faction. We can work together, and my bloodline will give you full protection. If we join forces, our chances of survival and success will increase dramatically."

However, before Priam could even answer, Rhys took the liberty of stepping forward, clearing his throat with ridiculous solemnity and wearing a smug, superior smile.

"For young Priam, joining my Favonian Alliance would certainly be a privilege," Rhys said in a patronizing tone that reeked of condescension. "But we can’t act on impulse. We still need to discuss whether he meets the requirements of our council before offering him any kind of asylum."

Nise’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. She stared at Rhys in complete shock and disbelief.

What the hell is wrong with him?!

Rhys had always been a respected and level-headed figure within the Sacred Family, but now he was acting like a spoiled, insecure brat fighting for attention. Wasn’t it enough that he had been cold and hostile toward Priam from the very beginning? Now he was actually trying to humiliate him publicly with that made-up bureaucracy?

Did he seriously not see reality for what it was? Priam was the supreme genius who had conquered the Celestial Event, a monster with limitless potential. Factions would humiliate themselves just to have Priam as an ally, and Rhys was acting as if he were doing Priam a favor by "evaluating" whether he could join?

Even though she hadn’t spent much time with Priam, Nise knew his pride well. Rhys’s petty words had completely shut down any possibility of dialogue.

Priam remained completely indifferent, as if Rhys were nothing more than an insect buzzing in his ear. He turned toward Rhys and said, his voice devoid of any emotion:

"I came from the mortal plane. I got where I am alongside my allies, using nothing but our own blood and effort. I’ve never needed and never will need anyone’s charity. That didn’t happen in the past, and it won’t start today."

Without waiting for a response, Priam calmly stepped forward.

Dandara, Safira, and the others immediately followed him, walking firmly without giving a single glance back.

Nise remained standing there, paralyzed by the impact of that merciless rejection.

"Nise, forget those ill-mannered country bumpkins," Rhys said, approaching her with a plastic smile, trying to sound welcoming and triumphant. "Our Favonian Alliance is strong enough that we don’t need trash from lower planes. Let’s go back. I’ve already prepared a grand welcome party for you at the headquarters..."

Rhys’s smile died the instant Nise turned toward him.

Her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her skin. Her face trembled with pure rage.

"Shut up!"

Her shout echoed through the area.

"Do you have any idea what you just did?!" Her voice cracked, suffocated by a mixture of fury and indignation. "If it weren’t for Priam and his allies, I would’ve died miserably during the Celestial Event! He didn’t just save me—my own aunt, someone a thousand times wiser than you, ordered me to become friends with him at all costs! You don’t have to be a genius to see Priam’s value! What you just did because of your fragile ego was, essentially, a betrayal of our Sacred Family!"

Tears of anger and frustration streamed down Nise’s face, but her gaze remained fierce.

"You’re simply despicable, Rhys. I know you’ve always wanted something with me, and I know our parents were trying to arrange a union between us. But a real man wins someone over with honor and maturity! You sabotaged the greatest alliance in our history over some childish and ridiculous jealousy?!" Nise spat the words out with absolute disgust.

"Then let me make one thing clear: starting today, I guarantee that never, not even in a million years, will there ever be anything between us!" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Without giving him any time to react, Nise turned her back on him and began walking in the direction where Priam’s faction had gone.

"NISE!" Rhys roared, his composed mask completely falling apart as his face twisted with furious humiliation. "I order you to stop! As the leader of the Favonian Alliance, I demand that you return right now!"

Nise stopped for a fraction of a second, only to look over her shoulder, her icy voice echoing through clenched teeth:

"I haven’t even registered with the Favonian Alliance yet. I owe you no loyalty, and I’m not part of your faction of cowards."

She took a deep breath, making her final decision and severing any remaining tie to Rhys’s control right there.

"I wouldn’t join you even if I were dead! If Lord Priam accepts me, I’ll be his faction’s most loyal ally. And if he doesn’t, I’ll go on alone. Go fuck yourself, Rhys!"

With a burst of energy, winds wrapped around her body and she shot forward at high speed, disappearing into the horizon as she rushed to catch up with Priam’s group.

Rhys remained frozen in the middle of the path, his teeth grinding so hard they seemed ready to break. He could feel the uncomfortable gazes of his subordinates burning into his back. Never in his life had he been so humiliated and exposed.

He stared fixedly in the direction where Priam and Nise had disappeared, his fists clenched until his knuckles turned white, his eyes burning with blind, murderous fury.

"Priam..." he whispered, the name emerging from his throat like dark poison. "This is all your fault... I’ll make you pay for this..."