Chapter 222: The Journey Back Home II

Julian’s face was pale. He gripped his glass cup until his knuckles turned white, looking over at Lynx for a quick second before looking away quickly, as if looking too long would get him noticed.

"My family isn’t stupid, Kol. Anyone who tries to fight Lynx right now is looking for a quick death. We keep our mouths shut. We tell my father to drop the petition. Let Lynx have Year 4."

On the other side of the aisle sat Raven, Diana, and Sol.

Sol was talking about how his void empire stay but intense but fun and was about to complement Raven, but he suddenly stopped mid sentence. He noticed Raven wasn’t listening at all.

Her dark eyes were completely fixed on Lynx’s side of the cabin, watching Lynx laugh and whisper something to Kira that made her blush and lightly punch his shoulder.

Sol sighed softly, shaking his head, a small, knowing smile on his face. "You’ve fallen deeply for him now, haven’t you, Raven? It’s obvious to everyone except you."

Raven didn’t even turn her head to deny it. She just kept staring at Lynx’s handsome face, her fingers tightening slightly around her armrest. "Shut up, Sol."

Diana, sitting beside her, took a slow sip of her water and smiled weakly, her eyes also drifting to Lynx. "Who wouldn’t? He’s single handedly raised the reputation of our entire empire back to Number 1, he’s the strongest young Blessed on the continent, and he looks like he was carved by the gods themselves. And... he’s kind."

Back at Lynx’s table, the atmosphere was light, warm, and playful.

Inside his mind, Lynx casually opened his system interface, keeping it invisible to everyone else while checking his current point balance. A translucent blue screen only he could see floated in front of him.

[APS POINTS: 10,400,000

10,000,000 initial points – 100,000 spent on 10 APS spins for Primordial Regeneration + 500,000 gained from overnight dual cultivation with Eleanor and her squad.]

’10.4 million points in the bank,’ Lynx thought with a satisfied smirk, closing the interface without making any upgrades for now. The numbers glowed brightly before fading. ’I’ll save these for later. No need to spend when everything is going perfectly.’

"So," Lynx started smoothly, throwing an arm over Eleanor’s shoulders and pulling her a little closer. Eleanor didn’t resist, she actually leaned into him, her head almost on his shoulder. The other girls watched with soft smiles.

"As I posted in the group chat, Isabel and Amira are throwing a massive celebration party at Amira’s place tonight. You girls are coming, right?"

Eleanor looked at Lynx, her purple eyes carrying a slight hesitation. She was still processing the new dynamic, being part of a larger circle. "A party tonight? I thought we would all need to return to our dorms to report our condition. The academy usually requires immediate debrief after tournaments."

"Forget the dorms," Ava said with a bright smile, looking across at Eleanor, her voice warm and welcoming. "Isabel and Amira bought so much food and drinks. Besides, you girls should come with us! We will all go together after everything is done."

Ophelia nodded in agreement, her voice elegant. "Yes, Eleanor. You, Layla, Iris, Rhea and Nadia, fought hard in the tournament too. You deserve to relax."

Eleanor and her squad exchanged contemplating looks. Layla smirked, while Iris and Rhea seemed open to the idea, their eyes bright.

Lynx chuckled softly, his fingers gently playing with a strand of Eleanor’s long purple hair, twirling it. "Besides... I don’t do one night stands. You girls are a part of me now. That’s how my method works. Once you’re mine, you’re mine."

Nadia, sitting on the outer edge, let out a loud huff and turned her head away, crossing her arms over her heavy chest, making her deep blue uniform stretch. "Speak for yourself, freshie. I just did it for the fun last night. Don’t go assuming things. I can do whatever I want."

Lynx turned his head toward Nadia, a dangerous, intensely handsome smirk spreading across his lips. His heterochromatic eyes locked onto her.

"Oh? For the fun?" Lynx teased, his deep voice carrying a playful vibration that made Nadia’s shoulders tense. "Nadia, sweetheart... you were a virgin yesterday before I took it. You really want to sit there and pretend it was just ’for fun’?"

Nadia’s dark skin instantly flushed a deep, bright crimson. She bit her lower lip, scoffing loudly to hide her extreme embarrassment. Her hands gripped her arms tighter. "So what if I was a virgin?. A girl can still have fun! It doesn’t mean I’m attached to you! Don’t get ahead of yourself!"

"Is that so?" Lynx laughed softly, leaning forward slightly, closing the distance between them. "You really think after sleeping with me, you could ever sleep with another man? Or that any other guy could ever satisfy you?"

The rest of Lynx’s girls, Ophelia, Lira, Ava, and Kira, all burst into knowing, beautiful smiles. They knew firsthand how overwhelming Lynx’s charm and performance were. Once you experienced Lynx, no other man in the world even existed.

Rhea let out a soft laugh, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at Lynx with ice blue eyes, her golden glow making her look ethereal. "Don’t get too cocky, Lynx. You think you’re the only Blessed on earth? There are other strong Blessed guys."

Lynx merely shrugged his shoulders, totally unbothered, a confident grin on his face. He leaned back, spreading his arms across the back of the couch, encompassing both sides.

"Hey, I’m just stating facts. If you girls try to touch another man, or even try to touch yourselves, you’ll realize you can’t stop thinking about me. You’ll constantly seek me out. I was built mainly for pleasuring women, after all."

Layla, Iris, and even Eleanor couldn’t help but let out genuine laughs at his shameless confidence. The sound was beautiful, echoing in their private corner.

The room felt so comfortable, warm, and cozy that all the lingering stress from the Void Empire had completely melted away.

"You really have zero modesty, don’t you?" Eleanor smiled, shaking her head softly before looking at Ava. Her purple eyes were full of affection now. "Alright. We’ll come to the party."

"Awesome!" Kira cheered, raising her drink.

Layla then leaned across the table, her fiery amber eyes flashing with genuine curiosity as she looked at Ava, Ophelia, and Kira. She rested her elbows on the table.

"Okay, but seriously though... how did you girls know so quickly? She pointed a finger toward Ava. "How did you know we had sex with Lynx last night? We didn’t tell anyone."

Kira giggled, resting her chin on Lynx’s left shoulder, her orange eyes mischievous. "Oh, that’s easy. Lynx told us early this morning when you five were all fast asleep in his bed after the good sex. He sent a little morning message."

Iris’s pale face flushed a bright pink. She blinked in total confusion, looking between Lynx and Kira, her hands covering her mouth slightly.

"Wait... how? We were literally in the room with him the entire time! He didn’t leave the bed until morning. How could he have told you? I was awake at 7 AM and he was still there!"

Eleanor, Rhea, and Nadia all paused, looking thoroughly intrigued. Eleanor raised an eyebrow, her analytical mind working. "Iris is right. Lynx was with us all night till dawn. When did he speak to you? The hotel rooms are soundproofed with barriers."

Lynx let out a rich, masculine laugh, leaning back into the leather couch with absolute ease, enjoying their confusion.

"There’s a lot you don’t know about me," Lynx whispered, his voice dropping into a deep, magnetic tease as his heterochromatic blue and silver eyes swept over the five senior beauties.

"...more than just me being the handsome, super strong eighteen year old guy who took all your virginities."

The moment the word ’virginities’ left his lips in that quiet, seductive whisper, every single one of the five senior girls, even Eleanor, flushed bright red, looking away or hiding their faces behind their hands while the rest of Lynx’s harem giggled softly. Layla choked on her drink.

"You’re terrible, Lynx!" Iris squeaked softly, fanning her hot cheeks with her hand, her uniform slightly ruffled.

"Absolute pervert," Nadia muttered under her breath, though her eyes were shining with undeniable affection and her lips were fighting a smile.

As the conversation continued seamlessly, Eleanor looked out the window for a moment as the flying automobile began its steady descent over the border terrain. The clouds were below them now, fluffy and white.

"Lynx," Eleanor asked softly, turning back to him, her voice more serious. "Are you going straight to the King’s audience when we land?"

Eleanor wasn’t actual royalty. She held the title of ’Queen’ simply because she was undisputed as the strongest and most beautiful girl in the Aether Blessed Academy.

Across all Empire’s in the Human Continent, there were no traditional noble bloodlines by birth.

Instead, lands were ruled by Strong Blessed who acted like nobles and chiefs, powerful lords who earned their territories through strength and were sworn directly under the King.

Alongside them stood the super wealthy, massive family dynasties like the Musk family, who held immense corporate and military influence.

The King was the supreme leader over all of them, and meeting him was an event of immense political weight. It could define a student’s entire future.

Lynx nodded casually. "Yeah. I’m meeting the King first to handle the official tournament business, and then we go straight to Amira’s place for the party. Shouldn’t take long. The King just wants to shake hands and give medals."

"We’ll accompany you to the palace gates," Ava added, smiling at Eleanor, reaching across to take her hand. "We can all wait together and then head to Amira’s house as one big group. No one should be alone after a win like this."

"That sounds like a plan," Layla agreed, leaning back comfortably, looking completely at ease for the first time in months.

Two hours passed smoothly as the flagship transport carved its path high above mountain ranges and vast forest canopies.

The view from the panoramic windows was stunning, emerald forests, silver rivers, floating islands with waterfalls pouring off them. The students took countless pictures.

Soon, the horizon opened up, revealing the enormous, shimmering barrier that separated the two empires, a wall of golden and black light that stretched from the ground to the clouds, humming with ancient mana.

Down below, the international checkpoint came into view. Golden armored Aether soldiers and dark armored Void legionnaires stood on their respective sides of the border lines, standing rigidly at attention as the flagship approached.

The flagship transport descended smoothly toward the stone landing pad for the required security check. The engines whined as they powered down.

As the heavy doors opened, Lynx and the Aether squad stepped down onto the stone ground, pulling out their soul energy metal ID cards. The wind was strong on the border plateau.

The second Lynx’s boots touched the stone, the border guards on both sides went completely stiff.

The Void legionnaires, who had previously questioned who Lynx was during his arrival, now stood at rigid attention, their eyes wide with intense, nervous respect as they scanned his metal passport. One of them actually saluted before scanning.

"S-Status verified!" the Void border commander called out, his voice trembling slightly as he handed Lynx’s card back with both hands, bowing his head slightly. "Safe travels back to the Aether Empire, Champion Azarion!"

"Thank you," Lynx said smoothly, tucking the card away with a nod.

The golden armored Aether guards, meanwhile, stood with their chests puffed out, beaming with immense national pride as they saluted Lynx and the squad. Their golden armor gleamed.

"Welcome home, Champions." the Aether border captain shouted proudly, his voice echoing across the checkpoint. "The King and the entire capital are waiting for you. You made the Empire proud!"

After the quick security scan, the students re boarded the flagship. The engines roared back to life, and with a graceful surge of speed that pushed everyone back into their seats slightly, the transport crossed through the shimmering mana barrier, officially re-entering the airspace of the Aether Empire. A cheer went up inside the cabin.

By 1:00 PM, the sky above the Aether territory was brilliant and clear. The air itself felt warmer, more welcoming.

In the distance, the grand capital city of the Aether Empire appeared on the horizon, a magnificent, sprawling metropolis built around floating islands, towering golden spires, and grand mana fountains that threw rainbows into the air. Airships floated between the islands.

As the flagship transport made its final descent over the capital’s central avenues, the sound of deafening cheers reached all the way up into the sky. Even through the thick glass, they could hear it.

Tens of thousands of citizens lined the streets below, waving golden banners, throwing flower petals, and chanting Lynx’s name. "LYNX! LYNX! LYNX!" Banners bearing his face hung from the towering marble arches, celebrating their historic tournament victory. Children sat on their parents shoulders, waving.

The flagship landed smoothly on the private launchpad of the Royal Courtyard, right outside the massive, towering gates of the Aether Imperial Palace. The courtyard was made of white and gold stone, with a massive fountain of a dragon in the center.

As the heavy doors slid open, a squad of high ranking Royal Knights clad in gleaming silver armor stood lined up in two perfect rows, their swords drawn and raised in an arch.

At the center stood an elderly man in ornate blue robes, holding a golden scroll stamped with the royal crest, his beard long and white.

Professor Selene, Professor Rose, and Lynx stepped down first, followed closely by Eleanor, her squad, and Lynx’s core group.

The royal official stepped forward, bowing deeply toward Lynx before unrolling the golden scroll. His voice was amplified by mana.

"By royal decree of His Imperial Majesty, King Alistair of the Aether Empire!" the official announced, his voice echoing across the plaza, silencing the distant cheers.

"In honor of your absolute, historic victory at the Supreme Blessed Tournament, Champion Lynx Azarion and his representative squad are granted immediate audience in the Grand Throne Room."

The crowd beyond the courtyard barriers erupted again.

Lynx looked toward the towering, golden gates of the Royal Palace, which were slowly opening with a deep, resonant hum, revealing a hallway of light inside. A calm, dangerous smile playing on his lips.

"Lead the way," Lynx said smoothly.