Chapter 940: Alternate Timeline: The Meet (3)

Only a moment earlier, Ironvale City had been alive with its usual restless energy.

Built along the edge of the vast ocean, where the salty breath of the sea drifted through every street and settled on every rooftop, Ironvale was one of the busiest ports in Celestra.

Merchants from the northern empires filled their roads with wagons, sailors shouted from the docks, fishermen unloaded their daily catches, and adventurers dragged enormous beast corpses from their ships to the market as if they were hunters returning from some distant jungle.

The ordinary merchants, lacking ether energy and unable to use storage rings, transported their goods in creaking boats and broad-bellied cargo ships.

Adventurers did the same, for even a storage ring had limits, and some beast carcasses were simply too massive to fit inside a magical container.

As one of the three great ports of Celestra, Ironvale never truly slept.

Even after sunset, its central district remained crowded. Unlike other Empires, the culture in Celestra was developed in a way that even commoners don’t fear the dark and treat the dark as a part of their daily routine, too, unless the moon is below One-sixth of its size. As long as the moon is more than one-sixth in the sky, the shops will stay open until midnight, and the streets will remain busy until late at night.

That is how Celestra became a financial hub, despite being nestled between two large empires.

Tourists wandered with wide eyes, sailors haggled over prices, children darted through the crowd, and street vendors shouted over one another like rival generals competing to be heard above the din of battle.

And on this day, word spread swiftly through the city that royal knights had surrounded the famous Leafway Restaurant.

Naturally, curiosity drew people like moths to a flame.

A large crowd gathered outside the restaurant, craning their necks, whispering, speculating.

"The royal family is dining here."

"Perhaps the king is visiting."

"Maybe there is some grand announcement."

Excitement rippled through the crowd.

Then, without warning, the heavens split open with a powerful rumbling of thunder.

A blinding spear of lightning descended from the night sky and struck the restaurant.

The flash was so intense that several people cried out and covered their eyes, momentarily blinded by the white brilliance. The rumble that followed was so loud that many people found their eardrums temporarily rang like a bell tolling inside their heads.

Women screamed.

Children burst into tears.

Many fled instinctively, stumbling over one another in terror.

For a few breaths, panic ruled the street.

Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the sky became calm again. The dark cloud drifted quietly overhead, removing its cover from the moonlight.

The restaurant still stood untouched.

Not a single roof tile was broken.

Not a single wall had cracked.

Slowly, the frightened crowd crept back.

Murmurs spread.

"Was the king harmed?"

"I think I did see the royal carriage passing through the streets earlier."

"Perhaps the heavens were angry with His Majesty."

While the people outside whispered and speculated, on the third-floor garden terrace, silence hung like a heavy curtain.

Only a moment ago, Sebastian, Grand Elder of the Church of Doom, had stood there with his Semi-Divine Staff in hand, speaking with the confidence of a man who believed the outcome was already decided.

Now, he was gone.

In his place remained only a patch of scorched stone and a small heap of black ash, which the sea breeze was already beginning to scatter into the night.

Everyone at the table stared.

Their minds struggled to catch up with what their eyes had just witnessed.

What just happened?

Before anyone could form a conclusion, Kiara spoke.

Her gaze was cold, and her voice carried the quiet certainty of someone who had planned several moves ahead.

"There is a reason," she spoke aloud, "why I chose an open place like this, Queen Seraphina. Edward Crescent."

Her words struck the table more heavily than the lightning had.

The queen’s eyes narrowed.

Edward Crescent jerked upright.

Gideon Crescent inhaled sharply.

Caleb Crescent turned to look at Kiara with renewed astonishment.

Edward Crescent was the first to find his voice.

His face was pale, and his lips trembled as he blurted out, "How did you know the lightning would strike here?"

Kiara looked at him in silence for a few long moments. Then she tilted her head and asked in a flat tone, "Are you an idiot?"

Edward Crescent’s face turned crimson. His mouth opened and closed like a fish pulled from the sea.

"You..."

Before he could continue, Gideon Crescent let out a small smile.

There was admiration in his eyes as he looked toward Kiara.

"I knew you possessed the Ice and Lightning attributes, Miss Kiara," he said softly, "but I did not expect you to be powerful enough to summon the real lightning from the sky."

He paused, his eyes bright with realization.

"So the rumors were wrong. You are not merely in the 7-star rank, are you?"

Kiara offered no explanation. She neither confirmed nor denied his assumption. However, in her head, she bitterly smiled.

Silence, she had learned, was often the most useful answer.

And in truth, Gideon’s misunderstanding was not entirely wrong. She is indeed not a 7-star at all. She was only a five-star summoner.

However, she possessed the Amulet of Magic, raising her attributes by 25%. As a result, her temporary stats now rivaled those of a six-star rank Spirit Warrior.

And Thunderblast multiplied her offensive power by 50% more. However, this 50% isn’t a damage calculation.

Whenever the system says this skill unleashes 150% damage, it typically means 150% that of her current stats. If her stats stood at 6.5, the unleashed energy is worth 9.75, allowing her to unleash a force that almost reached the peak strength of a ninth-star rank.

She was, in the simplest terms, a walking contradiction.

As for why Sebastian had died so easily, the answer was straightforward.

A prepared mage could stand against ten warriors.

An unprepared mage was little more than a scholar holding a torch in a storm.

Sebastian had not expected the attack.

He had not raised a shield to reduce the damage.

He had not formed a defensive spell.

He had not even completed his thought before the lightning swallowed him whole.

As a result, the battle had ended before it began.

And the momentum of the meeting shifted instantly.

Only moments ago, Queen Seraphina and Edward Crescent had believed themselves to be the hunters.

Now they sat stiffly, uncertain whether they had become prey.

On the other side of the table, Caleb Crescent and Gideon Crescent felt their spirits rise.

Fear loosened its grip.

Hope returned to their faces.

Edward Crescent’s legs trembled beneath the table. Inwardly, he cursed the prime minister for ever inviting Kiara to Celestra.

Gideon drew in a slow breath and resumed his seat. The composure of a prince returned to him quite fast.

"Very well," he said, crossing his arms as if this was the part of his plan. "I believe both of you are now ready to hear my proposal."

Though he was furious with his mother and uncle, the events of the evening had revealed one undeniable truth.

Seraphina had not wanted Caleb Crescent dead.

Whatever sins she had committed, she had preserved his life.

Gideon was wise enough to recognize that fact.

That was why he still sought a peaceful solution.

Caleb Crescent, however, was no longer capable of calm.

Ten years of imprisonment, betrayal, and separation surged within him like a flood bursting through a broken dam.

Ether energy exploded from his body, whipping his robes and rattling the lantern flames.

His voice thundered across the terrace.

"Seraphina!"

He rose to his feet.

"It was not enough for you to imprison me and steal ten years from my life. It was not enough for you to separate me from my son."

His breathing grew heavier.

"Instead of begging for my forgiveness, you would have placed me in chains again?"

He pointed a trembling finger toward her.

"My ancestors may have tolerated the Church of Doom when they lacked the strength to oppose it, but that debt ends tonight."

His eyes burned with conviction.

"I will surrender disputed lands if I must. I will accept humiliating terms from the empires if necessary. But no matter the cost, I will uproot the Church of Doom from this kingdom."

His voice dropped to a dangerous growl.

"And as for you two, I..."

"Father."