The Royal Capital. The Moonlight Hall.

Even after the destruction that had swept through the capital, the hall still stood. It had not emerged completely unscathed though.

Cracks covered several pillars. Entire sections of the outer walls had collapsed. The magnificent gardens surrounding it had long since been reduced to rubble.

Had it been an ordinary structure, it would have been reduced to dust long ago.

Inside the enormous hall, silence reigned. The atmosphere was so oppressive that nobody dared breathe too loudly.

At the very center sat Michael. One hand supported his forehead while the other rubbed his temple slowly.

The recent battle, the advancement quest, Beginning's recklessness, Arianne's resurrection ritual, and the countless matters waiting for him afterward had all given him a headache.

For once, even Michael felt tired.

Behind him stood three Rank 4 undead. Beginning, Lily, and the High Drake, all in their human forms.

As for the Rank 4 Demonic Supernatural, Michael had sent it to search through the ruins of the empire palace alongside capable Rank 3 undead like Spartan, Ghost, Fade, and others, with orders to locate any hidden treasures.

Before the fight, Michael had not expected to lose, but he had wondered what he would do with the royal family after dealing with their leadership.

Though unfortunate, the Emperor's decision to wipe them out himself had removed that problem entirely and spared Michael from having to dirty his own hands.

Thanks to that, the palace was now essentially a treasure vault waiting to be looted.

Even though he had already sent several undead ahead to search on his behalf, Michael still planned to run a few additional sweeps himself to make sure nothing was missed.

After all, everything here represented potential resources that would likely yield a massive amount of Evolution Points, opening up possibilities that had previously been out of reach.

And this was only from the empire's own reserves. There were still many other places he could exploit, cough, earn from.

In front of Michael stood roughly two hundred surviving Rank 3 experts.

Alongside them were important officers of the empire, none of whom were weak in either personal strength or political influence.

These were the strongest remaining figures of the Black Serpent Empire. Even a tenth of this group would have been enough to make a powerful kingdom like Lionheart despair.

Yet right now, none of them dared move.

Many kept their heads lowered. Some had pale faces. Others were visibly trembling. No one dared meet Michael's eyes.

How could they?

The young man sitting before them had personally destroyed their empire. Their Emperor was dead. Their ancestors were dead.

Their strongest forces had been annihilated.

If Michael were to simply leave them alone, it was estimated that within a year at most, the surrounding powers would descend on them like a pack of wolves.

So even though Michael was the cause of their distress, he happened to be the only one they could lean on right now.

The silence in the hall stretched on and the pressure only continued to grow. Many of the Rank 3 experts felt sweat forming on their backs.

Finally, Michael lowered his hand from his temple.

When his gaze swept across the hall, every expert immediately stiffened. The room became even quieter.

Then Michael spoke.

"Let's make one thing clear first." His calm voice echoed throughout the hall. "I have no interest in slaughtering everyone here."

Several experts visibly relaxed. Only for Michael's next sentence to freeze them again.

"That depends entirely on whether you give me a reason not to."

A heavy silence descended.

Michael looked at the two hundred experts before him and nodded slowly. His voice remained calm. "At least none of you are stupid enough to test me."

To be honest, their reduced numbers were partly their own fault. If they had surrendered earlier, there would have been considerably more of them standing here now.

Of course, Michael understood it was unrealistic to expect them not to fight. As for those who had not surrendered in time and paid the price for it, he felt no particular guilt.

That was the nature of war.

If he had not been strong enough, putting aside the treasures and resources, it would have been his own life on the line instead. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Several experts lowered their heads further upon hearing his words.

Michael did not bother with their reactions and continued speaking. "Truthfully speaking, I only called you here for one reason." His gaze swept across the hall. "To decide how things move forward from here."

The experts immediately became attentive. This was the moment they had all been waiting for. The fate of the Black Serpent Empire was closely tied to their own.

Michael leaned back slightly. "To begin with, I have no intention of ruling this empire."

The hall instantly fell into stunned silence. Many experts raised their heads in shock.

Michael ignored their reactions. "I am still very young. I already have enough problems. I have no interest in spending the next several decades managing taxes, disputes, borders, trade agreements, noble conflicts, succession issues, and all the other nonsense that rulers deal with."

Several experts felt their eyelids twitch.

Young? The young monster sitting before them had destroyed an empire and killed multiple Rank 4 existences. Yet he was complaining about paperwork?

Unfortunately, nobody dared say a word. Just like many others before them, several in the room had already concluded that Michael was likely an old monster with a particular taste for youthful appearances.

Of course, they could use mana to scan his bone age but only suicidal people here would attempt that.

Michael continued. "However, I also have no intention of simply letting go of the empire. After all, that would be stupid."

The empire's experts remained attentive and continued listening carefully.

"Why should I spend all this effort destroying the Black Serpent Empire only for someone else to inherit the benefits? Why should I walk away from all the resources this place possesses?"