Forceful conversation

"You're not willing to save those soldiers?" Protector Avin wondered aloud.

"…I am, but your conditions are too unfavorable to me. I can't agree to them."

He raised an eyebrow. "I could save hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Is your information worth more than their lives? You're more cold-hearted than I thought."

"You're the one that decided that. Not me," she snapped back.

"Well, you're not wrong there," he chuckled, much to Elizabeth's disgust. She hated people who treated things like a game.

"You won't need to see me out. Have a good rest of your day, Protector Avin. May we meet again."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," the man said ominously.

"What-"

Whoosh! A person abruptly appeared in front of her, floating down from the air with unparalleled grace. When he touched the ground, a powerful aura rippled out. Elizabeth grimaced. It was Sword King Sin Quelldown! This was outside her expectations. She had a bad feeling about this.

"Good afternoon, Your Highness,"

"…Yes, to you too. To what do I owe the honor?"

He smirked. "Why are you so nervous?"

"You must be joking. Anyone would be nervous facing an Instinct Realm and a Blue Depth. If there's nothing else, then pardon me."

She was about to walk past him when he said, "Wait. I'm not done speaking yet." The power in his voice sent shivers down her spine and immobilized her. She was terrified. Was this Martial Energy? Or was this the 'pressure' in his presence? Either way, she found it impossible to move! He continued, "We had an agreement, didn't we? That you would give me information about the Featherwind Sect, the 'true world beyond humanity', and most importantly, the path through Instinct Realm. That time is now."

Gritting her teeth, Elizabeth managed to reply, "We can talk elsewhere."

"No, we'll talk here," the Sword King asserted.

"What about you, Protector Avin?" She prayed that he would do something, anything, since she helped Freon so many times. Against the Sword King, they had a chance.

Sadly, the man smiled and shook his head. "Sorry, Your Highness, but I'm not stepping in."

"Damn it," Elizabeth hissed, upon realizing these two were working together. She tried to grab her bow, but, of course, it was absent. She did not think to take it. Furthermore, her guards were far away. She was effectively helpless. The girl donned a brave face and stated, "If you dare harm me, then our agreement is over!"

"I'll let you go once you've told me what I wanted to hear."

Elizabeth circulated her Core and Magic Energy, in a final attempt to break free from the Sword King's control, but it failed spectacularly. Her Half-Condensed Drop Core Level was too weak, making her sink into despair. There was no escaping this. Her mind turned quickly before she spoke, "I can't talk about my teacher, but I can talk about other things."

"Why not?" Protector Avin asked.

"…"

"It's fine. I don't care about your teacher," the Sword King said. "Continue."

"Very well," Elizabeth exhaled. Thankfully, they were not fully on the same page. That gave her some room to navigate. "Let me start from the top then. As you know, the Featherwind Sect came from beyond the human world. I'll call this the 'greater world'. In the greater world, there exists many species, factions, and, of course, civilizations. Some are weaker than humanity, while others are far greater. The Featherwind Sect is one such example. They are known as a 'Rank 3 civilization'."

"I heard that term before. What does it mean?"

"Rank 3 denotes that civilization's overall strength. I believe it goes from Rank 1 to 5, in order of weakest to strongest. For example, you and Protector Avin would be called 'Rank 3 Kings', since you're Instinct Realm and Blue Depth respectively. I would be half a 'Rank 2 Lord', since I'm a Half-Condensed Drop. Below that is 'Rank 1 Mortal'."

"So, if I'm understanding you correctly, a Rank 1 Mortal is a Fundamental Realm or Gaseous Fog. A Rank 2 Lord is a Perception Realm or Condensed Drop. Finally, a Rank 3 King is an Instinct Realm or Blue Depth," Protector Avin summarized. "And you're saying there are two more ranks above us?"

Elizabeth nodded. "That's correct. They're called Rank 4 Emperor and Rank 5 God."

"Emperor and God…" the Sword King repeated. "How much stronger are they compared to us?"

"Unfortunately, the names are all I know, but if I had to make a guess… consider the difference between Fundamental, Perception, and Instinct Realm. The difference in power grows larger every time. Therefore, an Emperor or a God should be far, far stronger."

"Is this conjecture or proven?" Protector Avin asked the key question. "Has anyone achieved this so-called 'Rank 4 Emperor' or 'Rank 5 God'?"

His suspicion was natural. He and the Sword King needed decades to reach Rank 3 King, and they were already seen as geniuses, prodigies seen once a century. It was unlikely that another Rank 3 King would emerge in their lifetimes. That was how rare it was! So, what about Rank 4 Emperor or Rank 5 God, ranks that were supposedly much harder to reach? It sounded more like a fairytale than the truth. Was Elizabeth making fun of them? He looked at the girl coldly.

"What's above Instinct Realm then? Anything will do. Even the name is fine," the Sword King pressed. Unlike Avin, he was obsessed with getting stronger. A single hint was all he needed, so he could illuminate his path. The next stage was within his grasp! His smile soon wilted though.

"I don't know anything about the upper Realms or Core Levels," she replied.

"How strong are the Featherwind Sect's elder birds? I heard killed over ten thousand people in Liguang and fought the Sword King on equal footing in Guanhuang," Protector Avin wondered.

The Sword King snorted. "That was a spar, not a fight. However, I will say they were impressive. They used techniques and strategies that I've never seen before. Their equipment had special properties too that could withstand their heavy usage. If they were at their peak strength, then the spar would've been harder."

"They're not at their peak strength?"

"None of them were. I could sense their internal injuries. Their equipment and ship were also heavily damaged, though I wouldn't know why."

"They haven't told us, but we think they were involved in a large-scale battle, and that they're stranded in the human world for now," Elizabeth said.

"Stranded? Aren't they birds? They have a flying ship as well. They should be able to leave," Protector Avin pointed out. "Unless they're stranded for another reason."

"From what I heard, you need to be a Rank 3 King to venture through the wilderness beyond the human world. Anything less and it would be too dangerous."

"The wilderness, huh? I never thought about going there," the Sword King mused. It was a good hint. He might have to 'talk' with these birds later.

"If there's nothing else, then can I go? I have things I need to do," Elizabeth said.

"Go. I'm satisfied for now."

The girl felt a rush of relief and quickly left the garden. She wanted to get away from them as fast as possible. Once she boarded her carriage, she finally exhaled. A weight lifted from her chest. It was like a pardon from death. The worst thing about the Sword King was how unpredictable he was. He would do anything to get what he wanted. That, combined with his unparalleled strength, made him dangerous. She would rather not meet him again, for her own health's sake. How did Benedict manage to do it? She could not imagine. That said, the real surprise was in Protector Avin. Sneaky and cunning, the man tried to manipulate both her and the Sword King to advance his own goals. Thankfully, he refrained from going too overboard. The Alzar Kingdom stood behind her after all. She would have to be careful around him in the future too.

Sighing, she muttered to herself, "I don't know how Benedict and Freon manage. I hope Shirley doesn't know any weirdos too. Otherwise, I might really go crazy."