It was like stepping into another world. The hallway Carius had been walking down earlier had felt normal, with the laws of physics unchanged.

But as soon as Carius walked through that wall, everything had shifted.

The air felt both light and heavy, as though suspended, not entirely free but more like water flowing gently in an ocean.

Carius's frown deepened as he absorbed his surroundings. He had entered a large hall, its walls, ceiling, and floor pitch black, yet the hall was brightly lit, and every detail within it was visible.

Carius's gaze grew colder as he walked to the middle of the hall, taking his place beside his father, Azrakan, who was seated respectfully on a plush cushion facing a slightly elevated platform not far from him.

Carius tilted his head down slightly in acknowledgment toward the figure seated on the platform, but just as he was about to sit, two words froze him in place:

"You failed."

Carius's fist clenched, the air around him growing tense. His killing intent flooded the hall, but Eletrantron, the one who had spoken, only narrowed his eyes.

"It's the truth. You spoke with such arrogance before, and yet you didn't even make it to the finals. A disgrace."

Eletrantron's words triggered another wave of anger in Carius, but he held his tongue.

Failure.

It was a word he despised. A reality he couldn't tolerate. He would never tolerate such a thing for any of his subordinates, but it had been himself that failed.

His fists clenched tighter, dark blood trickling down from where his nails bit into his palms.

He hated this feeling.

Azrakan threw his father a pleading look. It was true Carius had failed, but pushing him like this would only make matters worse.

"Don't give me that look. After pulling such a stupid stunt, the least he could have done was succeed! I had to damage my own primordial resonance because he couldn't defeat a human boy! A freaking human —cough, cough—"

Before he could finish, Eletrantron erupted into a fit of coughing, a small pool of blood pooling in his hand.

"Father!"

Azrakan started to stand, but Eletrantron raised his arm, stopping him.

"I'm fine," he said, taking a deep breath to calm his rage. They had invested so much in this Nexus, and watching it all crumble because of incompetence was infuriating.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the hall as Carius turned and headed toward the exit, his expression filled with fury.

"Carius!"

"Let him go," Eletrantron said firmly, stopping Azrakan, who had been about to call Carius back.

"He failed this conversation too. Seems that's all he's good at lately."

Those last words hit Carius like a hammer, his teeth gritting as he phased through the wall, exiting the hall.

The killing intent that had filled the room dispersed as he left, and the hall fell into a brief silence.

"Father, you of all people should know that it's not his fault. No one expected a human to be that powerful…"

Eletrantron sighed. "I know, but this is necessary. He's been so self absorbed and overconfident that he failed to account for everything. He needs to be humbled."

Azrakan went quiet. His father was right. In all his decades, he had never seen anyone as proud as his son, Carius. And the kid was just 18!

Carius had always shown a very fierce pride, even as an infant— it had been very baffling. Azrakan himself was very proud, as was his wife, but neither to the level of Carius. They both knew when to let their pride take a seat. Carius' pride felt as though it stemmed from his being.

"But it all turned out for the best; we got six."

The air in the hall shifted, the atmosphere turning serious. Eletrantron's gaze narrowed.

"And their bodies?"

Azrakan shook his head. "Their paragons claimed the bodies, but we got what we needed."

Azrakan held out his palm, and a large, circular locket-like artifact appeared on his arm. It suddenly flashed, revealing exactly eight orbs, each a different color, hovering above it.

Each orb pulsed with unbridled energy, causing the artifact to tremble as they hovered.

"Let me see…"

A wide smile spread across Eletrantron's face as the artifact floated into his arms. He gazed at the orbs as though looking at priceless treasures.

"You did very well. Now we're halfway to our ultimate goal."

Azrakan shook his head. "It was all thanks to Carius."

Eletrantron's smile strained. "Hm. At least his reckless plan brought us some gain. We were able to acquire six Elderalis Cores. It was only a minor suspicion, but it seems our assumptions were correct. Each Apex holds their race's respective core. We must plan carefully for acquiring the rest."

Azrakan nodded. "Yes, Father."

Eletrantron was in a good mood. They had planned only to test the waters during the Nexus competition, but Carius's foolish stunt had actually helped them take a step further.

"What's the situation with the others?"

Azrakan frowned slightly. "It's too early to say for certain, but it seems some of the elders are already making their moves. How should I proceed?"

Eletrantron clicked his tongue irritably. "Those old bastards."

Like the humans, the Dimensari domain was ruled by one powerful family, but with a slight difference.

The Vossarion.

The Vossarion was a selected leader of the Council of Elders, the one with the final say in most matters. That position had always been held by the strongest, and until recently, that had been Eletrantron.

Before the Nexus, the Valarius family had been the strongest, especially with Eletrantron as Vossarion and Azrakan on the path to power. But Eletrantron's injury to his primordial resonance had changed that—he was no longer the strongest.

Eletrantron's pale face turned cold. "Don't let anything fester. If you suspect anyone, cut them down before they have the chance to take root."

"Yes, Father."

"And the humans?"

"I'll handle them at the banquet."

Eletrantron nodded in approval.

"Good. I'll leave it to you."