Chapter 356: Clash of Sovereigns
Ethan’s golden eyes scanned the approaching entourage with a calm intensity, their faint glow betraying the calculations running through his mind. A subtle smile tugged at his lips—not of mockery, but of acknowledgement. He was assessing them, weighing their strengths, feeling their presence like a seasoned predator watching another enter its territory.
Standing proudly before him was Regnare, his posture tall and unwavering. His silver-white hair caught the waning sunlight, and the glint of his ornate armor added to the brilliance of the moment. His wolf ears twitched slightly, alert to every sound, while the dark-blue dragon horns curving back from his head were impossible to ignore. His dark blue eyes shimmered with quiet power as a small, knowing smile formed—an echo of his father’s.
"You can sense it, eh?" Ethan’s voice echoed in Regnare’s mind, smooth and composed.
"Yeah. They’re strong. Especially... the Queen," Regnare responded inwardly, his aura beginning to flare instinctively. But before it could rise too high, Ethan swiftly suppressed it with a wave of mental control, masking it with his own presence to avoid provocation.
Then Ethan felt it—a sharp, piercing gaze like a blade against skin. It was focused not on him, but on Regnare. He followed it, his eyes narrowing as they met another pair through the soft shimmer of a silver mask. Queen Emma. Her presence radiated cold dignity, and though her expression was hidden, her glowing sapphire eyes behind the mask burned with interest... and challenge.
"Hmm? He noticed me?" Queen Emma mused, a flicker of intrigue passing through her mind.
In response, she unfurled her aura, a glacial force that blanketed her entourage like a blizzard’s embrace. It was protective, powerful, and commanding.
Ethan didn’t flinch.
With an effortless breath, he let his own aura surge—warm, radiant, yet dangerously forceful. It swept over his family, coiling protectively around them as it met Queen Emma’s frost head-on. The two forces clashed in the invisible space between them, sending ripples through the air, like heat colliding with winter.
For a brief moment, the battlefield was silent—two sovereign powers locked in an unseen dance of dominance and mutual recognition.