Chapter 2419

2419 - Recruitment

After another 10 years—Year 775 after the Coronation

Middle Sector 98—

Just two decades ago, this place was known as the Sorcery Galaxy, home to the crafting of talismans and curses of all kinds, a stronghold of greed and conspiracies, a haven for followers of the Syndicate coming from anywhere and any time.

But that has changed.

*Booooooom~*

Thousands of epic horns unleashed a symphony of grandeur and power, as if telling the heavens and the earth to prepare for an upcoming event.

Everyone seated on a chair stood up, everyone riding in an open carriage rose, and everyone speaking fell silent and gazed in one direction with a faint smile.

"We thank you for the long wait, ladies and gentlemen," among the crowd, Theo, the Supreme Shadow Sword and one of Lord Robin's sons, stepped forward toward the entrance of the colossal hall and spoke calmly, "Now we shall begin the true ceremony with the presence of—the Emperors Killer, Behemoth of the Nine Paths, Lady Renara!"

*Creeeak*

The massive gate behind Theo opened, and a sweeping light poured out from it, and from within that light, Renara stepped forward.

She had shed her armor today, wearing a stunning white gown that matched the color of her fur and her nine tails. Her usual sharp aura had softened considerably, becoming more composed and weighty, and her beauty seemed to have doubled!

*Applause* *Applause*

"Congratulations on refining the Galaxy of Nine Paths, Lady Renara."

"What a wonderful day, wonderful!"

"Hehe, what a magnificent sight."

"...Renara ignored the welcoming remarks and strode directly toward her glowing throne. She sat with splendor, assuming a regal posture... then began to gaze around her in silence.

Zargul's Throne Hall had been completely transformed into something befitting Renara's appearance, aura, and race—and most importantly, befitting the grandeur of the entity she served.

Outside, the native inhabitants of the galaxy, along with those arriving from the Kumaji race, were in the throes of wild celebrations and festivals that would last for a month...

As for those before her here, the hall now held a great number—roughly two thousand people, perhaps more or less.

Each of them had settled back comfortably and was chatting with the person beside them the moment Renara reached her throne. Some glanced at her from afar... but nothing chaotic was happening.

"Haven't you prepared your speech?" Theo finally strolled over until he stood right beside Renara. "I believe I gave you ample notice beforehand."

"None of these people deserve a speech from me, no matter how small. I could kill them all whenever I wished, and yet look at them and their arrogant postures..." Renara furrowed her brows slightly, "I will never understand this world of politics."

"They don't deserve it?" Theo showed a small smile, "All of these are Envoys of the Behemoths from across the universe, a number of sons of the First Tier from each neutral Behemoth that hasn't declared enmity against us yet, a number of giant commercial and underground entities, a number of representatives of research and major alliances that came to light after Zargul's death."

Then he continued after a slight pause, "Your high aspirations are a bit concerning."

"They're not aspirations so much as self-knowledge." Renara replied in a low voice, "Not a single one of these came for me... look at their eyes."

"...." Theo began to do as he was asked.

The eyes of the attendees were unsettled; beneath the veneer of calm and laughter, their gazes darted left and right searching for someone, their ears twitched searching for a word, their soul sense stirred searching for something...

"Heh." Theo chuckled. "Everyone knows this ceremony isn't genuine. You weren't crowned as an independent Behemoth like in the old days—you're subordinate to another entity. So no one here came to congratulate you; they came to congratulate *that entity* and to look further ahead."

"...Right now, they're assessing your strength up close, evaluating the grandeur and opulence of the palace after its renovation, counting the number of Representatives of the Behemoths in attendance, and gauging the seriousness in the movements and demeanor of their allies and enemies among the guests." Then he smiled. "Afterward, they'll begin contacting us—the Shadow Swords—in secret once the ceremony concludes."

"Wasn't Hedrick's coronation ceremony enough for that?" Renara cast a sidelong glance.

Hedrick had finished refining the Galaxy two years before her and had held a similar ceremony, but back then he'd delivered a rousing speech, proclaiming himself the true Behemoth of Destruction.

"..." Theo shook his head. "Even twenty such ceremonies might not be enough."

"Aren't you exaggerating a bit?" Renara raised an eyebrow, a faint smile appearing.

"Not at all. You only need to ask yourself what we might gain from establishing contact with the representatives of all those Behemoths and various powers." Theo asked pointedly.

"...Subjugate them without war?" Renara furrowed her brows slightly.

"This is the greater goal." Theo nodded. "We don't need confessions from any of them, and we don't need trade agreements with them since we have our dedicated network. We don't need them to speak well of us in public either—we already have a bad reputation due to our expansion and our connection to the Crimson Plague, which is spreading further."

Then he continued, "The only thing that might drive us to hold events like this is the possibility of subjugating one or two of them—or, let's put it in simpler terms, drawing them to our side." He narrowed his eyes slightly afterward. "But that has proven to be extremely difficult."

"Natural." Renara nodded. "The Behemoths will not yield to anyone without a very strong reason."

"That's one reason." Theo nodded. "But there's another..." He narrowed his eyes again. "...which is that the other Major Powers have begun recruiting Behemoths as well."