Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 653: Profit Seeking Nature

Emperor Cyrvexis Lux Vanthelmor’s Time manipulation ability was not particularly broken or absurdly overpowered, as it came with several limitations and restrictions that governed its use. For example, to use his Time manipulation on a living being and for it to work effectively, he required permission from that being; if not, then no matter what he did, his Time manipulation ability would simply fail to take effect, rendering it useless in such situations.

Emperor Cyrvexis Lux Vanthelmor hated this limitation to his very core, as it meant he could not even influence Time for an unawakened individual despite being a Crownstar Life Ranker.

However, when it came to inanimate objects, he could use his Time manipulation far more freely... well, not entirely without limits in the truest sense, but at the very least, he was not as heavily restricted as he was when dealing with living beings, allowing him a broader application of his ability in such contexts.

Now, with this ability and with Lily Of The Abyss’s permission, Emperor Cyrvexis Lux Vanthelmor had been able to manipulate time around her for a short duration until she eventually passed away, granting her those final moments that would have otherwise been impossible.

Hearing Azaron’s words about his Ducal family not paying taxes for the next century, neither Emperor Cyrvexis Lux Vanthelmor nor Emperor Zolthemir Lux Vanthelmor spoke or argued; they simply chose not to respond or provoke the man any further, as enough damage had already been done for one encounter.

Besides, the Royal family was simply too wealthy; they could manage without taxes from a single family, as all Noble houses still paid their dues, ensuring the Empire’s treasury remained abundant.

’Even in this moment, he is still looking for benefits and gains,’ Emperor Cyrvexis Lux Vanthelmor mused to himself as he shook his head slightly at Azaron’s antics, a faint mix of amusement and exasperation crossing his thoughts.

During the Royal Twin Birthday Party, Azaron had schemed his way into securing fifty percent of a Duke’s yearly income; during the confrontation against Cindralis, he had demanded immense compensation; and now, he walked away with tax exemption despite halting his rampage in repayment for a favor, a pattern that spoke volumes about his profit seeking nature.

In a blur, Azaron vanished from where he stood, his departure as abrupt as his arrival. Seeing Azaron leave, Emperor Cyrvexis Lux Vanthelmor appeared beside his son, his gaze directed downward at him, disappointment filling his eyes as though he were looking at a failure rather than a successor.

During his time, he had been friends with the former Primarch, a relationship built on mutual respect and understanding, but now his son, instead of following in those same footsteps, had done the opposite and chosen to antagonize them, inviting consequences far beyond his control.

Emperor Zolthemir Lux Vanthelmor seemed to revert into a child at that moment, a child who was about to be scolded; he could clearly see the disappointment in his father’s eyes and did not dare meet his gaze, choosing instead to lower his head as he stared at the ground in shame. Despite being a Crownstar Life Ranker and over a century old, at the end of the day, he was still a son, a child when compared to his father.

Emperor Cyrvexis Lux Vanthelmor did not bother using his Time manipulation ability to heal or even reduce his son’s injuries; instead, he simply shook his head before speaking, "You and I will be having a long discussion after this," he stated in a calm yet firm tone, then vanished from where he stood before Zolthemir Lux Vanthelmor could even muster the courage to respond.

Emperor Zolthemir Lux Vanthelmor sat like a defeated man... no, not merely like one, he truly was a defeated man. He clenched his fist for a moment before slowly releasing it, his tension dissipating into resignation. After a brief pause, he rose to his feet, his eyes shifting to the side; hundreds of kilometres away, he could sense various battles igniting and countless attacks tearing through the Empire.

He could only stand there in silence, surrounded by the echoes of his own defeat, enveloped in the chilling weight of his failure.

Azaron’s figure appeared in the sky, his presence dominating the battlefield as he gazed down upon the chaos unfolding below and around him. Corpses were scattered everywhere, the so-called Cabinet Members lay dead with their bodies torn apart, and Knights, along with their shattered armor, littered the land, a testament to the overwhelming might of the Wargrave family.

Under his command, the Great Elders and Elders had truly unleashed madness in the name of the Wargrave lineage, leaving devastation in their wake.

But now, it was time to end this battle. Although the favor had saved only the Emperor, Azaron saw no reason to continue wasting time fighting weaklings or exhausting his family members when the true culprit remained beyond their reach.

With a sigh, he retrieved an artefact from his space ring, an artefact that every Wargrave present possessed, used specifically to relay urgent commands from the Primarch to all members of the family.

"Return to the Ducal Estate," Azaron spoke into the artefact. He did not explain, nor did he elaborate; he simply issued the command.

The artefact vanished from his hand once he was done speaking, and with that, a portal tore open before him, without hesitation, he stepped through it. The moment he left, the Great Elders and Elders followed suit; although confused by the sudden order, none of them dared to disobey. They abandoned their opponents without a word, each bearing faint smiles, having relished the opportunity to stretch their bodies and clash with the Imperial family.

Normally, Malrik would have questioned such an order, but at this moment, he was the First Sun and was acting under the direct command of the Primarch. Disobedience was not an option. Besides, for all he knew, Azaron might have already killed the Emperor and deemed further conflict unnecessary.

With everyone gone, Emperor Cyrvexis Lux Vanthelmor’s figure appeared midair. He gazed upon the widespread destruction that stretched endlessly before him; even the shattered fabric of space could be seen stitching itself back together in real time. He could only sigh at the sight.

He raised a hand, and with a single thought, Astra energy, rivaling what Azaron had output mere minutes ago, surged through his Astra veins with overwhelming intensity. The sky bled gold under the sheer magnitude of his power and control, and with that, he activated his Time manipulation ability.

Everything seemed to grind to a halt for a brief instant. An illusionary image of a clock appeared in the sky, its hands frozen before slowly rotating in an anticlockwise direction, and with that motion, time itself began to reverse across the entire battlefield.

Ravines vanished. Chasms and sinkholes disappeared. Mountains reformed. Houses, buildings, streets, pillars, roads, and carriages, everything, snapped back into place as Emperor Cyrvexis Lux Vanthelmor restored every inanimate object to its original state prior to the battle.

Although the destruction and scars of war were erased, the corpses of the dead remained, for he was not powerful enough to resurrect the fallen, a limitation even he could not overcome.

Emperor Cyrvexis Lux Vanthelmor could only shake his head; this was as much as he could do, and it was sufficient. Rebuilding everything manually would have taken time and drained the Imperial family’s resources, so it was far more efficient for him to handle it personally.

But before he could leave, a voice echoed across the sky.

[Fictional Reality: Space Type: Mass Teleportation]

It was Great Elder Morthen. He had returned the citizens he had taken earlier; although he had initially intended to keep them until he gained some form of compensation from the Royal family, Azaron had ordered their return, and so he complied. In an instant, he teleported them back to the Capital City, millions reappearing as though they had never vanished at all.