Awakening The Only SSS-Rank Class! Now Even Dragons Obey Me Chapter 795: When a Daughter Becomes the Enemy

A heavy silence had fallen within the sacred hall. It wasn't the usual quiet of royal chambers, but the profound stillness that follows an irreversible breach. Golden light from the hall's immense columns illuminated Elisira's face, yet for the first time, this light offered no solace. Instead, it felt like chains binding her. Her eyes remained fixed on her father, the man universally regarded as the pinnacle of sacred justice across the continent. However, certainty had now abandoned her. More crucially, her father was enraged. The aura he had exuded moments before was destructive and terrifying. Miraculously, she felt no fear of this aura—or rather, it barely registered, akin to a fleeting breeze. The reason was simple: she had just witnessed an unimaginable battle, observed the might of a being beyond her comprehension. This experience had rendered her father's potent aura insignificant. In truth, she doubted anything in this world could frighten her now... except for that man, Daniel. Even the apprehension she felt stemmed from a fear of saying something that might provoke his displeasure. "I do not know who or what that entity is," Elisira repeated her words softly. But there was no falsehood in her statement, for she genuinely had no clue what Daniel truly was. Neither human, nor beast, nor any creature chronicled in holy scriptures or ancient records. He appeared human, yet simultaneously, bore no resemblance to one. His enigmatic nature was profoundly more unsettling than any known terror. The Holy Emperor remained silent, his finger rhythmically tapping the golden armrest of his throne. Tap. Tap. Tap. The quiet percussion echoed through the vast hall, carrying more weight than the clang of a sword. Elisira sensed an invisible burden descending upon her shoulders. This wasn't the pressure of mana, but the oppressive weight of a ruler, the palpable dominance of a man who had governed an empire for years. The Emperor's gaze remained locked on his daughter. "Why does that entity linger by the tree, guarding it?" His eyes could pierce any deception, and when his daughter claimed ignorance about the being's true nature, she wasn't deceiving him. She might be withholding some information, though even that was uncertain. Nevertheless, the Emperor was convinced his daughter genuinely didn't know what that creature was. And when she insisted the being was not a monster, she spoke the truth. This implied his daughter truly believed this creature was not a monster! This conviction infuriated him, as such speech bordered on blasphemy. "I do not know." Elisira remained quiet for a few moments. "What is his objective?" "He has not disclosed it." "Did he himself confirm a connection to the tree, or any form of relation?" Elisira hesitated for a brief moment this time. The image of the tree's sprawling roots surfaced in her mind, along with the luminous fruit and that peculiar sensation that the tree itself was sentient. "Yes." She was certain Daniel and the tree shared a bond, as if capable of silent communication. Since this question didn't seem critically important, she chose to provide an answer. "What was that attack that annihilated Walterk?" The Emperor's eyes narrowed slightly. Elisira unconsciously held her breath. The law of eternity, a concept so powerful its mere contemplation strained the mind. This was the very power she had once believed belonged to the gods. Yet, it turned out there was something known as eternal power. But if she spoke of it, the empire would be plunged into panic. And if she revealed Daniel's declaration... "I am eternity itself." She might very well be charged with treason at this very moment. That statement implied Daniel considered himself a deity. Such blasphemous words would undoubtedly propel the empire into conflict. "...I do not know, but he referred to it as eternal power." Thus, she answered softly, choosing to omit further details. The atmosphere within the hall grew increasingly oppressive, causing even the white flames of the sacred candles to flicker. The Holy Emperor's gaze never left his daughter. "Is there a means to slay him?" the Emperor inquired coldly. He suspected his daughter lacked the answer, yet he posed the question nonetheless. This inquiry, for the first time, caused Elisira's heart to ache. Could that formidable being truly be vanquished? Was there any weapon potent enough? Certainly, none that the empire possessed. The image of Walterk flashed back into her mind. An Eternal Warrior, feared by nations, a being even death struggled to claim. And then his inexplicable disappearance, as if he had never existed. A being declared immortal had been defeated by Daniel. Could such a being, then, possibly be killed? Elisira softly closed her eyes, and before she could consciously decide, the words escaped her lips.

"He minds his own business as long as no one provokes him." This statement sounded less like a caution and more like an observation. She desperately wished to avoid her father and the entire empire falling victim to Daniel's actions.

The very atmosphere within the grand hall seemed to seize up for an instant.

A shift occurred in the Emperor's expression, moving past anger to a chilling, more perilous demeanor. It was evident he was considerably more displeased with his own daughter.

Even Serius, who had maintained a statue-like stillness by the window until this point, subtly narrowed his eyes.

"Are you vouching for him?" the Holy Emperor inquired, his voice dangerously low.

For a fleeting moment, Elisira felt an unyielding resolve, as if retreating now would shatter something vital within her.

Consequently, she met her father's gaze directly.

"I am merely relaying what I witnessed," she affirmed, her voice possessing a newfound firmness.

"Walterk and his forces initiated the assault on the forest." A brief pause followed.

The vivid recollection of Walterk's axe strike replayed in her thoughts. That very attack had aimed to annihilate her alongside Daniel.

That scoundrel had nearly ended her life! Had Daniel not intervened, she would not be standing here now.

"He merely retaliated."

The ambiance of the hall plummeted into an icy chill. An immense pressure permeated the air, extinguishing several of the flickering candles.

The Holy Emperor gradually ascended from his throne, his resplendent white and gold robes trailing across the stone floor.

"That entity annihilated thousands," his voice, though quiet, imbued each word with an oppressive weight.

"He annihilated one of the top ten Eternal Warriors." His gaze locked onto his daughter's, piercing and unyielding.

"And you endeavor to portray him as justified?"

Elisira's lip trembled slightly, for the stark reality was that her father wasn't mistaken. Daniel's actions had indeed been horrific.

Monstrous. Yet, she had personally witnessed Walterk's intent to eliminate her without the slightest hesitation.

Had Walterk not launched the attack, Daniel would never have retaliated so decisively. Upon their initial encounter with Daniel, he had not only refrained from attacking them but had allowed them to depart unharmed.

What amplified her internal conflict further was Daniel's pronouncement that she still couldn't forget.

"I am overwhelmingly confident that this tree represents this world's sole bastion of hope for salvation." Her mind waged a fierce battle between these two conflicting truths.

The empire's interests versus her own firsthand account. At that precise juncture, Serius finally moved from his position by the window. The soft echo of his footsteps resonated across the hall's pristine stone tiles.

"He perceives all his prey as sustenance for that tree," he stated, his gaze unfocused, not directly meeting either of theirs.

Both father and daughter turned their attention towards him. Serius remained silent for several long seconds, his eyes fixed on Elisira.

"The crucial question, if he is not a fiend, is why does he slaughter these creatures instead of liberating them, only to offer their remnants – their life force, their souls, all that remains – to the tree?" he continued, his voice dropping to a hushed tone.

Elisira's heart faltered for a moment, and she bit her lip once more, recognizing the undeniable truth in the young man's words. She too had witnessed Daniel feeding his kills to the tree.

All those thousands of lives extinguished that day had served as nourishment for the tree.

And if this tree truly held the key to the world's salvation, why did it sustain itself on the fallen? Could a benevolent tree genuinely thrive on the deceased?

Did that not more closely resemble the actions of a malevolent entity?

Furthermore, there was an intensity in Serius's gaze that, for the first time, instilled a sense of unease in Elisira.

His understanding was too profound, his insight too unnervingly precise.

A heavy silence descended upon the hall once more.

The Holy Emperor remained immobile for a considerable interval.

"Until I grant my permission, you are confined to your chambers," he finally declared in a subdued tone.

Elisira's eyes widened in disbelief. For a moment, speech failed her completely. It wasn't fear that rendered her speechless, but incandescent rage. Fury that, after witnessing such profound truths, she was being treated as a prisoner.

She refused to yield until she grasped the complete truth.

"Father--" she began, taking a step forward.

"This is the Emperor's decree, not your father's spoken word," the Emperor's voice sliced through her plea, sharp and cold as an icy blade.

That pronouncement wounded her more deeply than any physical blow could have. Silence reigned for several seconds before two royal knights advanced solemnly.

Their presence amplified the humiliation Elisira felt. She cast a final, lingering glance at her father, but he had already averted his gaze completely. A profound sense of fracture echoed within her.

Without a word, she turned and departed. The colossal doors of the hall boomed shut behind her with a resounding thud.

Boom.

The Holy Emperor gazed at the now-closed doorway for a few moments before releasing a slow, deep breath.

"What is your assessment?" he inquired, his back still turned.

"My assessment is that we comprehended far too late the true nature of what we are confronting," Serius responded, a cold glint in his eyes.