SSS Awakening: Rebirth of the Strongest Vampire God Chapter 712 I want to marry Blood God

The emperor sank back into his seat and released a deep sigh. "Every time you say that, it ends with half my court fainting and the other half sharpening knives."

Alzara brushed off his comment and pressed on with enthusiasm. "Father, I wish to wed Blood God, and I want you to officially recognize him as the new Emperor of the Great Western Desert Empire."

Damon nearly jerked in surprise. She got right to the heart of it. No softening the blow. He offered a resigned smile while observing the Emperor's response.

The elderly ruler went rigid. For an extended instant, he fixed his gaze on his daughter, seemingly debating if he'd caught her words wrong. "…What?" he inquired tonelessly once more.

"I want to marry Blood God," Alzara restated steadily, like she was requesting an extra roll. "And I want you to acknowledge him as the new Emperor of the Great Western Desert Empire."

The emperor gradually shifted his head, glancing first at Damon, then returning to Alzara. His eye spasmed. Then the other one joined in. "You're asking me," he articulated deliberately, "to surrender my empire to a vampire… because you want to marry him."

"Yes," Alzara affirmed, beaming radiantly. "Exactly."

The emperor shut his eyes and squeezed the bridge of his nose. "You really didn't waste any time, did you?"

Alzara beamed radiantly. "You just swore on your honor, Father. I'm simply helping you keep your word."

The emperor leaned in and planted both hands flat on the table. "Do you have any idea what consequences something like that would bring? How many people will attempt to kill him?" he pressed. "How many will try to kill you?"

Alzara stood her ground without flinching. "Yes."

"I know I said I would stand by him as an ally, but this is different. The entire empire will revolt! The entire light faction will lose their minds," the emperor went on, his voice escalating against his will. "The nobles, the temples, the old families, every single one of them will view this as insanity. A Dark Faction vampire on the throne? They won't just protest. They'll rebel."

"And?" Alzara inquired steadily.

The emperor sputtered. "And?" he repeated. "That 'and' is a bloody and brutal war! They will go to any lengths to bring him down and our empire along with it!"

Alzara finally dropped her upbeat demeanor. She straightened up, her gaze piercing. "Father, the empire is already teetering on the edge. The hidden orders were corrupting it from within. The Light Faction is splintered, feigning unity while betraying one another in shadows. The Abyss is closing in. Dark Faction is already encroaching on our territories. You know all of this. You've been battling crises on all fronts."

The emperor gritted his teeth. "…That doesn't mean I hand my throne to a vampire."

"It means you select the mightiest shield before the storm strikes," Alzara countered promptly. "Blood God doesn't create chaos. Chaos trails him because he terminates matters that should have concluded ages ago."

She nodded faintly toward Damon. "They will rebel, yes. They will attempt to assassinate him. They will rant about tradition and purity." Her eyes grew steely. "And he will smash them. Just like he smashed the hidden orders you hesitated to confront."

Silence enveloped the table.

Damon spoke at last, his voice level. "You don't owe me a crown," he stated. "But if I wear it, no one will take it from me. Not that you have to worry about it, because I do not plan on wearing this one. I only need it temporarily for something. After that, I am planning to let my Queen here rule over these lands."

The emperor gaped at him, his mouth ajar.

"…Your Queen," he echoed gradually.

"Yes," Damon affirmed without pause.

Alzara couldn't conceal her grin. She sat taller, lifting her chin, appearing fully like someone envisioning the crown already atop her head.

The emperor uttered a parched, disbelieving chuckle. "You're telling me," he said, massaging his temple, "that you want to borrow my empire, use it to pulverize every enemy daring to oppose you, then return it to my daughter like a completed task?"

"That's a crude way of putting it," Damon responded evenly. "But accurate."

The old man turned to Alzara. "And you're fine with that?"

"Not totally. I mean, I would prefer if I were staying by my hubby's side. I do not have that much interest in ruling anything. I will probably ask you to continue ruling on my behalf, Father." She smiled sweetly.

The emperor stared at her as if she had just hit him with another bolt of lightning.

"So if I actually end up giving you the throne…You would rather push the throne back onto me?" he asked gradually.

Alzara nodded without a trace of embarrassment. "You're good at it. And you actually enjoy paperwork. I don't."

The emperor reclined once more, gazing upward at the ceiling as if questioning the heavens about what misdeed from a previous life merited this dialogue.

Damon emitted a soft chuckle, opting not to join this exchange. This remained a matter between the father and daughter duo. He merely served as a spectator relishing the spectacle.

The emperor ran a hand over his face. "So let me summarize," he grumbled. "You want to marry a vampire, crown him emperor, use him to crush every threat encircling the empire, then have me continue ruling while the two of you go off and do… whatever it is you do."

"Yes," Alzara said brightly. "That sounds right."

Silence ensued. Then, astonishing everyone, the emperor began to laugh, a weary, unbelieving laughter laden with decades of strain. "I spend my life guarding a throne," he said amid gasps, "and in the end, no one actually wants the damn thing."

"When your mother was alive, she drove me crazy. And now you," he went on, the laughter subsiding into a coarse sigh, "have somehow managed to outdo her."

Alzara's smile gentled. "Mother would've liked him," she said without pause.

"Yes," the emperor smiled. "She would have. She was a sucker for chaos in all its glory. If she were alive… " The emperor leaned forward again, elbows on the table, fingers interlaced. "You know," he said gradually, "if I agree to this, history will paint me as either the greatest fool or the only ruler who saw the storm coming early enough to act."

Alzara held his stare. "Trust me, father. You will not regret this decision."

That drew a keen glance and then a hesitant smile. "It looks like my daughter has already decided. What more can I say? My fondness for my daughter is not a secret in this Empire. I cherish her more than I cherish my own life." "Even when the Umbra's Hand targeted her, I protected her at all costs. But in the end, I somehow kept failing. Even after the Umbra's Hand was wiped out, I still failed to protect her in my own house."

"Just like her, I have also consistently failed the Great Western Desert people all these years. I couldn't do anything to stop their nightmares."

"But you…" He continued quietly, turning his gaze to Damon, "…you walked in and ended things that haunted this land for generations. What I tolerated out of necessity, you destroyed without hesitation." He let out a breath that sounded almost like relief. "Maybe these bones really are too old."

Alzara frowned. "Father-"

He raised a hand to stop her. "No. Let me finish." His eyes remained on Damon. "I spent my reign maintaining balance. Compromise after compromise. Secret deals. Turning a blind eye when I shouldn't have." His lips tightened. "That is not victory. That is survival."

He straightened slightly. "If the deserts are to be cleansed, then perhaps they need a blade instead of a shield."

The emperor looked back at his daughter, "You've chosen your path," he said softly. "And you've chosen your man."

Alzara nodded without hesitation. "Yes."

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, then opened them with resolve. "Very well," he said. "I won't make this public yet. Not until I prepare the ground and silence the loudest snakes." A faint, dangerous smile appeared. "But from this moment on, Blood God is the new emperor of this glorious Empire! May you bring our enemies to heel and our land a future free of rot," he finished solemnly.

Damon's eyes widened in shock. He was patiently waiting for the father and daughter pair to finish their conversation so that he could start his bargaining, but he didn't expect the man to actually accept everything just like that.

Even a system notification popped out to confirm the man's words and intent.

[Ding! You have been acknowledged as the Emperor of the Great Western Desert Empire. You have gained temporary control over all imperial territories, laws, and authority.]

Damon stared at the screen in silence. "…You've got to be kidding me," he muttered under his breath. He then pulled up the list of territories under his control, and the Great Western Desert Empire was right there at the very top.