Chapter 197: Supreme Divine Emperor
Priam looked slightly confused when he saw Dandara’s expression. It was as if she wanted to do something. So he gave her a small nod.
In the blink of an eye, the girl moved like lightning.
With a flash from her spatial ring, she pulled out a majestic armchair—practically a golden throne covered in velvet—and positioned it with perfect precision right behind him.
Priam didn’t miss a beat. He immediately sat down, crossing one leg over the other with carefully calculated indifference.
He had barely settled into the seat when Dandara opened an enormous, ridiculously extravagant parasol and planted its handle directly into the back of the throne.
Perfect shade.
Then, like a servant trained to the highest standards, she produced a crystal wine glass and a bottle of wine. She carefully poured the ruby-colored liquid.
An absurdly sweet, intoxicating aroma spread throughout the arena, filling the tense air.
Priam fully committed to the act, instantly understanding Dandara’s intentions. It was as if their thoughts had synchronized, letting them understand each other immediately.
He picked up the glass and took a slow, theatrical sip, closing his eyes as though savoring the purest nectar of the gods. The moment he swallowed, Dandara was already waiting with a snow-white silk napkin.
Priam lightly dabbed the corner of his mouth, wiping it with the dignity of an emperor.
Whether it was the disciples or the two Elder Leaders... everyone wore stunned expressions.
What the hell was this ridiculous performance?
Watching from the side, Lumiere couldn’t hold back a bitter smile and covered his face with one hand.
Ever since the day he met Priam, he had known the guy had that unshakable troublemaker energy—someone who loved beating people with a black branch and clearly enjoyed seeing the humiliation on his victims’ faces.
And now?
It looked like he had found his soulmate. Dandara was on exactly the same ridiculous wavelength that Priam loved.
With the stage set, Dandara took a step back and assumed an extremely respectful posture, hands folded in front of her.
Priam handed back the napkin without the slightest hurry, letting out a lazy sigh as he looked up at the sky.
"I just got back from a nice relaxing trip... So tell me, who are these freaks standing in front of us? They must be unbelievably stupid. If they already know I’m Priam, why the hell are they asking my name like a bunch of morons?"
"He’s probably severely ill, Young Master," Dandara replied in a gentle, sweet voice overflowing with fake compassion.
Priam narrowed his eyes, looking genuinely curious.
"Oh yeah? And what kind of miserable disease is it?"
"From what I’ve analyzed, it’s a terminal case of mental retardation," Dandara murmured, shaking her head pitifully. "It seems to be congenital. His brain clearly never developed beyond the size of an olive pit, leaving him trapped in some parallel delusion where he thinks he’s someone important."
Priam rested a hand on his chin, pretending to ponder deeply.
"But tell me... shouldn’t people with dementia this severe be locked up? If you let them roam free, aren’t they likely to start drooling, barking, and biting people’s ankles?"
"Oh, absolutely," Dandara agreed with a formal nod. "It’s obvious his owner was irresponsible and forgot to lock his cage."
"Tsk, tsk..." Priam clicked his tongue as he looked at Validar as if inspecting sick livestock. "For a second I thought he was some rare specimen, but after getting a closer look... he really is a complete retard. And now I have to deal with him... what a pain..."
"YOU BRATS! ARE YOU TRYING TO DIE?!"
A deafening roar exploded through the arena.
Validar finally reacted, the vein on his forehead nearly bursting from sheer rage. The aura of the Elder Leader trembled under the shameless insults. Those two were literally cursing him while putting on a ridiculous show without the slightest shame.
The crowd stood frozen in shock. Even Mishnar blinked several times, completely unable to believe what she was seeing.
What the hell was going through those two’s heads?
Priam smiled faintly.
’Man... being arrogant feels amazing,’ he thought. Watching that pompous old man lose his mind was simply delightful.
"Meh... anyway," Priam yawned as he looked back at the fuming old man. "I heard everything while I was walking over here. Did this little shit with burnt-out brain cells really have the nerve to call the people from our branch pigs?"
Dandara nodded calmly.
"It makes sense, Young Master. He probably spends all day rolling around in the mud with pigs back in his branch, so he assumes everyone belongs to the same species. Actually, judging by that pig snout and his breath, he must be the Pig King. And now that his owner forgot to lock the pigsty, he came over to wallow right at our doorstep... How pathetic."
"I see..." Priam let out a mocking laugh and leaned forward on the throne, pointing straight at Validar’s face. "Hey! Oi, Pig King! Why are you still standing there with that smashed pig face? You going back to your sty, or are you waiting for someone to bring you a bucket of slop?!"
"Brat... you really don’t value your own life at all."
Validar spat out each word slowly.
The next second, the monstrous, suffocating aura exploded from his body, trying to crush the air itself and force the two of them to their knees.
Priam and Dandara’s reaction?
Successfully ignored.
Priam could ignore it effortlessly thanks to his Transcendental Anima. As for Dandara, when she was in this state of mind, nothing in the world could shake her.
The scene became even more ridiculous.
Priam lounged comfortably on his golden throne with his legs crossed, casually swirling his wine as though nothing in the world concerned him. Beside him, Dandara stood holding the wine bottle with the posture of a perfectly devoted maid.
To anyone watching, that almighty Elder Leader looked like nothing more than an idiot yelling his lungs out.
After all, neither of them reacted to his power in the slightest.
"Careful, Boss," Dandara whispered beside him, pretending to panic but speaking loudly enough for half the arena to hear. "We can’t contradict episodes like this. Rule number one in psychiatry is to pretend the patient’s delusions are real. Otherwise, he’ll completely lose it and start tearing himself apart!"
Validar’s face twisted until it looked like a shriveled passion fruit that had been run over by a truck.
He wanted to tear those two to pieces.
But could he?
No! He was completely tied up!
If he dared take a single step and attack a disciple, Mishnar would immediately call in the Main Sect. If headquarters intervened, Validar would be tried for abuse of authority and stripped of his position as Elder Leader on the spot. He might even end up imprisoned for a very long time.
He was completely cornered by his own arrogance. Those two had absolutely no shame in making a mockery of him, while all he could do was swallow his rage.
Just a few minutes earlier, the atmosphere in the 11th Branch had been one of pure humiliation and defeat.
But the moment Priam and Dandara started their little comedy show, Validar’s terrifying aura instantly became a joke.
The disciples, who had been terrified moments ago, were now covering their mouths to keep from laughing, exchanging glances and whispering to each other with completely renewed spirits.
Mishnar blinked, finally realizing what had happened.
If her disciples had been forced to fight under that psychological pressure, they would have already lost before the battles even started.
But now, Priam and Dandara had completely destroyed the enemy’s dignity. They had shown everyone that the so-called terrifying monster was nothing more than an idiot who knew how to yell and threaten people.
He might really have the Main Sect backing him, just like he claimed. But he couldn’t attack anyone or directly use his power. He had to intimidate the weakest branch into accepting his demands under pressure.
Validar had been certain that, with his prestige and reputation, everyone would give in out of fear of the consequences. Even Mishnar had been intimidated at first and had felt somewhat forced to negotiate.
But... if they simply ignored him, what could he actually do? Cry?
Priam and Dandara had realized that, and they couldn’t care less about his anger.
To Mishnar, watching that damned old man on the verge of having a stroke from sheer rage was the most refreshing thing in the world! She herself didn’t have the nerve to do something like this... since they were theoretically equals, he could make her life miserable in the near future.
But those two youngsters had the Sect’s protection.
Any smooth talker could have done what they were doing. But without a doubt, nobody else would’ve had the guts.
Realizing he wasn’t going to beat those two brats in a war of words, Validar turned toward Mishnar and roared like a castrated bull:
"Elder Leader of the 11th Branch! IS THIS HOW YOU ALLOW YOUR GUESTS TO BE TREATED?!"
Mishnar simply adjusted her robes with disdain, letting out a cold little chuckle.
"Guests? I don’t remember inviting anyone. Anyway... Priam fully represents my Branch. This matter concerns the disciples of his generation, so it’s only fair that he handles it himself."
"You... You...!"
"Alright, alright, quiet down!" Priam interrupted, raising his free hand with sacred solemnity, as if a god were speaking to worms.
"Listen up, Supreme Divine Emperor of the Pigs! From this day forward, you may refer to me as... the Will of the Heavens! My sacred grace shall descend upon your stinking carcass, and my divine light shall purify your pig soul for all eternity! Speak, O pitiful mortal of the pigsty! What prayers do you offer?!"
Beside him, Dandara nodded vigorously, giving him a thumbs-up with the most serious expression imaginable.
The vein on Validar’s forehead looked like it was about to burst. Not even on his worst days fighting the filthiest Sorcerers had he ever been insulted like this.
His entire body trembled. The air around him began to distort under his suffocating fury.
"What? Was I not supposed to say it like that?" Priam blinked, suddenly dropping the divine act and shrugging. "Ah, you know what? Screw it. Just spit out why you came here, old man. Get to the point."
Validar had to take three deep breaths, nearly swallowing his own tongue to suppress the urge to slaughter the boy on the spot. In his mind, he had already come up with a thousand medieval tortures for that brat.
Grinding his teeth so hard they were almost cracking, he finally forced the words out:
"I came... to promote a friendly exchange of teachings between the disciples of our Branches..."
"Yeah, yeah, skip the bullshit and get to the point," Priam waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away an annoying fly. "This Young Master is exhausted from traveling, and this awful sun is ruining my porcelain skin. So either talk already or get lost."
Validar clenched his fists so tightly that his bones cracked.
Throughout every External Branch of the Sect, he had always been the most feared, respected, and admired Elder Leader. But here?
He was being treated worse than horse manure by some brat.
Taking a deep breath, fighting with everything he had to keep himself from having a stroke, his voice came out trembling, filled with pure, suppressed hatred.
"Each side will send ten people... whoever wins six matches will be the overall victor. If we win, you’ll hand over two-thirds of your Sacred Mission slots."
Priam looked at Validar coldly with an extremely strange expression. There was a little ridicule in his eyes, a little contempt... and a little pity.
He sighed.
"Okay, if that’s all, then we refuse. Show’s over. You can go back home now."