The many primitive eyes of the Immortal Clam on the rim of its Shell seemed to dance with interest. The Emperors were scattered about the Court, a full thirty-plus of them, all but the Krakenoid, Mermaid, and Sea Hag truly massive beings of the sea, full Kaiju. Even the Krakenoid Emperor was a full hundred tons in mass and gigantic by Human standards, and the Mermaid and Sea Hag were the size of Titans.

And I kept going nonetheless, because I could, and because I was entitled to.

The only sign from The Sea Emperor was that His infinitely deep and pearly-lit eyes opened slightly.

I proceeded up to the very center of the Court, the point of maximum vulnerability and exposure, and there I stopped, sweeping into a polite bow. “Worldsinger Healer Fae greets Elder Sea Emperor in His Imperial Majesty’s Court!” I said formally.

Proper protocol a month ago would have included me turning to and greeting each True Emperor here. It didn’t happen today.

And there was not the slightest amount of protest from the True Emperors here, even from the Krakenoid radiating hostility with a fresh burn mark on Her forehead. Hostility, and submission, even instinctive fear.

The Sublime Chord rang softly on the Mana all around. They were intimately familiar with the Chord, as it had carried the magic that had shattered The Great Flood around the entire planet at the same time. Even if it took a half a million or more Humans to do the deed, mine was the magic that had carried the whole thing around the planet, and there was no way an Emperor would mistake the owner of that magic for anyone else.

That magic had been nothing like I was showing now, because I had a full collection of interlinked Heaven Seeds, Blessed Blessings, and I was the Sage of Heaven’s Seeds, along with a full set of Tier-6 Stars.

Adding the Holy Water had not been just an additive power, it had been a multiplier among the Seeds, allowing me to apply the full effect of the Seeds’ multipliers together in the Seven Element Arcane Heart Matrix, and then multiply that by my Sagedom, and a base Caster level almost thrice that of a Sage/24.

I was showing a base Aura more powerful than a High Emperor!

This was now officially a Very Awkward Moment, as Sea Emperor had now basically invited an equal, and potentially a senior, into His Court as if I was the mere Vassal of a lesser Emperor, and He seemed to be at a complete loss as to what to actually do.

He had made requests that were more like demands of me, completely ignoring the fact that the Aquatics of His kingdom had basically been raiding the piss out of Human lands and had killed millions of us over the past few years. Beasts could shrug stuff off, but Humans carried grudges, and He could not be so foolish as to not know that.

It would be like making demands of Ice Emperor or Infinite Sands. I was fully entitled to scoff at them, and yet I had deigned to trade with Him.

The Sea Emperor was half again as broad as the Sea Dragon True Emperors, with a double spinal crest where they had one, four horns where they had two, and a full beard of waving, glittering hair along His underjaw where they basically had short beards at the front. His scales were larger and more metallic, iridescent and with their own light source shooting through them, all the shades of blue and green that water could hold, with brilliant golden traceries and edging setting everything off.

There was no doubt He was gorgeous to look upon, and I doubted any Human living had ever seen Him and survived before this moment. Of course, that held true for most of the Emperors here in His Court, who humanity had almost no records of since they did not bother personally with the land. Only Leviathan Emperor duly informing me of them allowed me to identify them.

Three Sharks, an Octopus, two Crabs, a Lobster, five Sea Dragons, one Sea Serpent, a Coral Reef, the Immortal Clam, a great Eel, the Hordemaster Starfish, a Sea Worm, a Siren Mermaid, a Sea Hag; a slowly pulsing, magnificently translucent and glowing Jellyfish; a Sea Turtle, and nine Fish of various types, from Afanc to Marlin to Tuna. Thirty-one True Emperors.

Before the civil war, there would have been forty here. Needless to say, it was still far more strength than existed among the Land Emperors. Twice the number of True Emperors!

I noted that the Sahaug, Deep One, and Locathah True Emperors were all missing, and there should have been at least a Shark-man and Fin-man True Emperor present, as well as a Squid, a King Crab, the Lion-Fish, and two more Shark Emperors.

Naturally, that didn’t include all the Low Emperors of various species who had been corrupted.

And yet, here I was standing now. I didn’t have the raw depth of power that a High Emperor did, but the razor edge of mine was definitely far above that of The Sea Emperor, cutting through His own Presence without effort.

“LEAVE US.” This was no longer a matter that concerned His vassals.

They needed no more encouragement or instruction than that. Casual interest had turned into something far more fearsome in its development, and despite their intense curiosity about me, the Beasts of the sea had submission to power engraved into their bones.

Someone emanating a power that could effortlessly defy a High Emperor was forcing them into submission without me actually making the effort to do so. They wanted to know more, but they felt the edge of my power and wanted nothing to do with challenging it.

They might outlast me in pure Casting ability, but would they live long enough to do so? What they were feeling was power that would cut through their defenses like butter. I wouldn’t have to contend with them in endurance, because I would kill them all far too quickly!

In mere moments the gargantuan forms had withdrawn from the Court, taking their senses and Awareness with them, not daring to eavesdrop. Only the Immortal Clam was left, as it never moved from its place, and we might as well have been alone.

“THIS IS MOST SURPRISING, WORLDSINGER. AND IN MY OWN COURT, NO LESS.” Deep amusement, perhaps tinged with wariness, echoed quietly around me, The Sea Emperor’s jaws not needing to move to speak. “I HAD COME TO CONFRONT YOU ON THE KNOWLEDGE YOU CLAIM YOU HELD OF WHERE THE TRAITORS HAD FLED, AND I FIND I INVITE THIS INTO MY HOME.”

“Elder’s reasons are His own,” I replied politely. “I merely wonder what Elder has to ask of me now?”

And it would indeed be a request, not a veiled command. Pearly slits regarded me keenly, thinking now. He had probably expected to be able to demand that I give Him the information, and trade be damned.

That was clearly not the case now. This was more than Recognition; this was Acknowledgement, a talk among equals!

“YOU INFORMED MY EMISSARY THAT THERE ARE DEATH ZONES IN THE OCEAN, WHERE THE TRAITORS HAVE LIKELY FLED, CONCEALED FROM MY AWARENESS BY THE NETHERLORDS.”

“That is completely correct, Elder,” I confirmed calmly. “If You are willing to trade for that information, I will inform You of their locations as soon as You have the trade ready.”

“YOU TOLD MY EMISSARY THAT SUCH LOCATIONS WOULD ALSO NEED TO BE SEALED.”

“If Your Imperial Majesty is aware of the Death Zones on the surface, you know that all of them are typified by burial grounds made by Human Sages with the Void and Undead Elements, using the souls of the dead to form personal demiplanes on the conduit they form from the mortal world to the Netherworld.

“There are naturally no Pyramids or Graveyards in the ocean, therefore the Conduit to Below lies open and exposed. It must be capped and Sealed, or the Dark Mana it brings into the world will continue, and it makes it easier for the Netherlords to reach in and influence the seas and mortal world.

“This service I can also trade for.”

“THIS IS A MATTER THAT CONCERNS THE PURITY OF THE WHOLE WORLD,” He stated evenly. Preying on my energetic support of the Land, as proven by my distributing the vivic flame, even to Him and His?

“Aye, and You’ve ignored it for thousands of years, Elder. I can use my time to redress Humanity’s contributions to the Dark Mana, I don’t need to spend it on Yours.”

The High Emperors blamed Humanity for the Dark Mana coming in, ignoring or ignorant of the fact it was they who brought the Netherlords here in the first place. If they wanted to hold Humanity to blame for what my Tribe had done, they had to be held to the same standard!

The Sea Emperor had acted with purpose and frenzy when He discovered the corruption among the Sea Tribes. Unfortunately, just trying to kill them all was not enough, and His lack of vigilance meant the outstanding Death Zones were as or more pervasive in the sea than on land.

It was no wonder so many of the Sea Tribes had fallen, and all the blame lay at the feet of The Sea Emperor!

I could only imagine the blow to His pride and His standing in the eyes of the other two High Emperors for failing to keep clean the vast domain He had claimed. He had clearly overestimated His own power and the loyalty of His vassals, unable to keep and control what He had claimed, the great failing of many a Ruling Beast!

The Sea had no allies, for it needed none. Oh, the High Emperors probably got along well enough, but they had different interests, and were not allies in the formal sense... and despite everything, The Ice Emperor was clearly superior to The Sea Emperor and Infinite Sands.

“ICE EMPEROR HAS SPOKEN OF YOU.” He considered me intently, still hovering there in the middle of His Court, not bothering to approach Him. “HE HAS SAID THAT YOU HAVE BEEN TO THE BEAST REALM, AND ARE CONSIDERED THE VASSAL OF A HIGH EMPEROR THERE.”

“Both of those statements are indeed true. Flowing Silver Many-Tailed Silver Fox High Emperor is indeed my High Emperor,” I confirmed for Him. “I formed a Pyramid to Seal the Gate wrought by the Netherlords into the Beast Realm at the grace of The Beast Lord, who watches over it still, Burning the Dark Mana that comes forth from it and empowering the Realm they sought to make their own.”

“YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE FIGHTING THE FORCES OF THE UNDERWORLD...” He murmured softly, His coils shifting in curiosity, disbelief, uncertainty, perhaps some agitation. “TELL ME, THEN, WHAT YOU THINK OF OUR CHANCES AGAINST THEM?”

I tilted my head slightly at the note of pride in His voice. “If Elder gathered all of His forces together and made ready for war, that would be the equivalent of one of the minor vassals gathered under the command of any one of the Netherlords. High Emperors in their service are as common as Low Emperors are in yours.”

The pearly slits with their tumbling, writhing depths widened greatly at my words. “YOU SOUND VERY CERTAIN OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE...”

“One Netherlord partially constrained by the Beast Lord and making a casual effort for fun invaded the Beast Realm and was pushing back the forces of fourteen High Emperors, all of them stronger than you, until I brought them vivic fire.

“Had He been able to make a true effort, the countless High Emperors of all the Beast World would have had to join the war, and that was only with ONE Netherlord. Without vivic fire, the Beast World would have eventually lost that war.

“The mortal world around us has, in the end, no chance whatsoever against the Netherlords or the Lords of Light. If they make it to this world without a counterforce, we are all doomed, and that is naught but TRUTH.”