Rise Of The Infinite Sovereign

Chapter 338: Triton

Wiping the armrest of his throne, Triton smiled.

With the Emperor’s death confirmed, and no other contender for the throne, Triton was crowned without much hassle.

Jordan, the third son, had fallen into debauchery, he was now a renowned lout, known for his glib tongue used to seduce many women into having sexual relationships with him and a regular for bars, occasionally drinking himself to a stupor.

Such a person was unanimously approved as someone unfit to lead, so even nobles that would have supported him didn’t when it was glaringly obvious he would lose.

As for the second son, ever since graduating the academy, Conor had become a recluse mage, buried in his research.

The last Triton saw him, he couldn’t forget how happy and fulfilled his eyes looked even though he was exhausted at the time.

Conor had found his path earlier than the rest of them and he was very satisfied with it.

So much so, he readily abandoned his right to the throne.

Then you had the youngest.

The boy was the result of an illicit affair the former Emperor had.

His mother was but a commoner thrust into the world of nobles.

With nothing to her name, most had forgone her presence, she wasn’t much and compared to the others, her son wouldn’t amount to much either...they thought.

But just three years after his birth, the boy was making rounds in the noble circle, getting names like child of mana and genius of a millennium.

Then the time came for their family dinner and for the first time, Triton felt threatened.

The late Emperor laughed and crackled, finding the boy amusing, it was a side of the Emperor Triton had never seen till then.

This spurred a competitive spirit within him at the time, and of all that was said, all he remembered where the words "grow stronger"

Determined, that was exactly what he set out doing, becoming an Expert knight at eighteen, he was hailed as a rising star in the academy.

By that time, he’d come to see that Ezra with whom he was competing was completely unconcerned about him.

After deliberations, he also put an end to the one sided competition and focused on himself more.

His heart still lingered towards Ezra, but it had calmed.

Aiming for the throne. Triton went on missions within and out of Lexon, diligently building his influence.

Then, during their stand against the beast tide, shocking news arrived.

Ezra had become a demon, and had been taken to Arcadia.

At the time, Triton didn’t know how to react to such news.

He didn’t exactly like Ezra, but unlike most, he didn’t hate him either.

But he had become a demon?

When he questioned the Emperor about it during their last talk, the Emperor simply deflected the subject, not shedding much light on anything that happened.

Well, what was done was done.

Now, Triton’s feelings about Ezra were mixed.

The first most memorable part about that day was the barrage of fire blades sent upon the whole town.

Each blade burst into a shower, snuffing out the lives of multiple Peak masters, rendering them into scorched corpses in minutes.

It was a sight the likes of which Triton had never even considered possible.

Even the Emperor couldn’t do such a thing.

Triton was sure he would die, and had it not been for the knight order that shielded him from the first explosion before Frederick’s intervention, he would have.

After the barrage ended, Triton took a look around, to see only despair looming in the air.

So many lives were lost, some of which he knew personally.

His heart had caved in because of fear, but with the burning eyes of the warriors beside him, he didn’t dare mention retreat.

After that, they entered the barrier, trailing behind the Grandmasters.

There, he witnessed the powers of Grandmasters in full splendour, and the fear in his heart faded like dust.

’That!’ his heart pounded. ’I want to be able to do that!’

It ignited the fires of dream long quelled.

He wanted to wield power like the earth shaking attacks flying all over the place.

Like the Emperor, he wanted to be an indomitable force of nature.

He clenched his fists, feeling adrenaline rush through his veins.

With his spirits high, he struck the barrier, knowing fully well not to mess in a battlefield of Grandmasters.

Excitedly pouring out attacks, dread came upon them like sudden drought.

He felt his tongue dry up from a fear the likes of which he’d never felt and a presence more overbearing than that of Grandmasters.

Had it gone on for much longer, he might have soiled himself.

Raising his head, there lay the object of his dread.

A demon bathed in crimson energy looked at him like a piece of stone, before sending fire blades at them as a welcoming gift.

Again, it was the commander that grabbed him in the nick of time and bolted out of the blast radius.

Unfortunately, a side of his face along with a bit of hair was singed.

Like a joke, Triton felt his dream fade as he stared at the demon.

But not for long.

Blue slashes tore at the demon and he ran away, astounding Triton, who sought whatever could make such a being run.

But the person’s speed was beyond him, leaving only the image of a white blur.

Back on his feet soon after, he follows the commander’s lead and groups up with the rest.

Soon after, a wave of more than hundred demons besieged them, forcing Triton into a battle for his life.

Vanquishing them, he was just in time to witness Ezra and Alvarach.

If Grandmasters attacks were earth shaking, these ones were earth shattering.

He was in awe of such power.

Imagine his surprise when he found it to be his younger brother.

After the initial awe and amazement, came an inexplicable envy.

At the time, Triton couldn’t find his voice to speak up and call out to his brother before being thrown out of the barrier like a donkey.

Was it fear or was it wounded pride? His heart had been unsettled ever since.

The youngest had exceeded Grandmaster rank, in contrast, he was just at mid master rank.

Such an appalling gap struck deep into his heart.

Then, the abrupt announcement of the Emperor’s death had also dealt a huge blow to his psyche, so he wasn’t in the right moments to process anything.

He was escorted back to Kingsmere with his right hand man, knights lucky enough to survive and the only two mercenaries left alive.

With so much happening, it took a while for the official matters to be handled.

The Emperor’s demise was announced, but the fact that it was to a demon was known only to few.

The nobles-having received news of all that happened-comported themselves, for the fear of Ezra coming to find trouble with them.

After all, thanks to Ziltris chasing Ezra during the beast tide, the fortress had been destroyed and many children were buried in its wake.

Aggrieved, nobles banded together and petitioned for his public execution.

It worsened when news of him becoming a demon spread.

They started calling for the death of the siblings and even his mother as well.

But the late Emperor wasn’t one to bend, so he withstood all the pressure, placing Ezra and the siblings in Arcadia, where no one could find them, or find fault with them staying there.

Now, with Ezra being Orion’s strongest, they quickly packed up their complaints and shut themselves behind closed doors.

Oh, how the tables had turned.

This smoothed the process, with no one objecting, it took far less time than initially thought.

Still, rubbing his armrest, Triton couldn’t feel the satisfaction he’d always dreamt of.

Tapping his armrest, he feels someone’s arms on his shoulders.

"Dear" her voice broke him from his stupor. "Whatever is the matter?"

Vena Ferguson. Daughter of Viscount, no, Duke Ferguson now.

Triton had taken a fancy to the woman during his missions, and later married her.

Their wedding was another reason as to why the coronation happened only recently.

Sharing a kiss, Triton stares into the dazzling blue eye of his wife.

"Nothing much" he says. "I simply can’t get my mind of the youngest these days"

Vena ’hmm’ ed, he’d talked extensively about it before, but as a woman, she couldn’t comprehend it from his viewpoint.

"So, what do you want to do?"

"I want to be as strong, no, stronger than he is" he speaks with conviction.

He taps his armrest. "In the face of that kind of power, I feel this throne is worthless"

Looking his wife in the eye, he continues. "I will to go into seclusion soon, and it would take a while before I return"

In truth, prior to returning to Kingsmere, he planned to enter seclusion for as long as it took until he reached Grandmaster level.

He felt he wouldn’t be able to hold his head high in front of the youngest if he wasn’t at least that strong.

It was Bolton that persuaded him with his incessant pestering.

Saying the throne was a core symbol for Niton, one uniting the Empire and it couldn’t be left empty, else Niton would likely fracture in the near future.

He tried to deflect responsibility onto Jordan or Connor, but that was a dead end.

Bolton cited that "No one would listen or even take him seriously, and that would weaken the royal family’s power, which I simply cannot allow"

As for Connor, few knew where he was, the boy had hidden himself deeply, shrugging off all responsibilities to focus on researching potions and spells.

Even so, if Bolton went all out, he could very well find him, the problem was that a tower headmaster was personally protecting the boy, saying "Being held up in a palace would only hinder his potential, and waste his precious talent. I simply can’t let that happen"

For better understanding, the tower head was a spatial mage.

Moreover, his mother didn’t mince her words when telling him to accept the position and to also introduce the girl he’d mentioned previously.

As such, Triton found himself without a choice.

At her request, he wed Vena before the coronation, clear from her words, this woman was earnestly wanting a grandchild or two.

"Hmm" Vena pouts. "Okay" then she replies with a smile. "But only after two weeks"

"Fine" Triton readily accepted, pulling her forward and sitting her on his lap.

Feeling the left side of his face, she traces the light burn scars with her hand.

Others could say it made Triton unsightly, but to her, it only enhanced his handsomeness.

Playing with her brown hair, he couldn’t help but comment.

"You look even more beautiful today"

Giggling, she gives a coy smile and kisses him.

"I know"

They descend into a show of love soon after.

---------------

While those two frolicked, Ezra reached Sirion.

Even though he could pinpoint the Ice source if he tried, Zydrax took things easy, landing at the continent’s edge and began walking at a hearty pace.

In the first place, he came to sightsee, taking the ice source was just a side quest he could complete at any time.

Unexpectedly, he felt a bit of the chill, meaning the ice went beyond his resistance.

In other cases, it meant the ice was colder than the ice he created.

When you consider the fact that he was Mythic rank, this discovery was anything but simple.

For reference, the edge was basically a palisade made of conjoined icebergs, forming a wall the height of a mountain and with the thickness of iron across the entire continent.

Like a bowl, though the outside was large, the insides were not.

Walking along the edge, he surveys the insides, sighting many creatures scattered about, yet were all of the same race.

Ice men.