Miko’s request silenced the room. All eyes were on him, yet he didn’t seem a bit uncomfortable.

“For now, why don’t we all sit and discuss my request in detail?”

He gestured at the table. It was engulfed with a bright light before growing large enough to accompany everyone comfortably.

“…Sure, let’s do that.”

The Guardian Beasts made their way to the table while their proxies rose to their feet. Everyone sat around the table with miko and tia setting at both ends.

“I thought that there would be some dissatisfaction with the seating arrangements but it looks like you’re okay with me sitting at the head of the table.”

“You’re our mother’s representative. You have all right to sit in a position equal to hers.”

Ušumgallu spoke up.

“Hmm…Well, that’s a bit boring.”

Everyone furrowed their brows at Miko's statement.

“Forgive him. When he’s agitated his personality becomes a bit chaotic.”

“It’s like tia said. Don’t pay it too much mind.”

Miko had a joker-like grin on his face as he rested his head on his hand that was on the table.

“With that being said, I require your help to take the throne as the next clan leader.”

“I have a question.”

A woman sitting next to Lahmu spoke up. She was a rather beautiful woman with azure hair with strands of red. Her oval face and ruby eyes were a combination made in heaven. Like Lahmu, she was surrounded by a luminous aura.

“Yes, Shina.”

This was Lahmu’s proxy, the Quartus branch’s guardian, and eldest daughter of ecko, Shina Dragna.

“You said that you wanted to become the clan leader now and not in the future. This means that you’re well aware that you’re on track to inherit the title. If so, why the rush?”

“It’s the same reason why one of the branch leaders will be forced to take the title. We need a leader to unify the empire.”

“So you’re aware of that as well?”

“Of course.”

Miko tapped the side of his head with his finger.

“All I needed to do was think about the what’s next steps the clan will most likely take and I’m able to predict what’s going to happen. Even if I’m wrong, I won’t be far off.”

“That’s some confidence you have, believing that you’re able to predict everything.”

A man next to sirrush spoke up. Like her, he was dressed in a suit. He wore his azure hair with golden streaks in a ponytail that suited his boyish good looks. His golden eyes were locked on miko.

“Don’t you think you’re overestimating yourself? The title isn’t something—”

“It isn’t something that just anyone can obtain. I’ve been hearing that for some time now. But I’m not just anyone.”

He pointed at himself.

“I’m Gamiko Dragna the third, the young satan.”

He pointed at the man.

“But I understand your worries, Mikel. Augustus was a great man, so great that it feels like no one will be able to truly match him.”

Miko looked over at shina and Lahmu.

“Earlier I met Krul and this is what he said…like everyone else, you guys revere Augustus to the point of worship. But if we are to move forward we need to throw away that reverence that narrows our judgment and aim to surpass him and his era.”

Miko smiled.

“I agree with him.”

He sat up and faced everyone head-on.

“Augustus's era has passed. We’re in a new age. We can’t keep being tied down by the past. We must instead thrive to surpass it.”

“I agree that it’s better to be ambitious but we can’t mistake ambitions for recklessness.”

The woman beside Musmahhu spoke up. She had azure hair, was dressed in a military uniform that was so tight that it showed her alluring figure, and had a bewitching face. A witch hat was sitting in front of her.

“I praise you for what you did to strengthen the empire and the loyalty you’ve shown but it’s too earlier to talk about surpassing Augustus. We’ve been severely weakened because of recent events and are far from ideal conditions needed to even consider surpassing Augustus's era. We lack the personnel and manpower needed to make such bold claims.”

(Aloisia, the woman known as the slaughter witch. We’ve only met a few times but it was enough to make it apparent that she was different from the other proxies. I don’t know if it’s because she’s from the Quintus branch but she’s a born soldier. Rather than a guardian, she’s like a veteran general.”

She folded her arms in front of her chest.

“You are the future of this clan, but not the present. As harsh as it sounds, you cannot rule the clan the way you think you can.”

“………”

Miko silently smiled at Aloisia as if her words didn’t reach him.

“miko.”

He turned his head towards the woman sitting next to bašmu. With short azure hair and red eyes, she was dressed in a tuxedo similar to bašmu.

“Yes, Aunt Alisa.”

She was nova’s second wife and mother of his sons, Christensen and Kouta.

“I agree with the others. I don’t believe that it would be wise to appoint you as clan leader while you’re still so young. It’s not a matter of if you can do it or not, it’s about the pressure that comes with it. I understand that you’re eager to fix everything, but I don’t think you should rush it.”

“I see.”

Miko nodded.

“So all of you are under the impression that I’m backed into a corner and can’t think logically. You think that I’m frightened so I’m recklessly trying to obtain power to put myself at ease. Am I right?”

Silence filled the room but that was an answer in itself. Miko closed his eyes and slowly reopened them as the smile on his face became twisted.

“Could you stop associating me with such idiotic thoughts? It’s unpleasant and frankly disrespectful.”

He leaned back in his chair ignoring the look of surprise on everyone’s faces.

“If you’re going to disrespect me then I’ll stop showing you respect and talk to you as it is.”

He lifted his legs and put his feet on the table. It was now obvious that he no longer cared about appearances.

“First of all, if I was the type of person who let his emotions run wild at times like this, I wouldn’t be here talking to all of you. I would’ve gone to cut off Ragna's head and stuff it up marc’s ass for what they did to my mother. Or I would’ve gone to Lushun to fight Joesph to the death for my grandparents.”

He spread his arms.

“And yet, here I am. Sitting here talking with you people.”

“Miko, I’m sure that they didn’t mean to offend you.”

Raven tried to defuse the situation.

“Well, I’m offended. I was already boiling with rage from visiting my mother and now I’m being looked down upon by the very people who let this crisis happen.”

“What was that?”

“Am I wrong, Aloisia? Who was it that fought krow and was unable to stop him that day?”

Aloisia opened her mouth to speak but closed it without saying anything.

“Well, this isn’t just about that day. If you had killed krow years ago when he showed hostility towards the clan a lot of this could’ve been avoided.”

“Don’t talk as if you know everything.”

Tertitus guardian, Mikel glared at miko.

“Krow’s situation was complicated. If we made the wrong move then it would’ve been an all-out war.”

“And how is that different from our current situation?”

“It’s different because we weren’t as strong then. The current guardians only became proxies a few hundred years ago. We were too young to do anything to him then. At that time the current branch leaders weren’t here. We had no way to get rid of him.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. You had more than enough. You were just afraid of losing everything in exchange.”

Miko’s azure eyes started glowing.

“You people lacked the resolve. Not only you, but the entire empire is also like that. No one was willing to sacrifice everything to secure the future.”

“Are you saying that you are?”

“Hahahaha!”

Miko burst out laughing causing everyone to furrow their brows.

“What’s so funny?”

shina spoke with a frown.

“ah, pay that no mind. I just realized how true the saying “ignorance is bliss” truly is. I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.”

he smirked ignoring the frowning faces around him.

“well, I blew off some steam so let’s get back to what I was saying. I must become the current clan leader not because I’m panicking but because I’m the best person for the job.”

“we’ve already selected a new clan leader though. Your achievement pales in comparison to theirs.”

“I know but that person is refusing the title, right?”

Alisa’s eyes widened.

“I always heard that you were smart but I must admit I'm surprised that you were able to predict that.”

she smiled and nodded.

“they rejected their title and we’re currently trying to convince them otherwise.”

“it won’t work. They won’t take the title under normal means.”

(normal means?)

those words caught everyone’s attention but miko showed no intention of explaining what he meant.

“even if they do accept they won’t be able to lay down the foundations necessary to ensure the empire’s survival. And before you ask, yes, I can.”

he took his feet from the table and sat up straight.

“as you already know, I captured the northern region of the continent. But that’s not all, I'm in the process of capturing the southern region as well.”

“what?”

everyone unconsciously straightened their body and lean towards Miko's direction.

“you should’ve heard that I arranged the marriage between alec and the crown princess of the azalea kingdom. Well, I did it to make the azalea kingdom into my subordinates. I also granted them the Newgate country. In a few days, they will begin their conquest to capture the southern region in my name. After things are stable here I'll assist them to ensure that this goes as smoothly as possible.”

“first the northern region and now the south?”

aloisia’s eyes widened.

“don’t tell me that your plan is…”

miko nodded.

“I'm planning on capturing the entire silver continent.”

“?!”

shock stained their faces. Miko smirked.

“no empire has ever ruled an entire continent, my goal is to make us the first.”

“do you know what you’re saying? To do that you’ll need to take on every powerhouse on this continent. Not only them, but their allies from other continents might also assist them….this could mean a continental war…no, it might spark a world war.”

“miko, do you know how much firepower, how much personnel, and how many battles it would take to win such a war?”

“I'm well-aware. That’s why the 3 clans must become one. And a temporary leader isn’t enough to unite everyone. We need a real leader, someone closely linked to all three clans. Someone with enough resolve to take on everyone’s burdens and ruthless enough to destroy countless lives and dreams.”

he stood up.

“This world is hell. If you want to survive you need a devil to guide you through it.”

he pointed at him.

“I am that devil!”

“?!”

his voice caused the room to tremble. They saw a fire reminiscent of hell burning in his eyes.

“At the moment everyone is looking at us like juicy prey just waiting to be ripped to pieces, but those fools are wrong! We aren’t prey, we don’t get hunted we do the hunting! We are dragons! We stand at the top of the food chain! Our claws can rip through a god’s flesh! Our fangs can tear the throats of demons! Our strength can squash humans like they’re bugs!”

he slammed the table so hard it shattered.

“so why must we cower like rabbits?!”

everyone’s body stiffened. They could see the image of a terrifying beast behind miko. The beast’s eyes were as proud as they were terrifying. As if everything in this world was underneath it.

“in the 7 heavens and 9 hells only Dragna reign supreme.”

his voice softened and became calm almost to the point that he was speaking in monotone. As if what he was saying was common sense.

“compared to us everyone else is shit.”

he straightened his body and look at everyone with eyes overflowing with rage.

“the world seemed to have forgotten who we are.”

he clenched his fist.

“then it’s our job to remind them who the fuck we are.”

“……….”

silence covered the room. The guardians breathing were rigid, their chests were tight, and their blood felt hot in their veins.

(impressive as always.)

tia, who was silent the whole time, had a huge grin on her face.

(miko was able to stir up their pride as Dragna members and got them all excited. I bet they feel like they can take on the world as they are now. However, that is a problem in itself which is why miko-)

“But I admit that the situation isn’t favorable for us at the moment.”

(he will make sure they don’t get ahead of themselves and bring them back to earth.)

“what I told you are my ambitions to create a solid foundation. The conquest of the continent must be done in steps. I’ve given it a lot of thought and drafted up many plans for the future to make that conquest successful. However, I am one person so I can’t do everything by myself. That’s why I need the three clans.”

miko looked them in the eyes.

“if we’re united nothing can stop us.”

the guardians looked at each other as if to check what their colleagues were thinking.

(i wonder if the guardians noticed?)

tia glanced at the guardian beasts who all had their eyes closed.

(their gods haven’t said a word the whole time. That’s because they had made their decision a long time ago. They wanted their proxies to decide for themselves.)

after a while of silence, Raven spoke up.

“miko, we want you to give us some time to think about what you said.”

miko looked at him for a bit and nodded.

“I guess that’s fair.”

tia got up and walked towards the exit with ishma and Regis.

“then, please think long and hard about what’s best for the empire.”

miko turned around and followed behind them. He stopped just before reaching the door.

“oh, yeah. There’ll be an interesting event in the next couple of days. If you want you, can check it out and use it to help make your decision.”

he smiled at everyone’s confused expressions and exit the room.

“I think that went well. What about you?”

miko laughed at tia’s question and only grinned as a reply.

“on to the next stage.”