[East Continent, Yoloria Empire, City of Glory]

The High Human Empress, or rather Gloria, peacefully sat on her throne with her cheek resting on her closed fist. But she was not the Gloria of before. Her appearance had changed drastically. Her long golden silky hair had been replaced by tendrils of light, her irises had been replaced by orbs of light, her skin had actually become paler but was even more enchanting than before, her bust and hips had become more alluring and her visage even more so. She was positively stunning, and that was somehow even more pronounced with her increased height that reached 191 centimetres. A whole 11 centimetres taller.

Sitting naked on the Throne the way she was, she was the perfect picture of gentle serenity and noble beauty. However, that was a complete deception. In contrast to the peaceful state of her appearance, hundreds of thoughts were passing through her mind like it was nothing. And not a single thing showed on her face.

Clearly, her already aberrant brain had definitely moved, more so than what the increment of Essence Cultivation could provide? But how?

Well... If not because of the obvious Anatomy Refinement she had been practising, what else could it be?

Somehow, the High Human Empress had not only discovered Anatomy Refinement, but she had also created her own special technique. Normal Essence Cultivation would very rarely ever change someone’s appearance so greatly, talk less of replacing one’s natural hair with something as ethereal as light.

Just like there were Essence Cultivation Techniques, there were also Anatomy Refinement Techniques that one could use just by sitting down and revolving their energy. Each technique still caused huge amounts of pain but at least you could stop it before death whenever you wanted, unlike Raiko, who was always testing how much death was repulsed by him.

The more special techniques could do things like what had occurred to Gloria. Which was to not only make a body more perfect, but also forcefully increase the body's attunement with a certain element to the point that it caused outward changes.

Of course, such a feat was actually incredibly difficult and hard to accomplish, but since Gloria was a First Generational Being, every part of her body was incredibly malleable, making it much easier for mutations and the like to occur.

It was quite shocking that someone who was only 172 years old had created a technique like this without any guidance or inheritances, but thinking about the ridiculousness that was her intelligence, it could be said that something like this was only a matter of time. Her first experiences with Anatomy Refinement had only increased the pace.

As she sat on the throne with such accolades practically radiating from her pores, one couldn’t help but think that she looked like the perfect Empress. Only her personality was left questionable. How had it changed after all this time?

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

“Come in.” Gloria’s melodious voice sounded. That too had improved.

A pair of large doors 40 metres in front of her opened as 2 people made their way in. One of them was a tall male with blonde hair and aquamarine eyes, and the other was a similarly sized female with brunette hair and silver eyes. Of course, as High Humans they were both very attractive, but in front of the Empress it was relegated to nothing.

The 2 of them then walked forwards in an orderly manner, both of them in sync like they had practised it many times before and then they took a knee 5 metres away from the Empress. Her blinding eyes boring into them like intangible weights.

“Your Majesty!” They said at the same time.

Clearly, the High Humans had been advancing their culture.

For a moment, the Empress remained silent as she stared at the people kneeling before her. Only responding 30 seconds later when sweat had begun to seep out of their skin.

“What is the matter?” Her voice autocratic and strong yet soothing and charming.

“Reporting to your Majesty, we have received news from the Southern Border that a new species has been spotted.” said the female with brown hair and grey eyes.

“...A new species?” The Empress questioned, the slight dizziness bleeding out of her posture as she straightened up and rested her elbows on the armrests of her throne.

“What kind?”

“According to the Alphonse King, they… they are not Beasts or even Monsters, your Majesty. They look just like us.” replied the female.

The empress' eyes brightened even further. “I assume the Alphonse King isn’t foolish enough to mistake a group of Enlightened Beasts for an actual new species… Well, not that Enlightened Beasts are so quantifiable that a group of them could actually form in one place. Quickly, explain their appearances to me.”

This time the male with blonde hair and aquamarine eyes responded. “Apparently they appear perfectly humanoid like us High Humans, only they are slightly shorter on average, have very pale white skin, red eyes, sharp nails and sharp teeth. Only their hair seems to possess a more diverse capacity.”

“Oh? Quite Beast-like. I would be slightly worried if it weren’t for the fact that the Alphonse King lived to tell the tale.” The Empress said with a small smile as she thought about the boy she had raised into a capable man.

“A new species that looks like us… Although I had always expected another Enlightened Race to exist, it is still a little stifling to think about. To think that one would suddenly appear on this Continent… What is their strength like?” the Empress continued.

“This… The Alphonse King said that they would always swiftly retreat when approached and would never fight, thus he has no idea of their strength. However… he has said that they possess a very vicious and blood-thirsty aura that even surpasses that of the Creatures in the Burning Nines, and that they are definitely evil and we should prepare for their attack.”

At that, the Empress stood up from her throne, every one of her movements smooth and graceful. But her eyes were like twin suns as she stared at her 2 subjects.

“Did anybody manage to learn the name of their species?” She asked, her voice even more imposing than before.

“...Blood Fiends, your Majesty. They are called Blood Fiends.”