If the servants failed to notice Elia’s intrusion, even in deep cultivation, it failed to escape Helmut’s senses. His icy-blue eyes opened, cold and overbearing, to lock on Elia who lay against the door with a mischievous smirk.
Just like Heide, due to Yvonne’s World Serpent blood, Helmut didn’t inherit Konrad’s snow-white hairs. Short black hairs combed back in a classic style adorned his head. But while at first, a feral beauty seemed to hide within his flawlessly chiseled face, it soon vanished beneath the oppressive mask of overbearingness that put off so many.
But in Elia the cold aggression within his brother’s eyes couldn’t produce more than a chuckle.
“Yo, big bro, long time no see. I missed your grumpy face.”
Elia began and strode toward Helmut who didn’t move an inch. As he reached him, his eyes lowered on his brother’s plain white robe, unbefitting of his lofty status. Though unsurprised, Elia shook his head.
“Tss, tss, tss. Nowadays, even commoners dress better than you. Bro, even if you wish to live your life as a pedantic hermit, you shouldn’t work so hard to bring down the imperial family’s prestige!
Don’t forget that our father is the Chthonian Realm’s most suave gentleman. At your age, he was already renowned for his peerless looks! You should strive to follow in his footsteps! Even if you won’t, at the very least, you should take my example. I swear I won’t say you copied me.”
Elia proclaimed while spinning on his golden boots to showcase his purple-gold robe and gaudy rings. Still, Helmut remained unperturbed.
“Our father is a despotic tyrant that terrorizes men, takes their women, and make them thank him for it. And you look like a bitch.”
Helmut stated in a frank, but emotionless tone. The words stopped Elia in his tracks, and he stumbled to drop on his brother.
*BAM*
But as he landed on Helmut, the image of the latter blurred, and Elia tumbled onto the ground with Helmut sitting in the same position, but a step away from him.
“Heartless cunt. Are you not afraid of father hearing your words? Don’t forget, he’s virtually omniscient!”
Elia retorted while adjusting himself on the floor and flipping to lean on his elbows.
“Father enjoys being called a tyrant. For him it’s not just a compliment but a proof of success in life. Moreover, he should now be diddling the new tributes. Once he starts, we won’t hear of him for a week. What is there to fear?
Also, I am indeed heartless.”
Helmut countered with glaring indifference and Elia no longer had anything to say. Trying to argue with this clever brick of an elder brother was a fool’s errand.
“What are you here for? Shouldn’t you be making a mess of the capital with Heide?”
Helmut inquired with closing eyes.
“You’re so dull and uninteresting that I fear you’ll die single. So, I’m here to straighten you up! Embrace the road of the dandy and obtain eternal bliss! Satisfied or reimbursed. Come, let’s wreak some havoc, throw a wild party and catch some feisty lasses!”
Elia exclaimed, and as if galvanized by his words, leaped onto his feet. Still, Helmut didn’t budge.
“For us, -catching feisty lasses- is simplicity incarnate. We don’t even need to do anything. Releasing our floral scent is enough to tame the average woman. But bring any back to the imperial palace, and you risk father bestowing a green and glossy hat onto you.
Recalling some statesmen’s fate, I’d rather not.”
Helmut countered, but even before the threat of green, Elia remained confident.
“Nah, I already found a loophole. Just avoid making the relationship official and he won’t bother. If they’re neither girlfriend, wife, sister or mother, he will have no interest. At worst, we inv-“
Elia began, but before he could finish his words, a formless force shrouded and locked Helmut’s mansion. His eyes opened wide, while Elia’s face contorted into a mixture of stupor and incredulity. Throughout the Chthonian Realm, who dared lock an imperial prince’s mansion? Did he offend their father?
And as if to answer his thoughts, the law structure within Helmut’s mansion changed, with all presence of truth laws expelled!
“Not father.”
Elia realized and spun toward the door while scanning the perimeter with his Seer’s Vision. However, he was startled to see…nothing! In silence, Helmut stood up, and stretched out his hand to summon a dark-purple great-sword:
His Natal Devil Artifact. All Heart Devils had to cultivate a Devil Artifact from within their Devil Heart. That Artifact was bound to their lives and grew alongside them. So long as they lived, it was indestructible.
On top of the Devil Heart and Force, the casting of Natal Devil Artifacts required many resources. Typically, Konrad provided them. But Helmut built his based on resources obtained by himself.
In tandem, the brothers stepped forward, and vanished to reappear within the greeting hall of Helmut’s mansion. There, three of his servants lay on the ground, eyes full of disbelief and bodies ripped asunder by the remaining four.
Unlike other princes, Helmut didn’t have an imperial guard or many servants. But those seven were all handpicked by his mother, Yvonne and came from house Voight.
Although they weren’t Devils, their cultivation stood at the mid-stage of the Void God Rank. On cultivation alone, Elia wasn’t their equal. How could traitors appear in their mist?
“Wait, how is this possible?”
Following a brief examination of the four grinning eunuchs, Elia’s eyes widened in disbelief. The standing four no longer boasted a mid-stage Void God cultivation but stood at the peak! In the Chthonian Realm, where the God Path was merely secondary, Void Gods didn’t have a superior status. Most of them received their cultivation as gifts from Konrad either directly or indirectly through means such as God Fruits.
Although following Konrad’s ascension, the Realm’s cultivation conditions had undergone seismic changes allowing the rise of many experts, in merely two hundred years, pursuing the glory of the Higher Realms was impossible. Many deemed unable to achieve much but reliable for specific positions were granted God Fruits of various levels to fit the bill.
Their cultivation was strictly controlled. How did they rise by two levels?
Not just Elia, even Helmut’s eyes showed a glimmer of surprise. But just a glimmer.
At that time, while the door remained closed, in a twister of icy-blue light, two figures appeared. Both white haired with icy-blue eyes, but while one showcased slender charm, the other appeared gloomy and lanky. Ube and his familiar.
And while their appearance only caused more confusion in Elia’s mind, within Helmut’s it cleared all questions.
“Imperial brothers, greetings. Don’t you feel that this is a good day to become my stepping-stones?
Ube asked in a jovial tone.
