NOVPUBPrincess Aracelle was unsmiling as her gaze stuck to the purple portal right in front of her.
She had watched the portal grow bigger and bigger. Originally, it had only been four meters in height, but now, she could barely see its top as it stood a hundred meters tall.
It might as well be classified as a Genocide-Level Gate. Size aside, the energy fluctuation coming from it guaranteed that a Rank 9 Sovereign would pass through.
Fortunately, the portals couldn't support anything higher than that.
But it was already troublesome enough that Pseudo-Majin Prince and Princess could cross over to Pangea just because they had yet to break through their desired Rank.
"Princess, anytime now," reported one of the Big 5, who were all Rank 7 Sovereigns meant to protect Princess Aracelle.
He was one of the monsters Zion had captured and brought to the Domain of the Apocalypse.
Back then, they were very arrogant, thinking that House Pavareth was unparalleled.
They hadn't been impressed when they saw Camazotz, Kamrusepa, and Paimon. After all, their faction had a few Majin Princes and Princesses, and they were already used to such presences.
However, Metatron was different.
It was a being that surpassed their Patriarch, who had the rank of a Majin King.
Princess Aracelle didn't hold back and told them everything, including her wish to have Zion as her life partner.
To her surprise, the Big 5 supported her decision. In their eyes, as long as Zion and the Princess became husband and wife, the rule of House Pavareth in Pangea was already guaranteed.
Not only was he the Supreme Strategist of the Alliance, but he was also part of a secret organization whose powers surpassed any they had seen in the past.
However, they also understood that Princess Aracelle might not be able to tell her family about Zion's secret background.
Still, they had decided to stay on the young lady's side. Even if House Pavereth didn't agree and support her decision, they knew who would be the last one laughing at the end.
Fight against a subordinate of the God of Apocalypse?
Thanks, but no thanks!
Suddenly, the gate emitted powerful fluctuations, with purple lightning streaking over its surface.
"They're coming, Princess," one of the Big 5 shouted. "Everyone, back away and give them space!"
Half a minute after that warning, several creatures emerged from the portal and finally crossed over to Pangea.
At the front were the flag bearers of House Pavareth, showing the insignia of the Moon Feather Phoenix, their ancestor.
Countless monsters poured out of the portal.
Some of them were flying, while some simply walked out of the portal with determined looks on their faces.
Princess Aracelle looked at the army of her faction and smiled faintly.
'Zion, I will do my best,' Princess Aracelle thought. 'But I might not be able to convince my family.'
She wasn't naive or foolish.
The young lady understood that even if her father doted on her, the true decision maker was her older brother, who was known to be very ruthless.
Even she feared him. There had been instances when a family member committed a mistake, and he'd never been lenient, even punishing the former in public in order to make an example.
But just like her father, he had a soft side when it came to her, so they got along very well.
He was the Crown Prince of House Pavareth and was a Rank 7 Sovereign.
The Prince was also twenty years older than her, which wasn't that big of a gap for a long-lived race that could live up to two thousand years.
As more monsters poured out of the portal, she finally saw a golden chariot being pulled by a Rank 8 Mastodon.
Seated on the chariot was none other than the Crown Prince of House Pavareth, Prince Valen Therion Velora Pavareth.
He gazed at his sister in the distance and gave her a confident smirk, which made the princess smile faintly.
"With this army, what do you think are our chances of making this land ours, Princess?" one of the Big Five, who goes by the name Sevrien, asked.
"You already know the answer to that question, Sevrien," Princess Aracelle replied. "The one who will rule this land is the strongest."
The law of the jungle had always been the rule of the Jinns.
Those who were stronger had the right to make the rules. The weak had no choice but to obey.
Only after meeting Zion did Princess Aracelle realize this wasn't necessarily true.
Her significant other might not be the strongest, but with his brains, even the Princess felt anxious for her family's safety.
'I just hope Brother will listen to reason,' Princess Aracelle thought.
The Mastodon headed in Princess Aracelle's direction, while the rest of the army of House Pavareth continued to pour out of the portal.
Her brother then took flight and landed a few meters away from her, smiling from ear to ear.
"Aracelle, have you been well?" a handsome man, who looked like in his early twenties, said with a smile.
"Yes, Brother," Princess Aracelle replied. "I have been well."
The two hugged each other for a brief moment before Prince Valen took a step back.
He then gave his sister a long and steady gaze with his hands rubbing his chin.
"Somehow, you feel different," Prince Valen said. "It's like you've grown up from a girl into a woman. I think you matured a bit since the last time I saw you."
The smile on Princess Aracelle's lips almost stiffened. Her brother was indeed spot on. She was no longer a girl but a woman who had taken her steps to adulthood.
"You look the same, but the overwhelming arrogance and confidence you possessed before leaving our home seemed to have diminished," Prince Valen added.
The Crown Prince narrowed his gaze as if seeing through her sister's very soul.
"Tell me, did something happen?" Prince Valen inquired.
The Princess organized her thoughts to ensure that her brother wouldn't be able to pry any secrets she wasn't ready to reveal at the moment. Only after she felt more confident that she begin to speak.
"We can talk about it later when we arrive at Alcove City, Brother." Princess Aracelle looked at her brother seriously. "I need to talk to you in private."
"Mmm, it must be something serious then." Prince Valen frowned. "Very well. Come and lead the way."
Prince Valen opened the wings behind his back and flew back to his chariot.
Princess Aracelle followed suit and landed beside him.
As they traveled to Alcove City, they saw other armies marching along their way, which belonged to the other factions.
Princess Aracelle and Prince Valen eyed their competitors, and the latter stared back at them.
The only saving grace was that they were headed in different directions, so they didn't have any reason to clash against each other.
"The Skavari," Prince Valen snorted. "These vermin are really annoying."
Princess Aracelle nodded and glanced in the direction of Prince Zorren, who was leading their reinforcements to his own territory.
As if sensing her gaze, Prince Zorren looked in her direction, and the two gave each other a brief nod of acknowledgement.
She was aware that the Prince was no longer the same as the one she had met back then.
Just like her, Zion had planted his own people in two of the most powerful Jinn Factions that were currently vying for power and supremacy in Pangea.
"Have you gotten close with Prince Zorren?" Prince Valen asked.
"We're not close," Princess Aracelle replied. "But we also don't have conflicts with each other. The Skavari are very annoying to deal with, so I deemed that it would not be in my best interest to antagonize them while waiting for your arrival."
Prince Valen nodded in understanding. Even he didn't want to have an all-out war with the Skavari because their suicide attacks were a very scary tactic.
"Are there any other factions that we need to worry about?" Prince Valen inquired. "Like the Velmoria Royal Family and Azrakith Court?"
The princess pondered a bit before shaking her head.
"The Succubus Race had always played a neutral role in Gomorra," Princess Aracelle stated.
"They did not expand their territories, nor did they antagonize their neighbors. What they do is form alliances and connections, and avoid any kind of conflict as much as possible. They are not a threat.
"As for House Azrakith, Prince Xylen is just a spoiled prince who really has no power. I believe his father only sent him here so his brothers wouldn't scheme to eliminate him back in Gomorra."
Prince Valen laughed. Brothers and sisters backstabbing each other was rather common in their home world. But House Pavareth forbade such conflicts against family members.
Everyone was given a fair chance to show their talents, and the council would decide who would become the Crown Prince or Crown Princess.
Her brother was exceptional in the arts of war and diplomacy, which was the reason why he was chosen as the Crown Prince.
They respected and feared Prince Valen at the same time, cementing his future rule rock solid.
That is, of course, if he lived long enough to take over his father's position.
As the brother and sister pair discussed the matters of Pangea, a dimensional gate that was buried deep underground also started to expand and open itself to the world.
Twenty-one alien-like monsters emerged from the gate and looked at their surroundings with vigilance.
The golden Azothrall, who was leading the group, motioned for the others to follow it.
Their Commander, Lucan, had ordered them to lie low for a week after they arrived before making their presence known to the world.
Although the Artemians were confident in their perfect killing machines, that didn't mean that they underestimated the Wanderers of Pangea.
But keeping a low profile didn't mean doing nothing. They would still do reconnaissance missions to better understand their enemies, as well as find the perfect location to strike.
The Cygni Continent was now entering the second phase of the Jinn Invasion, and soon, the battle for dominion would finally begin.
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A/N: Only one chapter today. Regular chapters will resume tomorrow.
