Chapter 755: Impotent [Castle Bonus Chapter]
Emperor Zolthemir smiled, he had already expected Emperor Aetherion to say something along those lines, so he had prepared his response beforehand.
"If you are so confident, I’m sure Duke Azaron would happily welcome a spar between the two of you. He arrives tomorrow," Emperor Zolthemir replied calmly. "I could even give him a call right now," his tone amused.
Although he had once lost to Azaron, it didn’t mean he would simply remain silent and tolerate every insult thrown his way. Besides, he wasn’t afraid of Emperor Aetherion Khaelor Vantheos. The man simply wasn’t on Azaron’s level. Very few people in existence could truly compare to that monster.
"Hiding behind your subordinates? What did I honestly expect from you? That’s practically a classic move for you at this point," Emperor Aetherion followed up without hesitation.
Emperor Zolthemir merely shrugged before replying, "At least I’m not impotent. I know that if I sleep with my wife tonight, she’ll probably be pregnant by tomorrow." He paused slightly, a smirk slowly forming across his lips. "Unlike you, whom even the greatest healers in the world can’t cure or help produce a potent sperm," he calmly sipped his tea before continuing, "who knows, perhaps you’re actually gay and simply hiding behind your marriage to conceal your dirty and nasty sexual urges."
The moment Emperor Zolthemir’s words landed, Emperor Aetherion nearly flared up in anger.
Yes, Aetherion Khaelor Vantheos had no children despite over a century of marriage. He had sought help from countless Crownstar Life Rank healers and had even met various lower-ranked Awakeners who possessed strange and unusual abilities. After all, if someone’s ability could fertilize barren land itself, then surely an ability capable of making a man fertile should also exist... right?
Sadly, Emperor Aetherion had never found a solution to his problem, and because of that, the Vandross Empire had remained without an official heir to the throne for over a century.
Of course, such matters were hidden from the public.
But alas, matters like these could hardly remain hidden from rival Empires that constantly stood at each other’s throats year after year.
So while Emperor Aetherion mocked Emperor Zolthemir for losing to Azaron, Emperor Zolthemir retaliated by mocking him for being infertile.
What angered Emperor Aetherion even more was the accusation that he was secretly gay and merely using his marriage as a cover, insinuating that the true problem wasn’t impotence, but rather that he only slept with men instead of his wife.
Who could tolerate such slander? Certainly not Emperor Aetherion Khaelor Vantheos.
One would normally expect that whenever these four rulers gathered together, they would compose themselves to the utmost degree, just as they did in front of their children and subjects.
But instead, here they were, bickering like children.
As for Overlord Cynthia and Empress Nymeria Sol Virelle, they simply leaned back against their thrones while calmly sipping their tea. Although they were gathered here to discuss the Inter-Empire competition, there was no need to rush. The day had only just begun, and none of them had anything urgent to attend to anyway.
Besides, why would they willingly miss such entertaining drama?
Normally, Emperor Aetherion should have possessed the upper hand in this argument, but he himself had also suffered immense losses recently. After his soldiers secretly infiltrated the Zarethorne Empire, the Zarethorne Empire had returned the favour in full and multiplied the deaths that had occurred within their own territory by two.
When Duchess Syvrein Stormveil had once declared that she would make blood flow throughout the Vandross Empire, she hadn’t been boasting in the slightest.
She had executed her task perfectly.
So after Emperor Aetherion lost soldiers within the Zarethorne Empire, he ended up suffering even greater losses inside his own Vandross Empire and even lost several million citizens in the aftermath.
All of this had occurred within the same seven months during which Asher had been endlessly clearing missions and training.
"Are you both done?" Overlord Cynthia finally spoke after noticing that both male Emperors were now merely glaring at each other like some sort of toxic lovers.
"I am. Everyone here has children, so I really shouldn’t waste my time speaking to childless people," Emperor Zolthemir struck once more as he turned towards Overlord Cynthia.
"How is your son doing, Overlord Cynthia?" Emperor Zolthemir asked as he casually changed the topic, no longer bothering to speak to the infertile Emperor seated opposite him.
"He is doing fine," Overlord Cynthia smiled faintly at the mere thought of her son. "I’m hoping he performs well during this competition," she stated calmly before sipping her tea.
"You always try to act modest, but I can practically see the burning pride hidden behind your eyes. You clearly believe your son will defeat everyone," Empress Nymeria Sol Virelle spoke as she turned her gaze towards the Overlord.
Overlord Cynthia smirked but didn’t bother denying it. After all, even she, a living legend, couldn’t match her son’s achievements when she herself had been his age.
"Sigh... I should have gotten pregnant earlier. My daughter could have joined this competition as well," Empress Nymeria spoke once more. "A pity she only awakened this year. If she participated now, she would simply be eaten alive," she shook her head lightly in mild pity.
But the next moment, a smile slowly appeared across her lips as she continued speaking.
"But the Velkarin Empire has produced something even your son cannot compete against, Cynthia. In terms of pure talent, I dare say she stands above that child known as Malrik," she smirked.
At this point, Malrik had practically become the universal unit used to measure talent itself.
Eyes immediately snapped towards Empress Nymeria. Everyone wondered whether she was bluffing, but at the same time, lying in a setting like this would be utterly foolish since the truth would eventually reveal itself anyway, causing one to lose face.
"Hoo!!! And how come I’ve never heard about such a prodigy?" Emperor Aetherion asked as he stroked his beard like an old man.
"You’ll find out about her during the competition. There’s no need to reveal too much right now," Empress Nymeria smirked.
Everyone simply nodded and said nothing further.
"So, how about we finally begin discussing the rules?" Overlord Cynthia stated calmly.
Emperor Zolthemir wanted to bring up the matter regarding how his turn to host the competition had been snatched away from him. Even up until this moment, the issue still didn’t sit well with him. So many opportunities for wealth and influence... gone.
He glanced towards the Overlord, she had snatched the Thalvorn Empire for herself, and now she had also snatched away his chance to host the competition.
What next? Would she eventually start snatching people’s husbands and children too?
After thinking about it for a moment, he ultimately decided not to speak about it. What was done was already done. There was no point crying over spilled milk.
He could only hope his son and daughter weren’t praising the Tenth Sun too much. Although he didn’t fully know how strong Asher had become, he had received information from his children, and judging from the way everyone here was boasting, this competition was undoubtedly on track to become the fiercest one in history.
’And I hope that Teo Swig kid actually pulls his weight. I heard he is extremely talented as well,’ Emperor Zolthemir thought to himself.
Winning this competition was the only way to recover the face he had lost. As for the Ninth Sun, Thalric Wargrave, he didn’t even bother considering the boy, Wargraves were simply too ridiculous and strong by default.
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Bonus Chapter Sponsored by rebornzapatabob_43
ANNOUNCEMENT: Cleaver of Sin will be making its 1-year anniversary on the 28th of this month, which is a Thursday. This is a milestone for us, and hehehe, if you decide to bless this author with a super gift on this huge anniversary, the greedy author, Asher, Azaron, and Malrik would appreciate it.
But do know that any gift sent that day won’t come with a Bonus Chapter since it’s a special day, and not for this author to slave away (laughing emoji).
Thanks for reading.
