Affinity:Chaos

With a piece of simple information, the tides of the battle switched entirely. From the Blue Wind Empire being the ones forced back, it turned to the Qilin Empire. 

The change happened so fast that before the generals in the camps could figure out what was going on, almost twenty percent of their troops were wiped out. They quickly retreated back into the empire. 

Bearing the assault of two empires, it was impossible for them to hold out for long. Unlike when they trod with caution when they heard of the Azure Empire attacking the Blue Wind Empire, the two empires attacked with full force. Causing devastating damage in a matter of hours. 

….

Qilin Empire, The Capital. 

It was just like the first time Grey came here, busy in every sense. The structures here were on another level compared to that of other cities. 

Most of the people at the gates of the city were traders and merchants. 

After getting into the city, Jason and the others took flight once again. There was a defensive array laid in the walls of the city, making it impossible to fly in without an insignia. Jason naturally had that insignia, but since he was moving with others he had to follow them through the gate. 

It didn't take long before a flamboyant castle came to view. 

When they got to the gates of the castle, they had to land once again. It was illegal to fly into or even over the castle. If anyone were to go against this rule, they would be immediately cut down. The Crowned Prince, the Emperor, and a selected few were naturally excepted from this punishment. 

On the way to the castle, old man Gerald had tried contacting Grey a couple of times. He was one of the first people who heard of the news of their capture. 

Grey couldn't take out the communication device, so he naturally couldn't reply. 

He had been speaking with Void all through the time, carefully plotting their escape route. He even had the thought of teaching Void the array for long teleportation. Unfortunately, even after repeated teachings, Void was still unable to grasp it. 

Given Void's ability to hide from arrays, Grey initially thought he would be a natural born array master. 

They were all taken to the main hall. The Principal, Instructor Blake, and Delia decided it was best to stay out of this. Jason invited them to come over, but the Principal refused, opting to stay somewhere in the city. 

He didn't have any plans of meeting with the Emperor. There was no telling what he might do if he saw him. 

The Emperor was still an Overlord Plane Elementalist after all, and was no match for him. If Grey were to go full power on him, he would be able to take out the Emperor, albeit not easily. 

….

Inside the castle. 

A stout man with a crown sat silently on the throne that was in the middle of the hall, before him were four youths. Jason and the two Sage Plane Elementalists were standing beside him. He was none other than the Emperor of the Qilin Empire. 

"You're the one they call Grey?" The Emperor finally opened his mouth to speak. 

The first person he questioned was Grey. This was the person who not only crippled some of his children, but also threatened to cripple every single child he had. 

Grey nodded, his demeanor was the same as always, calm and collected. There wasn't an inch of fear on his face, even when faced against the Emperor of the Qilin Empire. 

"Haha, bold and haughty, just like your Teacher," The Emperor laughed, but everyone could sense the anger hidden in it. 

"To be able to defeat the Mayor who is almost at the Peak of the Overlord Plane while still being in the Fifth stage of said Plane is quite impressive. But what I'm more concerned about is how you were able to advance from the Peak of the Origin Plane to the Fifth stage of the Overlord Plane with such ease," The Emperor continued. 

Just like the first time, Grey didn't say anything, just taking a glance around the hall. 

The Emperor felt annoyed after being ignored by Grey in just a blatant manner.

"Boy, you're already in so much trouble already. Do you think your Teacher will be able to save you?" The Emperor asked irritatedly. 

"No," Grey replied calmly. 

"It's a good thing you know." The Emperor snorted coldly before turning to Jason. 

Jason whispered a few words in his ears and he nodded in agreement. 

"Take them to the garden, we'll test their aptitudes there. If any of them were to have a violet elemental grade, then it is settled. We wouldn't need to wait for the records from the Academy," The Emperor ordered. 

Jason nodded before leading the group to the garden. 

This was exactly the same place Grey and his friends came when the Emperor addressed them before leaving for the trail land. There was a stone situated at the center of the garden, and they all knew what it was meant for, testing the elements and elemental grade of youngsters when they come of age. 

Panic flashed across the eyes of Klaus and the others, even the usually cool and collected Grey wasn't calm any longer. Of course, they hid their expressions from Jason. 

"You'll be the first one taking the test, after all, you were the one who was said to obtain the item," The Emperor pointed at Grey. 

"I didn't get the chance to acquire the Great Earth Essence Liquid, no one did. A terrifying foe appeared and almost wiped out everyone who entered the place. If we didn't retreat decisively, we would've died. How could someone who was busy running for his life have the time to collect a treasure?" Grey questioned. 

"Place your hand on the stone, it'll determine if you truly obtained it or not," Jason replied with a calm smile. 

Grey snorted coldly but still did as instructed. 

As soon as his right palm made contact with the stone, a dark orb covered in lightning and flames shot towards him from a close range, exploding before anyone could even react.