Eternal Thief

"Utter nonsense! What in the world is happening!?" Antonio was trembling with rage as the entire throne hall felt like an icy lake.

The courtiers were trembling with fear. There was also another handsome giant with sharp bearing and astute eyes, wearing golden robes, sitting at the first chair to the Emperor's right; he was none other than the Imperial Crown Prince, Carlos!

On the left, right in alignment with Carlos, was the second prince, Darren.

This court gathering was different from the usual boring gathering of the past because of the emergence of mysterious thieves all over the empire. Not only did those thieves manage to theft from some of the most secure and prominent powers of the Empire, but one of them, Evil Venerable Angel, plundered a grand duke's household and even set it on fire.

This made the imperial city a huge joke among their subordinary powers. After all, a Grand Duke's status was equivalent to that of the Crown Prince, and there were only three of them. They all had peerless achievements under their belts, and they were the Emperor's sworn brothers as well.

So, targeting them was a direct slap to the Emperor's face and a challenge to the Skylar clan's absolute authority. If it hadn't happened already, no one would've believed that someone had the guts to target the Grand Duke and then walk scot-free.

The most hateful part was no one what or how they tried to investigate this Evil Venerable Angel. They found nothing, and this person pulled this off under the curfew at that.

To add salt to the insult, the thieveries in the empire's subordinary kingdoms didn't stop after that first incident. In fact, they were becoming more frequent and spreading in other kingdoms at an alarming rate.

Those four thieves seemed to have multiple bodies, and they were like ghosts. No one could find their trace until it was too late. The most ruthless one among them was the Skyfall Thief Assassin, who had already assassinated a Royal Duke-level character of a kingdom.

Now, everyone was beginning to panic and started to doubt the Skylar clan's authority, and chaos was slowly engulfing the empire for the first time since its foundation.

It's been a week, and there was still no news on those five thieves. Today, another incident had taken place in Poison Kingdom's royal palace. That's why Antonio was furious, as he knew if he didn't do anything, no one would take the Skylar clan seriously or respect it anymore.

But he didn't dare to compromise the imperial capital security because there was that mysterious expert Sofia had reported to them looming over their heads. Then, there was also this Evil Venerable Angel hiding somewhere in the imperial city.

Furthermore, he even suspected that all these incidents were a huge scheme of someone to make the Skylar clan divide their experts. This all started around the time when that mysterious expert appeared in the golden lands, so Antonio was even more apprehensive to lax the defensive of Imperial City.

But now, if he didn't do anything, those kingdoms might revolt. Although they were afraid of the Skylar clan because of its power, if someone took their entire wealth, they would have nothing else to lose and might even become crazy.

Furthermore, the biggest pressure he was receiving from the Formation Guild and Alchemy Guild as their branches were raided by these thieves. If those two places also joined hands, even he had to take them seriously.

"Sent a team of imperial guards led by a golden guard to each kingdom and have them investigate and protect the important personnel of the kingdoms. Send two teams to the Golden Lion Kingdom and bring the fourth Prince and Princess Riana to the Imperial Palace. There is no need to care about formalities anymore." Antonio coldly ordered.

The fourth prince was still in the Golden Lion Kingdom and searching for the Sky Bandit, who stole his storage ring while waiting for Princess Riana, who had yet to return.

However, things were getting hectic, and Antonio didn't want anything to happen to the Skylar Clan or his children. If they were taken hostage or killed, this would make it appear the Skylar Clan could be killed, and they can't do anything about it except accept it.

Princess Riana was also the fiancé and future empress of the empire, so she was already a member of the imperial clan, so he would naturally summon her here for protection.

Crown Prince Carlos's eyes shimmered when he heard the Emperor's order to bring Riana back as soon as possible. He thought he had to wait for another week, but it seemed these thieves had made everyone worry.

At this moment, another courtier entered the hall and quickly said, "Your majesty, I have an urgent report!"

Antonio's expression sank, "It is another thievery?"

"No, Your Majesty, this is a report from the Sky Heart Imperial School!" The courtier looked confused for a moment before quickly replying.

Antonio had a secret sigh of relief as he was really beginning to go crazy because of these conniving thieves.

"Speak."

The courtier quickly replied with a hint of excitement and disbelief, "Reporting to his majesty a few minutes ago, the daughter of Gray Shadow Devil Grand Duke, Evie Gray Shadow, has climbed all the way to the 99th step of the Heaven, Reaching Devil Staircase!

"Furthermore, once she ascended to the 99th step, the staircase ended up breaking. Even principal Zack was alarmed by this incident, and he appeared in public and accepted Evie Gray Shadow as his only disciple!"

The entire hall was deadly silent while Antonio's eyes shimmered in disbelief and astonishment, and the two princes' eyes were opened wide in disbelief.

They had all experienced the might of Heaven Reaching Devil Staircase themselves, and they knew how ghastly it was to climb every single step, especially once someone entered the third section.

Even the founder of Skylar Clan, the invincible First Mortal Emperor, can't climb past the 89th step. Yet now, some girl outside their clan has broken the legend and even made a new legend that can't be broken anymore.

The second prince, Darren's eyes begin to shimmer with a trace of elation, 'If she can climb all the way to the 99th step, doesn't this mean she's on par with Riana or even more talented than her? If I can have her…'

Carlos also thought of this point, and he looked at Darren, and his expression became somewhat grave since this wasn't good news for him.

Antonio's eyes brightened at this moment as he solemnly announced, "Summon, Brother Gray Shadow and his daughter to Imperial Palace, I'll personally reward her for her peerless achievement and also grand her an imperial title!"