Heaven, Earth, Me

Emperor Azure Abyss sat on his throne with his eyes closed. By his side, most of his close aides stood. His family was also there, together with several high-ranking people. In total, more than 400 people were gathered. 

"Father! I can't accept this!"

The mother of the shark-man that just shouted spoke sternly. "Don't speak. We lost the war. Now, we will welcome the last day with dignity! Don't embarrass your father even at this moment!" 

The son's expression sank, and he retorted. "You always liked my sister more anyway! I am standing up against going down without a fight, and instead, I am berated!? Spineless! All of you are spineless bastards!"

BOOM!

The door leading to the room was blasted open, and from it, all the top leaders of the Astral Sky Alliance, Yasenia included, walked inside. Emperor Azure Abyss opened his eyes and looked at Yasenia with a penetrating gaze. "You are here, yet I find it hard to believe. How old are you, Yasenia Dravory?"

Yasenia answered. "Older than 60." She looked around and hummed. "This is surprising." 

Emperor Azure Abyss asked. "Why? Did you expect traps to be in the throne room?"

The dragoness nodded. "I won't lie. I did."

Emperor Azure Abyss shook his head. "If an enemy has infiltrated this deep, that means the rest of the Empire has collapsed. There is no point in placing defenses in the center of everything. You've arrived here uninvited; that is enough to tell everyone that you've won."

The dragoness looked at him and asked. "Commendable. Why were you part of the Continental Shadows? Unlike other powers from that faction, you've fought fiercely yet bravely. Your soldiers show a solid moral compass and heroic spirit. You are also a wise ruler who ruled the Empire and maintained it as the most potent underwater power for 4,000 years. You don't seem to fit in with the rest."

The Emperor's lips arched slightly. "Aren't there people who play foul on the other side? Me being on the side considered 'Evil' by the rest of you means nothing to me. My interests were aligned with them more than they were with any other group. Hence, what's stopping me from joining a group that will make me more prosperous?" 

Yasenia stopped walking right before the stairs that led to the 300 people on the top. Yet, even when Yasenia was below them, her aura and demeanor made it impossible to look at the scene like superiors looking down on an inferior creature.

On the contrary, Yasenia's piercing and vast aura made it look like a challenger that was about to shoot down those in the sky. 

"Emperor Azure Abyss, I won't be wordy with you. Your character and the character of your subordinates have been praiseworthy. As with everyone under the Heavens, you and I had a fate that led to us being enemies. Yet, I can see us becoming friends if the situation were different."

The dragoness stated. "You lost. I won. Now, my Astral Sky Alliance will dominate air, land, and sea. Do you accept this hegemony? Or will you continue resisting?" 

Emperor Azure Abyss's lips arched. "Are you giving me a chance to join you, Yasenia Dravory?"

The dragoness raised her eyebrow. "Even the Steel Back Wolves joined us. Your power is now a shell. Before, you were a beast that swallowed everything that touched land. Now, you are toothless and powerless. I have nothing to lose by accepting you. Rancor and vengeance are meaningless. While I've killed many, and the Ocean Chasm Empire has been bathed with blood, only top-level cultivators and those participating in the war perished. The cities are almost untouched, and the population has dropped, at most, 2%." 

Yasenia smiled. "You are not worse off than a few millennia ago. Just, a bit of your territory will be redistributed. Still, if you join my side, you will maintain around 50% of your land. Because of the tight grip I have on everything, I can afford to plan out new borders and reshuffle everything. In short, I am currently able to change this world into a prosperous world, guiding it to a new era of cultivation, or completely tear everything down and become a tyrant that rules by fear and power."

The dragoness hummed. "Almost all the enemies that I made are killed or captured. I have zero reason for the latter option when my objective is to leave this world in less than 100 years. I have all the incentives to keep you alive and none to kill you." 

Emperor Azure Abyss asked. "What if I decide to betray you when I regain power?"

Yasenia answered. "Then, I'll kill you. Emperor Azure Abyss, my personal strength has caught up to yours. The meaning of this is that I will never be weaker than you, ever again. My growth is unrivaled compared to everyone in this world. The only way for someone to overcome my growth is to enter the Transcendent Realm before my maids, but that's impossible. All the peak levels I was wary about have been cleaned out, and those who remain are grateful to me… Well, all except those two by your side."

The old merman and siren looked at Yasenia with eyes that resembled their age. Like pools of stagnant water, they looked deep and mysterious. 

Emperor Azure Abyss laughed under his breath. "Good charisma. Good words. Sadly, I can't accept."

The dragoness nodded. "Sure. Then, prepare for the final fight or accept an instant death. That's my last mercy toward you."

Emperor Azure Abyss lifted his eyebrow. "You won't ask why I didn't accept your proposal?"

Yasenia shrugged and smiled, showing off her incredible charm. "I am not interested. I've given you the best possible option that doesn't involve hurting myself. If you haven't accepted that, it means that nothing I say will convince you otherwise."

Emperor Azure Abyss hummed. "I see." Then, he stopped pressuring everyone around him, giving them free reign. He said as he closed his eyes. "I am unlike Admiral Tidal Crest. I don't wish for death in battle. If you will truly end my journey swiftly, then, I will accept that."

The dragoness respected that and nodded. Still, before she could give the order, one shark man interrupted.

"COWARD! THAT DRAGON BITCH IS HERE AND OFFERED YOU THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY TO TAKE REVENGE! AND YOU STILL DON'T ACCEPT A FINAL CHANCE? YOU ARE A SPINELESS BASTARD!" 

Yasenia frowned and looked over, her pupils thinning. While the battle against the Ocean Chasm Empire had been relatively uneventful, besides the battle for the Lobster Clan, as everything was mostly set, they had been her best adversaries by far. 

They were wise, used clever tactics, and tried their very best until the end, and the amount of betrayal was so little that it was negligible. The entire Ocean Chasm Empire saw a metaphorical giant and invincible dragon rushing at them, and yet nobody ran. Everyone faced it. 

And now, when the Emperor, who had done everything in his hand to defend his territory, decided to have a swift death and go to the afterlife peacefully, a short-sighted and stupid bastard interrupted.

You can imagine Yasenia's mood was not very good right now. "And who is that? Not even my intelligence officers have seemed to bother adding such a sea slug in their information."

The Emperor Azure Abyss chuckled. "He is my 54th son."

Yasenia blinked. 'Wow, quite a few. Although four thousand years is not little, I guess.'

The dragoness asked, confused as she reviewed the royal list in her head. "Doriel, why isn't he in our reports?"

Doriel stepped forward and said aloud. "A debauched prince with no accomplishments, support, or personal strength. Not even his treasures are worth much. He is 400 years old, and even with the full support of the Ocean Chasm Empire's best resources at birth, his cultivation realm has been stuck at the low level of the Ethereal Soul Body Realm." 

Yasenia spat. "Trash."

The man, naturally not knowing his place, snorted. "You are just a person without a background! Appearing from nowhere and demanding dominion through strength, like a brute! You are not fit to be a ruler."

In truth, every girl had come with Yasenia this time. After all, they wanted to witness the end of the war with their own eyes. Even the little ones were here with all fifty maids surrounding them and constantly alert. 

So, when he said that, the girls naturally didn't take it well. Now that they were mothers, insults toward Yasenia were extremely strident as if someone was scratching their brains in the wrong way. 

Cecile said. "A person's ignorance truly can go to unfathomable limits."

Evelyn sneered. "Ignorance? His brain is probably unable to comprehend it even if we showed him."

Andrea laughed. "If Yasenia doesn't have a background, everyone in this world is homeless!" 

Angel asked. "Can we not kill that one?"

Kali smiled. "Sure, we can bring him back. I am sure Yasenia doesn't have a problem."

Tatyana snorted. "You know, I've been holding back too much. Now that everything is settled, I think it is time for you people to finally know that your place is below my daughter and that it hasn't been an option since the beginning. Mirrory, protect the little ones from my aura. I am going all out."

Tatyana handed Estrella to Yasenia and walked forward. Her energy started surging, and a massive screen appeared above her. "The day I landed in this world was the day that this World no longer belonged to you."

Emperor Azure Abyss frowned. "You are Tatyana Dravory, right? Yasenia Dravory's mother. I admit you are strong, but aren't you too arrogant?"

"This eminence is talking. [Silence], Mortal."

BOOM!

The entire place was instantly covered in Tatyana's soul, making everything and everyone feel like their throats were being grabbed. Her entire presence was magnified to a terrifying degree, which gave the sensation of being suspended in a space where an infinitely big giant had appeared.

Tatyana spoke, her voice reverberating with the power of her soul. "This eminence is called Tatyana Dravory. I am the Death Empress beyond this pitiful universe that has unified a large part of the [Underworld] and attained the [Death], [Fate], and [Underworld] laws. From today onward, this World will be my daughter's, and those who defy my verdict will become souls who roam eternity while suffering in agony." 

Energies surrounded the Death Empress's body as her dress became her gorgeous royal red dress and her tiara manifested on her head. 

In an instant, everyone who was not Yasenia or the girls kneeled. Tatyana floated and looked at the person who insulted Yasenia. "As for you, Death is nothing but a reward. All who have insulted this eminence's dearest daughter shall taste nothing but desperation. [Death's Descent]."

A black sphere surrounded him, and it disappeared right afterward. Then, looking at the rest, she waved her hand and chanted another skill. "As for you, my daughter has acknowledged a swift death, so that shall be your end. [Death Intent Level 9], [Fate Intent Level 9], [Destiny Intent Level 9], [Slaughter Intent Level 9], [Empress Intent Level 9]."

"[Fated Death]." 

Several threads appeared around all of them, and then the figure of a red-hooded grim reaper swung its scythe, severing all of them except a pure black thread.

Right after, everyone by Emperor Azure Abyss's side fell like puppets whose strings were severed. 

Tatyana turned to look at everyone else and descended in front of Yasenia. In Yasenia's arms, Estrella was looking at Tatyana with glittering eyes while extending her arms. A clear 'So Cool!' was written all over Estrella's face. 

This softened Tatyana's heart, making all her auras vanish as she extended her hands and wrapped her usual black dress around her body again. "Hm~ did you like that little brat? I should show off more in the future~." 

Behind them, every single leader didn't even dare lift their heads from the ground until Tatyana commented. "Lift your heads and never talk about this to anyone."

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty!" 

Yasenia thought for herself. 'It seems, from today onward, I am number 2 in the Alliance.'