Andromeda Galaxy, Everlasting Pill Sect territory.

  Within the main sect planet of the Everlasting Pill Sect, inside its vast headquarters, Kenric, Rhezan, and Velkor walked in silence with their heads bowed. Ahead of them moved a lean humanoid man, his steps unhurried, his posture straight despite his frail appearance.

  At first glance, the man looked utterly unremarkable. His frame was bony, his features thin, and there was nothing about his presence that suggested overwhelming strength. The robes he wore hung loosely on his shoulders, plain and unadorned, carrying none of the ornate inscriptions typical of high-ranking elders. Yet this was Casmir, the strongest elder currently present within the Everlasting Pill Sect.

  Kenric and the others had returned to the sect's temporary base within the relic world and reported everything to Casmir. With the remaining disciples, they had withdrawn immediately and traveled back to the sect's headquarters. Even Casmir had agreed with that decision. The being who stood against them wielded seventy percent authority, and Kenric had personally confirmed that the divine concept tier of that individual surpassed their own. That alone was enough to signal that his background could not be simple.

  Combining all of this, continuing the fight had been impossible.

  Despite their hatred of returning empty-handed, despite knowing that the Core-Reforging Lotus was the only thing that could save their sect leader's life, they had no choice but to retreat. The only one who could decide their next course of action was the sect leader herself.

  They entered a lift and ascended toward the highest floor of the headquarters, the place where the sect leader resided.

  The lift rose smoothly, formations humming softly beneath their feet. Kenric stared at the floor, unwilling to meet anyone's gaze. Rhezan's jaw remained clenched, tension radiating from his shoulders. Velkor's breathing was shallow, controlled.

  None of them spoke.

  When the doors opened, they stepped into silence.

  The highest floor of the Everlasting Pill Sect headquarters bore no resemblance to the bustling levels below. There were no disciples and not even guards stationed nearby. The corridor was wide and open, its walls formed from pale blue crystalline veins that pulsed faintly, circulating pure mana throughout the space.

  At the far end of the corridor stood a single pair of doors.

  Casmir stopped before them. Without a word, he knelt.

  Kenric, Rhezan, and Velkor immediately followed, lowering themselves to one knee with their heads bowed deeply. None of them dared to release even a fraction of their aura. In this place, restraint was instinctual.

  Moments later, the doors parted soundlessly.

  Inside lay a vast chamber filled with thick, visible streams of mana drifting through the air, which resembled the inner zones of the relic garden. Pill cauldrons hovered in midair, rotating slowly. Thousands of medicinal plants floated throughout the chamber, rearranging themselves continuously, as if alive.

  At the center of the chamber sat a woman upon a crystalline platform. Her long hair flowed freely down her back, a deep azure blue that shimmered like a calm ocean under starlight. Her figure was slender, her posture upright yet relaxed, but an unstable divine concept pulsed faintly around her, restrained only by her will.

  This was Yselia, the Sect Leader of the Everlasting Pill Sect.

  Her eyes remained closed, yet the moment they entered, her voice echoed through the chamber. "Where is the Core-Reforging Lotus?"

  Her tone was calm and soft, but the authority within it was unquestionable.

  Kenric felt his throat tighten. His mouth went dry. Casmir lowered his head further. "Sect Leader… we failed."

  The chamber fell silent.

  The floating plants stilled. The pill cauldrons ceased their rotation. Even the streams of mana seemed to slow, as though reality itself held its breath.

  Yselia's eyes opened.

  They were pale, luminous blue, clear and sharp like ice that had never known impurity. Her gaze settled on Casmir first, then swept across the three kneeling elders behind him.

  "Explain," she said.

  Casmir did not hesitate. He recounted everything that had occurred within the relic. The encounter with the Crimson Vital Sect, the battle between Lara and Kenric, the appearance of the unknown individual, and the fact that Elder Marivelle had been left behind.

  Kenric continued from there, "Not only was his authority comparable to yours, Sect Leader, but the divine concept tier he wielded was higher than ours. Marivelle was trapped within his domain with no way to escape. We were unable to intervene. Retreat was our only option."

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  Velkor added quietly, "We do not know if Elder Marivelle survived."

  Rhezan said nothing, his head still bowed.

  "So," Yselia said at last, "you do not even know what happened to Marivelle, and now the Crimson Vital Sect possesses another existence at least as strong as me."

  No one contradicted her.

  After a brief silence, Casmir spoke carefully, "If the Crimson Vital Sect obtains the Core-Reforging Lotus—"

  "They will heal her," Yselia interrupted.

  Casmir bowed his head lower. "Yes."

  "And once healed," Yselia continued, "they will possess two beings as strong as me."

  Her fingers tapped lightly against the crystalline platform beneath her. "Two," she repeated. "And we have no information about one of them."

  Silence weighed heavily on the chamber.

  Velkor swallowed, "Sect Leader, once their leader recovers, they are unlikely to remain passive. Given the history between our sects, retaliation is probable."

  Yselia did not answer immediately. She watched one of the pill cauldrons floating slowly near her platform. For several breaths, the only sound was the faint hum of mana circulating through the crystalline walls.

  "Yes," she said at last. "Retaliation is likely."

  "And we must bear responsibility for this."

  "In the first place," she continued, "we were the ones who moved first. The Crimson Vital Sect was growing too quickly. Their alchemical output doubled within two millennia. Their disciples advanced at a rate that threatened our market share, our alliances, and eventually our standing within this galaxy."

  "So we struck first," Yselia said plainly. "We initiated this war, we spilled blood first, we destroyed their outer resource lines, we killed their disciples and elders, we forced them into desperation."

  "And now," she said, "they possess the advantage."

  Casmir lifted his head slightly, though he did not meet her eyes. "Under these circumstances, proposing a ceasefire would be meaningless. Even if we offered it, they would never accept."

  "Of course they wouldn't," Yselia replied without hesitation. "Why should they?"

  She rose from the platform.

  The movement was slow, deliberate. Her feet left the crystalline surface and stepped onto the air itself as though it were solid ground. The unstable divine concept around her fluctuated briefly, then stabilized through sheer force of will.

  Kenric felt the intangible pressure of that will press down on him.

  "They now hold the relic," she said, walking slowly across the chamber. "They can heal their sect leader. They possess an unknown being whose authority rivals my own and whose background we know nothing about."

  Her gaze sharpened, sweeping across the four kneeling figures. "If our positions were reversed, would we accept peace?"

  No one answered.

  The question was rhetorical, and they all knew it.

  Yselia walked slowly across the chamber, the streams of mana parting naturally around her. The pill cauldrons resumed their slow rotation, following her movement like celestial bodies orbiting a star.

  "The reality is simple," she said. "We cannot win this alone anymore."

  Casmir inhaled slowly, "Sect Leader… are you suggesting we request external aid?"

  "Yes."

  Casmir's expression did not change, but his fingers twitched. Requesting external aid was an admission of weakness, and it was also expensive.

  "Our alliance with the Ashen Vortex Sect still stands," Yselia continued. "They are within the Andromeda Galaxy, and unlike us, they do not specialize in alchemy. They specialize in combat."

  Casmir hesitated, "But requesting their aid would cost us dearly. At a minimum, half of our accumulated resources."

  "I know," Yselia replied.

  "That would cripple our long-term pill production," Casmir said, "Recovery would take many millennia."

  "And if we do nothing," Yselia said calmly, "we may not even have centuries."

  Silence fell again.

  "The Ashen Vortex Sect does not care about alchemical competition," Yselia continued, "They care about dominance, stability, and profit. Crushing a sect like the Crimson Vital Sect is well within acceptable risk for them, even if two Peak Rule Stage beings are involved."

  She paused.

  "Especially if they are paid enough."

  Casmir nodded slowly, "Then… should I contact them immediately?"

  "No."

  Casmir looked up, surprised.

  "We have already made one mistake by acting rashly," Yselia said. "We will not repeat it."

  She returned to her platform and seated herself once more.

  "If we request aid now," she continued, "we will appear weak, desperate, and cornered. The Ashen Vortex Sect would sense that and extract far more than half our resources."

  Kenric understood immediately. Negotiations made from fear never ended well.

  "This time," Yselia said, "we will wait."

  Casmir frowned, "But waiting gives the Crimson Vital Sect time. They will heal their leader and expand rapidly."

  "Yes," she replied, "And it gives us time as well."

  She leaned back slightly, her posture relaxing.

  "The possibility of obtaining another Core-Reforging Lotus still exists. Rare, but not impossible. If I recover my Rule Core, even partially, the balance changes. Even if we must eventually request aid, it must be done with me standing at the forefront, not kneeling. An alliance formed from strength is very different from one formed from desperation."

  Casmir nodded slowly, absorbing the logic. "But if the Crimson Vital Sect retaliates before then?"

  "Then we bow our heads, pay the price, and call upon the Ashen Vortex Sect to erase them."

  "If they choose immediate war," she continued, "they force our hand. And once the Ashen Vortex Sect enters, there will be no mercy. The Crimson Vital Sect will be annihilated, regardless of the two powerful beings they possess."

  "But if they hesitate," she added, "then we gain time. Time to heal, time to prepare, and time to negotiate from a position that is not entirely broken."

  Casmir bowed deeply, "Understood, Sect Leader."

  Kenric, Rhezan, and Velkor followed suit, their movements synchronized.

  Yselia's gaze drifted upward, toward nothing in particular. "Send observers," she said. "Monitor the Crimson Vital Sect closely. If they mobilize, I want to know immediately."

  "Yes," Casmir replied.

  "And one more thing," Yselia added.

  Casmir paused. "Sect Leader?"

  "Find out who that man is," she said calmly.

  "Find his background. Find out how the Crimson Vital Sect obtained him. Anyone who wields a higher-tier divine concept does not come from a simple origin."

  Casmir nodded, "We will begin immediately."

  "Good. You may leave." Yselia waved her hand once, a dismissive gesture.

  The four elders rose as one, backing toward the doors without turning their backs to her. When they finally exited the chamber, the doors sealed shut behind them.

  Inside, Yselia remained seated. She stared at the floating pill cauldrons, watching them rotate slowly in the silence.

  Her fingers tapped against the platform once more.

  One, Two, Three. Then she stopped.

  "Time," she murmured to herself. "We need time."