Chapter 248: You Can Trust Me

"Please Calm your anger, Mother-in-law."‚ÄãThe words echoed through the abyssal expanse of the Great Prison, dripping with an unsettling calm that only Julian, the Great King of the Aethelgard lineage, could muster.

​"Don’t call me that!!" Genevieve yelled.

​Her fury was a physical force. Waves of incandescent golden light erupted from her ethereal form, a miniature supernova that instantly vaporized the encroaching darkness. Thousands of Julian’s shadow soldiers, entities formed from the purest void energy, shattered like fragile glass under the sheer magnitude of the Absolute Sun Judgement.

​Julian wasn’t bothered about the death of his soldiers. As the master of the void, he could simply create them again with a snap of his fingers. Unfazed by the blinding display of god-tier power, he simply stood up from his obsidian throne, the dark fabric of his regal attire shifting like living smoke, and bowed at Genevieve.

‚Äã"You are two centuries older than me, and you are also a Peak Divine Sovereign cultivator, one step away from becoming the first Supreme Heaven in the whole Galaxy, but..." He paused, his golden eyes meeting her burning, solar gaze, and continued:

​"It’s only right for me to show you my respect... At your peak, you’re a hundred times stronger than me." He said, subtly moving his eye behind him, staring at the darkness.

​’This stubborn Hydra always act mighty, and now he is so scared of a piece of her soul... Well, I don’t blame him, even I will be horrified if she appears before me... But this here is only one piece of her soul.’ He thought, the monstrous presence dwelling within his own core reacting to the overwhelming heat. Slowly, he looked up at Genevieve, his expression masking his deep, calculating intellect.

​"You haven’t answered my question, why are you still focusing on that Prophecy?!" Genevieve snapped at him, her voice vibrating with decades of protective instinct.

‚Äã"Oh my... The Sun family represents light, life and are the protectors of the whole world, while the Aethelgard family are the complete opposite... But I am not like my family, you should have seen it... If you leave your daughter in my protection, no one alive will dare hurt her." He vowed, staring at her with an intensity that bordered on affection.

​"You still haven’t answered my question."

‚ÄãThe Golden energy around Genevieve violently rose into the air, compressing and solidifying until it formed a huge, sky-piercing sword. Its brilliance was so bright it illuminated the whole dark prison, casting harsh, immovable shadows behind Julian.

​"I will never let go of the prophecy because it’s the only thing that can make me whole." Julian yelled at her, his usual aloof demeanor finally cracking to reveal a sliver of raw, agonizing desperation.

‚Äã"...Huh?"

​Genevieve paused, the massive golden sword halting inches from Julian’s barrier. She stared at him in confusion. "What do you mean by that?" She asked.

​"My life from the start isn’t like any other Aethelgard... I need your daughter to make me whole... Only by becoming my bride and making a bond can I break my chains and become a Supreme Heaven cultivator!"

​"You!! Are you planning on using my daughter as a cultivation catalyst?!!!" She yelled. The mere suggestion that Mirabella would be treated as a consumable resource for another’s ascension ignited Genevieve’s aura to a critical, volatile state.

​But to her shock, the Great King—a man who commanded legions of void beasts and stood as the apex predator of his generation—dropped heavily on one knee.

​"I will never!! I don’t know if this is love at first sight, but from her previous life, I fell in love with her!! I even assisted you when you sent her soul back on Earth... But, you did something which completely hid her from me. If she hadn’t unsealed the fifth seal of my prison, I won’t have seen her again." He said, looking up at her, laying bare the timeline manipulations they had secretly collaborated on.

​"In truth, you used me to help send her back and then hid her from me. I won’t hold any grudge, but can you please give me a chance?" He asked, stripping away his pride.

‚ÄãGenevieve was silent, the blinding heat of her weapon dimming slightly. She moved her gaze around the abyssal domain. Not only Julian, but even all his regenerated void soldiers were on their knees, forced down by the absolute submission of their King.

‚Äã"The prophecy state something else from what you wish... So, do you have another way to achieve such a feat?!! Do you think becoming a Supreme Heaven cultivator is that simple!!" She asked, her tone not softening one bit. The gap between Divine Sovereign and Supreme Heaven was an impassable chasm that required more than just raw power.

​"I... I can’t say it." Julian said in a low voice, guarding his deepest secret.

​Genevieve narrowed her eyes, reading the stubbornness in his posture. "I don’t know what you are planning, but if anything happens to my daughter, I will make sure you remain in this prison."

‚Äã"You... Um... Are you still alive?" Julian asked, dreading the answer. If the true, unfragmented Peak Divine Sovereign Genevieve was still alive in the physical realm, his chances of approaching her daughter were mathematically zero.

‚Äã"Hmph! You think I will answer your questions... Just make sure to stay away from my daughter--"

​"--I am sorry, but I can’t do that... I know you sealed the bond I made with her--"

‚ÄãWHOOSH!!

‚ÄãA wave of concentrated golden pressure smashed into the kneeling Julian, forcing his head down into the obsidian floor of the prison. The sheer force cracked the indestructible tiles beneath him.

‚Äã"You dared mention that useless bond?!! Something you forced on her without her consent!!" Genevieve muttered coldly, staring down at the kneeling King like a judge ready to pass execution.

‚Äã"For your help in the past, I will let this slide... If you dare reactivate the bond mark, history will repeat itself..." She exhaled, reigning in her murderous intent just enough to spare him. "You are annoying, Julian... Just stay away from my daughter. If you genuinely love her, at least court her as a normal person!"

‚Äã"You are letting me---"

​"---Letting you what?!! Do you forget you’re sealed down here by that person!! Court her after you’re out!! It will be up to her!"

‚ÄãGenevieve took a single step, defying the spatial laws of the prison, and instantly appeared directly before Julian.

​"Remember, you are to court her genuinely, I don’t know how you will achieve it, but if you dare manipulate her--"

​"--I won’t use such tricks!! You can trust me." Julian interjected, his voice firm and absolute despite the crushing weight on his shoulders.

‚Äã"Hmph! Trust you...?" Genevieve stood upright, crossing her arms over her chest, staring down at Julian.