At the Sovereign’s overwhelming show of power, Malakai’s eyes trembled.
If it had been just him alone, he doubted he’d have been able to kill that Grade Two darkness creature. It was an Enhancer, nonetheless. In fact, there was a high chance he would’ve ended up dead.
But the Sovereign… he had killed the same being by barely moving.
‘A Zenith.’
The words thundered in his mind.
But his thoughts had barely caught up before the smooth voice of Varnel echoed through the hall.
“Sovereign, I would like to make a suggestion, one that would greatly benefit the clan.”
The ears of everyone perked up.
Those were some bold words.
For Varnel to blatantly declare that, especially in front of the Sovereign, it couldn’t be a lie.
Malakai frowned.
‘He’s up to something,’ he instantly concluded.
‘What do you think?’
There was a brief silence, and Valentine didn’t respond.
Just as Malakai was about to speak again…
‘I-I believe so too,’ Valentine suddenly said, his voice flustered and a little shaky.
‘And I can bet it’s related to you.’
Malakai paused, his gaze narrowing slightly. He decided to leave Valentine’s weird behavior for later.
Still, he wasn’t the only one frowning.
The other Pulses were watching Varnel closely, their brows furrowed.
Any achievement in the Sanguine Clan, no matter how small, was a goldmine.
Even a suggestion that helped the clan as a whole could skyrocket someone’s status. The blood points gained from it were enough to set one for life.
Depending on what it was, Varnel’s ranking could shoot up.
To them, that… was bad news.
Everyone waited.
And soon, the Sovereign gave a slight nod, granting him permission to speak.
Varnel smiled.
“As you know, Sovereign, I’ve recently established a research and technology division within my faction. We’re still new, but I can proudly say we’ve already gathered some of the brightest minds in the West.”
He paused… and turned to face Malakai.
“The 9th Vein has just shown us a spectacular performance. His battle sense, his reaction speed, truly top-notch. But I believe there’s something more… something that could benefit the entire clan.”
Malakai’s expression shifted.
But Varnel kept going.
“I couldn’t help but notice a few odd things during the 9th Vein’s fight. He only just evolved a few days ago, yet his power and speed are well beyond what a newly awakened Genesis rank should be capable of. And we can all confirm that he hasn’t even begun forming his Nodes.”
A murmur spread through the crowd.
“That means,” Varnel continued, “he’s reached this level despite still being in the Genesis stage. His strength far surpasses anything ever recorded for a Genesis. And let’s not forget… his Nodes had been broken not long ago.”
He turned back to the Sovereign.
“Sovereign, I believe there is something… unique about the 9th Vein. Something we’ve never seen before inside the dome. I propose the clan grants my division permission to examine him.”
His tone dropped slightly, sharper.
“If we can find out what makes him special and replicate it, even partially, it could elevate our strength across the dome.”
Then he bowed slightly.
“All I ask is the chance to find the truth… for the clan’s benefit.”
At this point, the expressions of the Pulses had turned ice cold. They stared at Varnel’s smiling figure quietly. They had all had the same thought, but had decided not to pursue it.
The main reason being that none of them had a research team in their faction yet. Unlike the Lucerna Clan, the Sanguine were more battle-oriented than intellect-driven.
Still, Varnel’s suggestion made a lot of sense.
If they could discover what was special about the 9th Vein, how he had repaired his shattered Nodes and how he was so strong despite being in the Genesis stage, and use that knowledge for themselves, it would elevate the clan greatly.
But what made them stare at Varnel coldly was the fact that should the Sovereign give the approval, there was a high chance that this would be successful, and Varnel would move up the rankings.
But surprisingly, the one who the entire matter was based on didn’t change his expression in the slightest.
He appeared calm, as though they weren’t about to turn him into a lab rat.
Valentine, however, was a completely different case.
“M-Malakai! Why are you so calm!? Y-you’re about to be turned into a lab rat!”
“Calm down. I won’t.”
Valentine paused, utterly confused.
“W-what…?”
“Just shut up and watch,” Malakai said, his gaze shifting toward the Sovereign.
There was a reason Malakai had done everything he did today.
Revealing his power in front of the entire clan leadership had every chance of backfiring.
His current abilities were far too strange, too irregular for them not to notice that something was wrong.
In fact, Malakai had expected something like this to happen.
But he had still gone through with it.
Why?
Because of one person.
The Sovereign.
Up till now, Malakai didn’t trust a single soul in this hall.
And he couldn’t exactly claim to be favored enough by the Sovereign to pull something like this off, the man had sent him on deadly missions, after all.
No, there were only two things Malakai trusted:
The Sovereign’s ego…
And his interests.
The first was obvious.
But the second was just as simple.
Everyone knew it.
The Sovereign had always prioritized the advancement of the clan.
And because of that, he treasured every one of his direct descendants, especially those with talent.
This benefit had once extended to Malakai’s father, back when he was still alive.
The Sovereign’s interest had always been clear.
Which was exactly why so many eyes had been watching Malakai today.
That fact… was the reason Malakai had played all his cards.
He showed everything. His talent. His power. His potential.
All in hopes of catching Othric’s eyes.
It was a gamble.
But one Malakai had taken without hesitation.
Whether it would work or not… depended entirely on the Sovereign’s response.
And as Malakai fixed his gaze on him, the Sovereign finally spoke.
Just one word.
“No.”