Angel Monarch

Few more hours passed before the few missing individuals showed up. Friendly conversation masked the underlying tension in the air. It didn't help that Sera still hadn't come inside after her arrival.

The reason for her absence escaped most, but the more cunning ones saw her reactions upon noticing Bea.

People immediately began asking who she was, and why Sera hated her. It had gotten so bad, Bea had to excuse herself and cool down in the bathroom.

This angered Otto, and when Bea was gone, he went off on everyone. It scared them all, since he was still of Stellar Rank, able to kill all of them with his aura alone.

However, a question persisted amongst those present, though not posed to Otto or Bea. Funnily enough, not a single one dared to speak with Sera. They would've rather angered a Stellar, then annoy the Deathless Phoenix.

Sera, Bran, and Vicky stayed on the balcony. They stared out into the vast city of London, marveling at its beauty.

The city had a large river bisecting it, called the Thames. Queen Elizabeth built her castle on the northern shore, giving Sera and her family a magnificent view of the southern side of the city.

The balcony they occupied was a few hundred meters in the air, but even then, the skyline wasn't that clear. Tall concrete giants stretched towards the sky on the other shore, obscuring their view.

The castle was still the tallest building by far, but since they weren't in one of the towers, which went up higher, they didn't have the best view.

They could see along the Thames, but the city seemed boundless. They couldn't even see the walls, which indicated the city's immense size.

Sera spoke little, fully focusing on their upcoming meeting with the Queen. She needed to control her emotions during the discussions. Everyone's life depended on her not acting like a raging, jealous fool.

Bea being here caused a lot of her suppressed hatred to surface, but she was gradually calming down, or more like turning numb. The sudden surfaced anger was receding, leaving only her hollow, broken soul behind.

Next to her, Bran and Vicky laughed as they pointed to places around the city, which they wanted to check out. Seeing and hearing them have fun, even though what happened, brought a smile to Sera's face.

She made a note to herself to ask the Queen permission to spend time exploring the city.

They were already going to spend a few days here at least, since this meeting wasn't a simple one. If they failed to solve their problems and create an amicable alliance between the city-states, they would lose the war.

Napoleon already wrestled New Paris under his control. Now he's in the process of getting his army back in order. Vicky, in coordination with the Angelic Order spies, got a good percentage of the army away. Enjoy exclusive chapters from My Virtual Library Empire

All the survivors of the culling deserted, and the soldiers from different city-states were living in New Constantinople.

This was another topic of discussion for the meeting. Most soldiers wanted to get back to their own homes, but that required the city leaders' approval.

Another problem was the Federal Alliance and Central Command. They were awfully silent and inactive during the past week, which meant they were preparing for something big.

The air felt suffocating and full of tension. These next few weeks were going to be horrible. Everyone knew it.

This was even worse than two years ago, when the Federal Alliance first appeared. That was a surprise attack, so people weren't aware of the problem until it was too late.

Now, though, even the civilians knew how bad things were. Napoleon and the Federal Alliance have already established opposing sides; only the remnants of the United Front needed to organize themselves.

After a few hours had passed, the door to the lounge room burst open, and a remarkable woman walked inside.

Queen Elizabeth wore a long flowing golden dress, weaved of some silk-like material. She was much taller in person than most Sera had expected, if she had to estimate about 220 centimeters.

Her lithe body moved like a predator in a room full of prey. Her beautiful face was only a distraction from the hidden power beneath. The milky-white skin of her body made her look like some sort of divine being.

She carried herself with extraordinary grace, like a true noblewoman. Her presence wasn't the suffocating fear of Amygdala, or the prideful obedience of Otto, but noble elegance.

Her every move felt perfect, not overbearing or arrogant. Everyone felt the need to appease her, to obey her wishes.

The pair of dark golden eyes scanned to crowd of people, smiling at their reactions. Elizabeth might've been great as a leader, but she was also a narcissist.

She didn't just asked for everyone's attention when she stepped into a room, but actively demanded it.

Otto was the only one left unaffected by her, since he was the only other Stellar in the room. He let Elizabeth have her way with everyone and only used his aura to protect Bea from the Queen's influence.

What neither of them expected was Sera. She walked inside from the balcony, like she owned the place. Vicky and Bran stayed behind her, their eyes wide and focused on the Queen.

Unlike Otto's commanding aura, Elizabeth's was the same as Amygdala's, only affecting emotions. Sera's lack in that department made her immune to her suffocating charm.

Queen Elizabeth raised an eyebrow as Sera walked up to her with a small smile. The Deathless Phoenix had the audacity to reach out her hand and shake the Queen's.

The Queen's aura turned drowning, as a small frown appeared on her face. Sera showed, with that simple move, how easily the Queen's control could disappear.

In a room full of Transcended, plus two Stellar, and an Ascended had the most authority. Sera continued to smile, and haven't released the Queen's hand.

A silent fight went down between the Queen and Sera. This fight had no actual rules or consequences, it was just a way to test each other.

The people began sweating in fear. They waited for the moment, when Queen Elizabeth would snap and kill the Deathless Phoenix… It never happened…

After a few more seconds into the staring contest, both women burst out laughing and gave each other a warm hug. The Queen's aura fully disappeared, leaving everyone confused about what just happened.

Bran and Bea were the only ones who understood Sera's actions. This was never about wrestling control from the Queen. It was purely a way to prove her worth to Elizabeth.

The Queen only heard rumors and received secondhand information about Sera's personality and desires. Even through screens, she could only see what Sera wanted her to see.

This in person interaction was the first time she could judge Sera, and so the Deathless Phoenix decided to show her warrior side. The one that never backs down, even if the odds are wholly against her.

Elizabeth remained unconvinced initially, so she continued to pressure Sera, but to no avail. When she became convinced about Sera's willpower, she felt satisfied.

"It is nice to finally meet the famous Deathless Phoenix, in my humble city!"

People around the room held their laughter about her sentence. But the joke already served its purpose, elevating the serious atmosphere.

"Humble? Really?! Your city has more people living inside, then my five own!… Anyway, the pleasure is all mine, Your Majesty!"

Sera didn't bow, as per required. Just because she showed respect and acknowledged the Queen's status, she would never act like a subordinate to her, and Elizabeth understood this perfectly.

They spoke for a while longer, then the Queen went around the room, greeting everyone personally. Most people bowed before her. In fact, everyone except Otto and Bea did.

Afterward, she went to the lounge room's door and waited for all of their attention. Her face held a small smile all throughout the welcoming, but now a grim, cold expression took hold of it.

"Many of you have already noticed that Genf sent no representatives. We ourselves only received the news a few minutes before my arrival…"

The crowd murmured as the Queen spoke. Sera herself noticed their missing presence, but thought little of it. Genf was a small city, with only a singular Transcended defending it.

Elizabeth took a deep breath, and Sera noticed a small tremble in her closed fists. The Queen was furious.

"Our spies reported the Federal Alliance's new leader destroyed Genf. The entire city is gone, all its 6 million residents are either dead or worse…"

The people continued to talk, but by this point Sera couldn't hear them. Her mind went blank upon hearing the Queen's words. The only noise inside was the persistent buzzing that was silent for a long time.

"Who is this new leader?" asked one of the representatives, but the Queen's eyes solely remained on Sera, gauging her reaction.

"We no little about him, but we suspect he was behind the Federal Alliance all along. Our reports say he is an older man, wearing a lab coat and welding glasses. He is most likely an extremely powerful Transcended, who loves to experiment on anything alive…"

Queen Elizabeth's eyes stayed focused on Sera. There was a hidden understanding inside them, which meant she knew a lot more than she let on.

"What's his name?" asked someone else. The Queen was about to answer, when another voice answered.

"Harold… His name is Harold…" Said Sera through gritted teeth, causing the room to fall into silence.