Revenge: A Path of Destruction
Chapter 160: Aetheria 2

Chapter 160: Aetheria 2

Aetheria’s piercing gaze was unwavering as it locked onto Alex, who skillfully sidestepped her question by countering with one of his own.

He took a steady breath, his voice calm yet firm, "Before we delve into that, I have something I’d like to ask you first.

It appears you were aware of our arrival long before we set foot on this mountain... perhaps even from the moment we entered Europe."

The air thrummed with tension as Aetheria remained silent, her stillness strikingly cold and calculated. Her lack of response, laden with palpable weight, was all the confirmation Alex needed.

He continued, eyes locked on hers. "We weren’t exactly hiding, but your mana perception doesn’t reach that far. Not across regions. So I’m curious—how exactly did you know where we were?"

A flicker of heat danced behind Aetheria’s golden eyes. Her face remained composed, carved from discipline and regality, but inside, her fury simmered.

How dare he?

This human-a—Grandmaster no less—had not only deflected her inquiry but dared to interrogate her in her own domain? She had shown restraint. She had been polite.

And yet...

Still, she did not lash out. She didn’t need to. There were more elegant ways to display superiority.

"That’s simple," she replied smoothly.

As she raised one arm, red feathers began to blossom along her skin like fire-kissed petals. In one graceful motion, she plucked a single feather, glowing faintly with an internal ember light. With a gentle flick, she sent it floating toward Alex.

He didn’t catch it immediately.

He simply watched the feather spin slowly in the air, as if waiting for it to change shape—or explode.

Aetheria noticed the way he hesitated. The way his eyes narrowed. She didn’t miss the faint twitch of alertness across his posture, nor the pause that came just before a small mechanical voice echoed within his mind.

"Scan complete, sir. No danger found."

It was the synthetic voice of Nova.

With a slow, deliberate motion, Alex extended his hand and deftly grasped the shimmering feather as it floated gracefully in the air. Aetheria watched him with a bemused smirk, a soft huff of derision escaping her lips.

The sound cut through the tense atmosphere like a blade, revealing the condescension that lurked beneath her otherwise dignified exterior. If her intentions had been lethal, he would not have been standing there, clutching anything at all.

Alex remained silent, the weight of the feather palpable in his palm. He examined it closely, turning it over to appreciate its intricate patterns, his expression a mask of inscrutability. Just then, a flicker of surprise crossed his face as his brows arched slightly, hinting at a thought that had just taken root in his mind.

He felt it.

Aetheria noted the change in his expression, subtle as it was. Interesting. Most wouldn’t have noticed the residual link. Even among Legend-rank beasts, only those who stood close to her physically and spiritually could sense that hidden tether.

And yet... this human had picked up on it. Quickly.

She leaned back in her feathered throne, crossing one leg over the other once more as her ember-winged silhouette danced across the walls.

She didn’t speak her thoughts, but they curled through her mind like smoke:

So... you’re not as ordinary as you pretend to be.

Her golden eyes narrowed slightly, not in threat, but in calculation.

Alex turned the crimson feather slowly between his fingers, feeling the faint pulse it emitted. It wasn’t mana—it was something deeper. A thread of consciousness. A presence. The more he focused, the more he sensed it: a lingering awareness that seemed to watch him in return.

Then Aetheria’s voice rang out, smooth but edged with authority.

"I’m sure you’ve already noticed the connection I have with that feather... even though it’s no longer a part of me."

Her tone was calm, yet deliberate, as though lecturing someone who needed to understand why they were beneath her.

"Every feather removed from my body carries a sliver of my will. A fragment of my senses. Wherever they are—no matter the distance—I see, hear, and feel everything."

Alex looked up from the feather. Her eyes were on him—unblinking, steady, burning with quiet pride.

Seeing she had his attention, Aetheria continued.

"Most wouldn’t notice the connection unless they were told to look for it. Even many Legend-rank beasts wouldn’t know unless they were close. But my feathers are scattered across the Beast Domain—high in the skies, far from curious eyes."

She leaned forward slightly, a faint smile touching her lips—not kind, but coldly amused.

"And since winged beasts make up the highest population of aerial life in Europe, no one questions them. They see feathers drifting on the wind... and think nothing of it."

Alex’s eyes narrowed slightly. He looked back down at the feather.

She’s been watching everything. Not just her territory—everything. Her dominion isn’t ruled by brute force alone...

He didn’t say a word. There was no need. The shift in his gaze told her everything. Aetheria could see it—that brief flicker of grudging respect. Perhaps even wariness.

After a moment, he extended the feather back toward her.

Aetheria reached out and took it between her fingers without a word. The moment it touched her hand, it shimmered slightly—then disintegrated into glowing motes of red light, vanishing into her skin like a spark returning to its flame.

She leaned back again, wings of faint heat coiled behind her like shadows at dusk.

For a few heartbeats, silence hung between them.

But now, Alex understood something profound: this was not merely a Legend-rank beast with a swollen ego.

No, Aetheria was an empress in every sense of the word—masterfully orchestrating the delicate balance of power that enveloped her realm. Her gaze was sharp and all-seeing, as if every movement beneath her vast sky was laid bare before her.

With a brilliance in strategy and an iron grip on sovereign control, she commanded everything that thrived in her domain.

And this was her kingdom, a land where her reign was felt deeply in every breeze and whispered in every shadow.

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