On the Eight Extremes Star, I awakened the twelve talismans.

Inside the hall.

Seated on the throne was Youlan, the ruler of the Shadow Clan.

She had long, jet-black hair cascading over her shoulders and wore a black robe.

His face was completely different from the indistinct shadow creatures of the Shadow Clan.

His features were clear and well-defined, even handsome, but his eyes were scarlet, exuding an eerie aura.

He watched Roman walk into the hall with a calm expression, his eyes filled with a hint of amusement, disdain, and a clear killing intent.

Red-eyed walked to the center of the main hall and stopped.

Oak and Gundam stood on either side of him behind him.

Youlan spoke slowly, her voice echoing and swirling in the hall, like whispers coming from all directions: "You dare to come back!"

Red eyes met those blood-red pupils: "Why wouldn't I dare? I already know the truth of the past. I've come back today to seek justice."

Oak stood half a step behind Red Eyes, his right hand constantly resting on the hammer.

He was well aware of the feud between Roman and the Shadow Clan.

He had already informed Oak and Gunpla before he followed them.

I also understand what that past event means to Red Eyes.

Red-Eye's father and mother were both members of the Shadow Clan. Many years ago, they were executed by the Shadow Clan's high command for treason. As their descendant, Red-Eye should have been implicated and executed as well.

It's Cynthia.

The female general, who held a pivotal position in the Shadow Clan, rescued the young Red-Eye at the last moment.

They led him through layers of pursuit by the Shadow Clan, escaping this star field shrouded in darkness, which allowed him to survive until now.

After hearing what Hongyan said, Youlan laughed as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world.

The laughter was sharp and grating, carrying an undisguised mockery and contempt, causing even the shadowy flames on the wall to tremble.

"Hahahaha! Seeking justice? You think you're worthy!"

He abruptly stopped laughing, his blood-red pupils locking onto the red-eyed man, his voice turning icy: "If it weren't for that traitor Cynthia back then, you would have been dead long ago. Would you even be here today?"

"Do you really think you can stand against me with your strength?"

A violent aura erupted from Youlan's body.

The aura, like a tangible shockwave, swept outwards from the throne in all directions.

Both Oak and Gundam swayed slightly under the impact of this aura.

Oak's expression instantly turned grim, his hands gripping the weapon handles tightly, as did Gunpla, both poised to strike.

The mere display of power, without even a real attack, was enough to exert immense and undeniable pressure on the two.

As expected of one of the three top powers, the Shadow Clan rulers' strength is incomparable to all the opponents they have faced before.

Oak's Adam's apple bobbed as he hoped Red Eye's plan would go smoothly.

Red-Eye stood amidst that violent aura, raising a layer of shadow shield to block it.

"I know I'm no match for you, but what if Cynthia comes?"

Youlan's smile faded, and she re-examined Roman, saying disdainfully:

"What a joke! That traitor has long been suppressed in the shadows. No one but me knows where she is."

"If she's your biggest asset, I don't know whether to call you stupid or smart. You barely escaped with your life, and instead of living a good life outside the devil's footprints, you insist on coming in to die."

"Do you want to follow in your parents' footsteps?"

That last sentence was like a poisoned dagger, precisely piercing the deepest wound in Roman's heart.

Roman didn't continue on that topic, but instead started talking about the past.

"Cynthia's bloodline is the most unique among our Shadow Clan, possessing both the power of shadow and the power of light. These two powers are mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining, yet they have achieved a perfect balance within her body."

"That's why she's the strongest member of the Shadow Clan this generation, stronger than any warrior in history, including you, Youlan."

"Back then, she led me to escape your pursuit, and we followed Merlin away from the Chaotic Star Sea, where we survived."

"Later, she and Merlin fell in love and stayed together, spending a peaceful time outside the chaotic star sea. If the story ended here, I probably wouldn't be standing here."

"But you—used Merlin's life to force her to return to Dark Night Star alone to be punished."

Youlan coldly interrupted, her tone self-righteous: "So what if I did it? How can the Shadow Clan bloodline be combined with an outsider? She committed a heinous crime, and I'm already being merciful by not killing her. I only spared her life because of her past contributions to expanding our territory."

"That sounds quite high-sounding," Roman said with a mocking smile.

"Do you really think others can't see through your selfish motives? You just want to find a legitimate excuse to steal Cynthia's power."

Youlan was somewhat annoyed and glared at Roman with uncontrollable rage.

"Intermarriage between the Shadow Clan and other races is nothing new; it has happened throughout history. Going back three generations, the story of a Shadow Clan king marrying an alien princess is still engraved on the wall of a side hall. Is it really worth making such a fuss?"

Roman's words were like a precise scalpel, dissecting layer by layer the lies that Youlan had meticulously woven over the years.

Every sentence cuts to the most critical spot, without any unnecessary force.

"You're not upholding any purity of bloodline; you're simply coveting her power of light, yet you're wary of its immense strength and dare not act directly. You're hunting her down not because of any heinous crime, but because if she lives, your throne will be insecure."

Youlan's expression changed completely.

Being exposed of his true purpose on the spot was worse than being killed.

Roman is right.

He did indeed want Cynthia's power.

The power of shadow and the power of light are mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining. If he could possess both at the same time, he would be able to break through the bottleneck that no previous king of the Shadow Clan could overcome and reach an unprecedented level.

But that power of light was too strong, so strong that even he couldn't forcefully absorb it.

He tried, during the first few years of Cynthia's suppression, to strip her of her power, but each attempt ended in failure.

They had no choice but to imprison her in a dark crevice, slowly searching for another way to break the curse, and so many years have passed.

There has been no resolution yet.

Youlan was unable to refute Roman's statement.

Years ago, he sent a large army to hunt down Cynthia, chasing her all the way into the devil's footprints.

Many of the Shadow Clan's elites were reduced to dust by the black hole clusters, with only one person managing to pass through the Devil's Footprints and successfully reach the world beyond the Chaotic Star Sea.

He originally planned to have that person lie in wait and slowly find out Cynthia's whereabouts, paving the way for future plans.

Unfortunately, that fellow clansman who had finally managed to break through the encirclement was wiped out by a guy named Milankel.

A pawn that had been played at great cost died inexplicably at the hands of an unknown person, causing all of his subsequent plans to fail completely.

"Enough!" Youlan slammed her hand on the armrest of the throne. "It's none of your business how I do things!"

The temperature in the entire hall plummeted to freezing point in that instant.