Rise of the Cosmic_Emperor

The trigger was pulled and the bolt flew right at Olivia, it\'s target was the side of her neck and probably would have made contact had it not been for the Blood Knight that leaped atop the platform and hit the bolt out of its path with her hand covered in thick Blood-red fog.

Olivia released the pressure of her Early-stage cosmic Armament Realm cultivation and she summoned her spear Cosmic Armament as well and pierced the neck of the Archer on the ground, ending his life.

Then she looked up at the female Blood knight that had just saved her life and was now embroiled in combat with the second Archer.

Although \'embroiled\' was too strong a word seeing as the archer was pierced through by her hand coated in blood-red fog.

"Thank you" Olivia said.

The Blood knight barely glanced at her as she said, 

"It\'s not over yet"

Sure enough,

So many Plebeians began to alight the platform and dash at the two to overwhelm them.

Back at the point where the Edgar forces met the Plebeian forces on the battlefield that was the castle\'s courtyard, The Blood knights that had been acting as Gregory\'s guard had joined the fray and were reaping the lives of Plebeian men as though it were nothing.

There was a hunger in their actions as Hal had only allowed them to reap about Thirty percent of the Blood essence within the body of their victims.

As such, what they would usually get from one victim became something they had to source from four victims, so they endeavored to kill more.

After all, the more they killed, the more they got.

The reason why Hal did not allow them to reap it all was that could see, judging from the strength of the Plebeians that the Master had put in a lot and as they died, their essence was dissipating into the air which was simply the Master\'s way of reaping it.

And said Mater would not simply sit back if none of the essence make it back. At least with 70 percent, the fact that they were stealing the Master\'s nourishment would go mostly unnoticed.

It was why the Blood knights were not only tasked with just reaping Thirty percent, they were also tasked with doing it in a manner that was not obvious to the Plebeian heads.

A little mystery is good for the soul.

"Damn, I can\'t take it anymore" Edvard suddenly yelled and began to attack the Dome. 

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

The guards he had brought with him began to attack the Dome as well, so did all the Merchants. 

Gregory however remained seated and his expression was impossible to read. 

Ford remained seated as well but his expression was one of surrender, but it was not surrender to his present situation but to the fact that his soul was Hal\'s and in a matter such as this, he might as well wait for his Master\'s decision.

Frank\'s eyes were closed and it was clear to the seasoned Men on the scene that he was absorbing Cosmic energy, not to cultivate as the situation was much too chaotic but to solidify his recent advancement.

Amelia walked away from her Father\'s side to where Hal and his ladies were seated.

Hal held out his arms for her with a smile and she sat down in his lap and wound her arm around his neck.

He placed his hand on the small of her back while he continued to watch the proceedings. While not being at a vantage point that would give him more visual, he could still watch the events thanks to his Blood knights.

And so he could see that Marlon and Darryl were finally getting through the last blockade of Plebeians to reach the back of the Plebeian forces and get to the Rune Masters.

"What\'s their endgame?" Melinda asked him and he sighed, 

"They are not actually here to defeat the Edgar family or more accurately, they are not here for all-out war. They are here for him..." Hal said and pointed at the Dome within which Hector had fallen to his knees and surrendered to the siphoning of his Cosmic Energy and Mental health. The only hint of resistance was the phenomenon that lightly shrouded him.

"They are here to incapacitate Hector Edgar and they are doing quite a good job at it."

Melinda\'s eyes widened.

Hal had told them there would be an ambush but he had never told them exactly what the ambush was about and it was not that he wished to keep them in the dark, it\'s that he had no idea.

The only thing even Evian had been told about Operation: Gatecrasher was that it aimed to destroy the Edgar family which was a statement that was open to interpretation.

It could have been an all-out assault to completely decimate the forces of the Edgar family and in turn, damage the morale of the other Great families. 

It was only after the start of the assault that he began to notice patterns.

With San\'s cultivation now at the Cosmic Phenomenon realm, there was only one person in the whole city who was capable of defeating him and that was Hector Edgar.

In fact, even before he reached the Cosmic Phenomenon Realm, Hector was still the only one he deemed worthy of derailing his plans. The others were after all, still in his realm and it would simply become about strategies and preparations.

This was San\'s preemptive strike to take away the only obstacle in his plans and once he was done, the rest would be smooth sailing.

Except for the Malevolent one of course.

"So they want to kill him?" Rita asked as she gazed upon the Fime trapped Hector, 

"Eventually. However that Dome is sucking away years of Hector\'s hard work and softening him up.

You see, the Dome can\'t be kept up for long. Whether the Edgar brothers make it to the Runemasters or not, the Dome will eventually be taken down. It\'s still connected to Baret and Ian and they are attempting to assist each other to handle the strain.

They are only at the Cosmic Armament Realm and their Astral sense is only Rank 3 so a Rank 5 Array is detrimental to them.

That said, things are still going according to plan for San."

Just then, Marlon and Darryl broke through to the end of the Plebeian men who ignored the duo and instead continued their assault on Edgar castle.

Olivia and the Blood Knights that had assisted her were on the platform and holding their own against the assault of Plebeians who were leaping onto the platform.

Marlon and Darryl paused to look at San and then locate the Rumasters who were on the ground beside his palanquin and cross-legged in their effort to stay focus.

Their expression now was miles apart from the mocking one they had displayed earlier.

The brothers dashed towards them but were intercepted by Evian and about three other Cosmic Armament Realm Experts who were barely holding back the fear they felt from the shrouded brothers.

Even Evian was shivering.

San grinned from atop his seat because he felt the Shroud did not instill fear in him as it had once done back at his home when he was still at the Cosmic Armament Realm.

However, something changed...

From Evian\'s body, Dark fog began to seep out and it was the same for the other Cosmic Armament Realm experts that were with him...

A clear indication that the Malevolent One had gotten to them!

And yet as San watched this new development, his grin only grew wider...

"Finally"