Ronan had made his words as open and sincere as he could, but the Martial Emperor laughed. "That sounds like a scene that bootlicker once bragged about."
"Huh?"
"Blood Demon. He bragged that he once taught you the theory of the Positioning Array. From then on, you kept pushing your 'position' forward in everything you did, until it got out of hand. Now it's practically a habit. Whether you're going to fight or not, you plant your 'position' right under everyone's nose, take aim, and only then start talking."
Ronan felt wronged. "I'm asking you for help."
"And trying to maneuver me the whole time. You found an opening through Little White, then jumped to Mary and the Fog Maze. Are you reminding me that I owe you something? That I haven't fulfilled my duties as an ally?"
You said it! And she had played along.
If she hadn't meant to play along, why had she acted so candid and kept "giving ground"?
Ronan pressed his lips together. He knew that since the start of the month, the Martial Emperor had devoted considerable effort to mending whatever rift her earlier "concealment" might have caused.
It wasn't necessarily because she felt she owed him anything. She was shoring up their newly established alliance so it wouldn't twist and collapse under lies and suspicion.
Ronan had grown strong enough to deserve that respect.
But from a more practical standpoint:
First, Ronan remained a "human shield." With the Myriad Heavens Divine Kingdoms and the Six Heavens God Calamity looming as threats, his growth would draw fire away from her. The Martial Emperor didn't deny that.
Second, Ronan also posed a certain threat to the Martial Emperor. After he and Grandfather had completed the convergence of "I," the key Fulcrum of the Tattered Divine