As the various factions finished dividing up the empire once more, the state of war within the Gloria Empire finally subsided.
Of course, the most crucial factor behind the end of the war was the disappearance of the Marquises, along with the shift in focus among the Ninth Rank beings.
The Royal Guardians could no longer be bothered with which prince would ultimately ascend the throne. As long as the ruler still carried the bloodline of the Imperial Royal Family and did not violate their contract to protect the royal house, that was enough.
After the many Marquises vanished, the numerous forces they had secretly established were left leaderless and even began attacking one another.
The other Ninth Rank beings had no interest in dealing with them either. As Darkness Apocalypse drew ever closer, a sense of impending catastrophe hung over the heads of every Ninth Rank being.
By this point, even the most slow-witted Ninth Rank beings had caught on.
Then, a piece of news whose original source was unknown began circulating in private, driving these Ninth Rank beings truly mad.
Gray Mist, the newly advanced Ninth Rank Diviner, possessed the Key to escaping this world and even achieving a Breakthrough to Legendary.
At first, some Ninth Rank beings only half-believed it. But after using their own methods to investigate the recent movements of the Royal Guardians, they all changed their minds.
There was no other reason: the Royal Guardians had made virtually no effort to conceal their recent actions. They had practically set aside everything else and were madly chasing every trace of Gray Mist.
If Gray Mist had not been a Ninth Rank Diviner with extensive experience concealing his tracks, and if he had not activated the many contingencies he had prepared in advance, he would likely