"You are dismissed," Zen commanded.
Slowly, reluctantly, the Goddesses filed out of the war room.
Valeria cast him a lingering, hungry look before stepping out, while Selene kept her eyes firmly on the floor.
Lyra gave him a stiff, calculating bow, and Aurelia practically vibrated with the need to start issuing logistical commands to her generals.
When the heavy obsidian doors finally clicked shut, leaving Zen completely alone in the warded room, he let out a long, ragged exhale.
He leaned heavily against the table, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the polished stone. The Emperor persona flickered and dropped.
Maintaining that level of dominance over five Divine-Rank entities while his core was only Low B-Rank was excruciating. His mana pathways were burning, his muscles ached, and his vision swam slightly from the sheer physical toll of the bluff.
