Primordial Heir: Nine Stars

”Do not make me your enemy, or only destruction awaits.” —Nero Adams

°°°

”Fufufu! Let’s discuss this calmly. You wouldn’t want to make an enemy of the clan, would you?” Elysia asked, her eyes narrowing dangerously behind her smile. Nero felt an invisible pressure weigh on him, but his response remained unchanged.

”I don’t mind.”

Time seemed to stop at that sentence.

For the first time, the nearly perfect mask of the future matriarch of the Raizen clan—the first woman to lead them—cracked slightly. But she quickly regained her composure and smiled again.

”Is that so? Tell me, little brother... what are you relying on to talk so boldly? What makes you so fearless? I’m curious.”

At the end of her sentence, she placed her hands on the table, tilting her head to the side as she observed Nero’s reaction with her bottomless golden eyes.

Nero stared directly into them as he responded.

”Nothing other than myself.”

”Wow. You’re more arrogant than I am—I’ll give you that,” Elysia said, amused.

”You think you can go against the entire clan by yourself? Not even the mighty Samael clan would dare take us on alone. Don’t be delusional. Accept my offer. Or perhaps... you’re relying on your friends to support you?”

Nero stayed silent, letting Elysia continue. By now, her previous benevolent expression had shifted into one of disdain for what she saw as her little brother’s foolishness. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

”While it’s true that the Leclairs, the Undines, and the other two clans may support you and give you shelter, it won’t be without compensation. You’ll become theirs—a tool to be used by them. Don’t you think it would be better to return to the clan and be useful to us instead?”

”I have no intention of doing so,” Nero said, his gaze unwavering. ”The day my mother died was the day you all died to me. I consider you strangers, and I plan to leave the family and cut ties completely. No one can change this decision.”

There was no falsehood in his words—he meant every single one. Elysia could feel it: no matter what she said, Nero’s mind would not change. Her smile finally vanished.

”Do you really think those clans will fall out with the Raizen clan over you? If we can’t have you, no one can. You will become our enemy, and we will crush you. I will personally make sure of it.”

As she finished speaking, she released her strength. Purple lightning rained down on the pavilion as dark clouds loomed above. The pressure of a peak Purple Knight bore down on Nero. The table between them disintegrated into fine powder.

Nero grunted, unleashing his own strength—a Middle-Level Red Knight’s power, comparable to the peak of that rank. But it was not enough. The difference was too great. His chair shattered, and he was forced almost into a kneeling position, struggling desperately not to buckle. He could have erased this pressure using his special eyes, but he refused—revealing that trump card now would only make the clan more determined to claim him.

Elysia was surprised he didn’t kneel. She reevaluated him slightly higher: he must possess physical strength far beyond his current realm. He would make a fine tool, she thought, euphoric. The sharpest, deadliest sword to dominate the continent. She had to have him, at any cost. She increased the pressure and looked down on him haughtily, like a queen upon her throne.

”Give up and obediently accept my conditions. You won’t regret it.”

”I refuse!” Nero stubbornly declared. He would never yield, even under torture.

”Stubborn!” Elysia was starting to lose patience. She increased the pressure to seventy percent of her full strength. More lightning rained down; the pavilion shook, cracks spreading across its structure. Nero’s knees buckled. The pressure was overwhelming. If he hadn’t awakened the Law of Lightning and developed some resistance to it—and if not for his robust physique—his state would have been far worse.

Frustration grew within him. He felt helpless, reduced to this state by his lack of strength. Something seemed to snap inside. His eyes narrowed dangerously, as if something were swirling within them. The mysterious tattoo on his body twitched as if trying to come alive.

Nero understood immediately. Whatever was trying to emerge could not be allowed out—not now. The consequences would be terrible. With superhuman willpower, he forced it back down.

•••

At the same time, in another sealed and forgotten dimension, many thrones formed a circle, bound by black chains. Upon them sat entities of extreme danger, their eyes holding nothing but destruction. They felt the thing inside Nero trying to wake and laughed in unison.

”Soon, another Ragnarok will be unleashed. It will be fun,” said their leader—a mysterious figure shrouded entirely in gray, with two pairs of curved horns.

The others, cloaked in different colors, nodded in unison. They could not wait for it to happen.

•••

Back in the real world, Elysia felt a chill run down her spine—an instinctual fear emanating from Nero. For a moment, she felt like an ant he could crush at will. It was the first time she had ever felt that way, but fortunately—or unfortunately—the feeling vanished as quickly as it came, leaving her wondering if it had been an illusion.

In that moment of distraction, Nero managed to regain a bit of control over his body. He spoke, his voice steady:

”You think I’m refusing because I plan to rely on Lux and the others. That’s only half right.”

”Oh? I’m curious. Do explain,” Elysia replied, her attention fully captured.

The pressure rescinded. Another chair materialized beneath Nero as if by a mage’s trick. He sat and took a deep breath.

”I know they will do their utmost to assist me, and yes, they may ask for something in return. But what I’m truly relying on is nothing but myself. With your current strength, you’re considered a prodigy—reaching this level in just a few years is an unprecedented feat.”

Elysia nodded proudly. She was a genius among geniuses, a true monster.

”Do you know how many days it took me to reach my current strength?” Nero continued. ”Less than two months. In one year, I’ll be at your level—and surpass you. Before I leave this academy, my strength will be at a terrifying level. I’m not boasting or overestimating myself. I’m simply stating a fact.”

He declared this with absolute confidence, shocking Elysia into silence. He went on:

”I want nothing to do with you. Don’t bother me. You do your things, I’ll do mine. But if you choose to head toward destruction and come after me... I swear I will destroy you. I will completely erase the Raizen clan from this world. Do not make me your enemy, or only destruction awaits. I wouldn’t mind replacing you—becoming one of the Seven Great Clans myself. Tell that to Azariah. Do not make the mistake of pushing me, or it will be too late for regrets.”

His words struck her with complete shock. That confidence, those eyes, his unshakable posture—everything about him in that moment left her speechless. In their first confrontation, she had completely lost the initiative.

A silent war had been declared.

And with that, Nero stood and walked away, leaving Elysia alone in the cracked and lightning-scorched pavilion.