Primordial Villain with a Slave Harem

Chapter 894: Surrender

Rongtai continued, seeing that Quinlan struggled to find anything out of the ordinary. ”Our understanding of the Sovereign Shards is... what I would call ’elementary’ at best. We never truly wielded them, or so I would like to believe. Not in the way they theoretically could be. I believe that they are more than what we use them as currently, which is mere symbols to signal our right to rule.”

”But none of us ever held more than one. Not in all our histories. It was thought to be impossible. Yet here you are, Avatar... you hold two.”

The battlefield went still.

Rongtai stared at Quinlan with eyes that held utmost respect. Reverence, even. Then, slowly, measuredly, the Earth Sovereign lowered himself to one knee. Despite his broken arm, despite the blood and agony painted across his form, he made the gesture with pride.

”You saved this world from a god. You’ve slain the invader who brought death to our kin and ruin to our land. You hold the shards of water, wind, and now...”

He touched his chest, where the faint pulse of ochre energy—earthbound and ancient—still resided.

”I believe it is my duty, as Earth Sovereign, to surrender my right.”

A breathless silence followed.

”And I do so willingly. Not just as a ruler, but as a warrior.”

His eyes locked with Quinlan’s.

”I swear undying loyalty to you, Quinlan Elysiar. Avatar. Primordial Villain. Harbinger of Ruin. God Slayer. I kneel before you, not as a defeated sovereign... but as your vassal, if you’re willing to accept me.”

Quinlan examined the man kneeling before him.

Sage Rongtai the Immovable. The Mountain of Stillness. A Sovereign who had never once faltered in the face of calamity, who had borne the burdens of Daluang with unshakable resolve. Now, he knelt not from defeat, but from choice.

And that made all the difference.

Quinlan stepped forward, approaching the man. Once at a short distance, he stopped, and his voice rang out.

”I accept.”

The words echoed across the field, cutting through smoke and silence.

”I accept your vow, Sage Rongtai of Daluang. I recognize the weight of your name, and the honor behind it. As long as I walk this path, I will not demand obedience through fear, nor command loyalty without worth. You kneel as a warrior, and I accept you as one.” R̃ἈＮổ฿Ęŝ

He paused, letting the silence honor that truth.

”Daluang shall endure. Through stillness, through stone—and through me.”

Rongtai’s shoulders eased, as though the weight of generations had finally found rest.

”I will not bring shame upon your mighty name,” he said firmly, his voice gaining strength. ”Not while I still draw breath.”

Then, wordlessly, the ochre light bloomed again in his chest. It was more vibrant than before. The Earth Sovereign Shard stirred, sensing its transition. With a deep hum, it emerged from Rongtai’s core, gliding upward like a monolith uprooted.

It circled once in the air, then dove in, burying itself into Quinlan’s center.

The weight struck him again. Not brutal, not sharp. Just incredibly heavy. Final. It anchored him like roots into mountain bedrock.

Before he could even take a breath, another movement occurred at the edge of his vision.

Serika stepped forward, and, without hesitation, dropped to one knee beside Rongtai.

The Crimson Tyrant, bloodied and burned, bowed her head without an ounce of shame visible on her features.

Her voice was steady.

”I, Serika Vael of Vulkaris, Sovereign of Flame, swear fealty before the fire and the stars.”

She lifted her chin, her blazing, unflinching gaze meeting his.

”I renounce my rightful claim to the Fire Sovereign Shard, for you have proven the will and might to wield it rightly, Quinlan Elysiar.”

Her hand touched her heart, and fire stirred beneath her skin.

”I surrender Vulkaris’ right of flame to you, and in doing so, I acknowledge you as my liege.”

Then, more softly, she whispered with utmost devotion, steeling her heart to the cause:

”I will serve, fight, and burn in your name. I will never betray you, no matter what ordeal I must face.”

Quinlan’s gaze lingered on her—on Serika, the Crimson Tyrant, Sovereign of Flame... and the woman who carved herself a spot in the depth of his heart.

When he spoke, he did not do so with the restraint of a ruler, but with the weight of a man who understood exactly what had been offered.

”Then I swear this in return.”

”For Vulkaris, I will fight. For its people, I will endure. But for you, Serika Vael...”

”...I will bleed, burn, and rise. As long as flame dances and stars shine, you will not fight alone.”

Her eyes widened, not expecting him to say such tender words to her. She understood Quinlan enough to know he wouldn’t be the stiff ruler type, but he managed to surprise the woman even still.

A small smile emerged on her lips, and a soft pink hue could be observed on her tanned cheeks as a result. But Serika did not remain idle for long. She knew it was a grand moment for her people, they were making history in this moment. So she collected herself quickly. noveℓ.com

The fire within her blazed once, then coalesced.

The Fire Sovereign Shard, the ancient symbol of Vulkaris’ burning will, rose from her body like a winged spark. It danced into the air, spinning like a falling star, and joined the three others in Quinlan’s core. He closed his eyes, concentrating.

The world responded immediately.

Not with thunder. Not with rupture.

But with outright reverence. The skies dimmed, as though the heavens themselves held their breath. Then, his body ignited. But this time, not in hurtful flames, there were no feelings of pain or even strain assaulting his body. Instead, it was pure essence that shone.

A radiant halo of elemental light burst from his core: scarlet flame, sapphire wind, deep ocean blue, and earthen gold. They didn’t clash or wrestle for dominance. They flowed together. Intertwined. A seamless spiral of power and purpose.

Wind surged around him in concentric circles, lifting dust and rock. Water shimmered across his skin like a second layer of life, cold and serene. Earth pulsed beneath his feet, steady and unyielding. Fire licked along his shoulders like a burning wreath, warm, not searing.

His eyes opened.

Once again, just when he first formed his core, they glowed. Not with the color of any one element, but all of them layered at once. But this time, they were entirely unnatural in their intensity, a swirling prism of sovereign light.

Quinlan stood at the center of the storm... and smiled.

His senses expanded inward. He could feel the breath of the earth beneath him. The dance of the flame within. The pull of tides in his blood. The whisper of wind in his thoughts.

The vividity and serenity with which the elements existed within him were stronger than he ever thought possible before.

Around him, Serika, Feng, and Rongtai could only watch in stunned silence. The very soil hummed with resonance. The air shimmered as if the realm itself recognized the convergence, and the arrival of its first true ruler.

And then...

[Ding!]