Primordial Villain With A Slave Harem-Chapter 846: Making Sense of the News

"But... wasn’t the prophecy clear? The Sovereign Shards were meant to be claimed by the one destined to become the Avatar. That’s how one was supposed to master all four elements."

Serika nodded slowly, then turned her gaze on Quinlan.

"The Avatar," she said with a small, wry smile, "is already here. He didn’t need the Sovereign Shards to unlock all four elements."

She reached toward him slightly, her voice calm but filled with conviction. "You have awakened the elements already. With no shard to guide you. No divine blessing. Just your will, your soul... your birthright. We—the Sovereigns and other prominent cultivators—we were the ones who made some assumptions regarding the prophecy. We thought it was impossible to control more than one element without the shards. So we built our entire understanding around the idea that the Sovereign Shards held the key."

Feng frowned. "Then why does he need them?"

Serika slowly shook her head. "We don’t know. From what our reports say, his wind powers haven’t grown stronger after claiming Zephyra’s shard. If he sought it to bolster his power, there’s no sign that it worked."

Quinlan, now deep in thought, stroked his chin, eyes half-lidded as he sifted through fragments of his knowledge regarding the prophecy and the implication of these new revelations.

"Wait..."

Both women turned to him.

"The prophecy never said the shards would help me," Quinlan muttered. "In fact, the shards were never in it to begin with, according to your words. It was just you who added that part to it. The prophecy only said the Invader would bring the end of the world and that only the Avatar could stop him. That’s the warning, isn’t it?"

Serika’s brows furrowed. "What are you getting at?"

Quinlan looked at her, expression turning hard.

"What if the Sovereign Shards aren’t the key to mastery, or unlocking some augmented elemental prowess... but the key to destruction? What if he needs them to fulfill the prophecy—his part of it?"

Serika’s green eyes lit up with an unnatural brightness at his words, glowing like twin emerald flames in the dimness. Her fiery red hair suddenly shimmered and began pulsing with heat, shifting in color until it glowed a molten orange-red, akin to flowing lava. The light from her body cast long, warped shadows across the clearing, washing the trees in a flickering crimson tint.

Feng’s voice was a low whisper. "You mean... collecting the shards helps him destroy the world?" fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Quinlan nodded slowly.

"Maybe he doesn’t care about the elements, or has no use for them. Maybe the shards aren’t tools of power, but catalysts. Ancient artifacts infused with the elemental essence of the world’s rulers, or perhaps its primordial essence, I don’t know the details. This is just a hunch of mine. But if I’m right... I can’t help but wonder what would happen if he gathers all four..."

"...He might not ascend," Serika added as she began to understand Quinlan’s words. Her gaze darkened as she whispered, "He might end it all."

The silence that followed was different from before. It wasn’t heavy with confusion or sorrow.

It was a silence sharpened by resolve.

The kind that came right before a war conducted not to enrich oneself but for sheer survival.

Serika’s green eyes lit up again. But this time with an entirely different kind of fire.

Without warning, she slapped herself on both cheeks so fiercely that her palms left a fiery red imprint in their wake, then clapped her hands together with a sharp crack that rang through the clearing. Both Quinlan and Feng blinked at her in confusion.

But Serika was already in motion, leaping to her feet in a single, fluid movement. In one swift motion, she reached down beneath Quinlan’s arms and yanked him up to standing, even lifting him off the ground slightly in her eagerness.

"No more gloom! My first student has a world-ending enemy to face!" she declared, her voice rising with fervor. "So I—Serika Vael, Fire Sovereign of Vulkaris—will do everything in my power to forge him into the strongest man alive! Laziness will not be tolerated!"

Quinlan’s brows arched, a slow smile beginning to tug at his lips.

Feng let go of a dry scoff. "You two are like peas in a pod. One’s got fire in his soul, the other’s got lava in her hair. It’s like watching a storm flirt with a volcano."

Quinlan’s smile broadened.

"She’s exactly right," he said with a spark in his eyes.

He turned to Serika, that flicker of resolve now burning into a steady flame.

"I’m ready to begin, Teach."

Serika blinked at the word Quinlan used to address her. Teach. For a moment, something soft flickered behind the blaze of her usual composure. She’d worn many titles in her life—Sovereign, General, Scorchheart, Flame Incarnate—but none had struck quite like this one.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, rising slightly onto her toes to reach him. Her grip was firm, grounding. "Then prepare yourself, student. I won’t go easy on you just because you’re the Avatar. I believe in the warrior you’re meant to become. Coddling you with gentle warmth and pretty words are not on my agenda."

Quinlan grinned. "I wouldn’t want to have it any other way."

Feng rolled her eyes, though her smirk betrayed her amusement. "Great. A rude uncle and a brash, tomboy auntie. I’m outnumbered."

"Brash tomboy auntie?" Serika arched a brow, expression unreadable for a moment.

"Just ignore the brat," Quinlan said, though a chuckle escaped him. His gaze flicked down briefly—her frame was solid, powerful, carved by decades, if not centuries, of battle. He looked back up before she could catch him staring. "But... yeah, she does have a point. You’ve got more muscle definition than most seasoned male brawlers."

"I train hard. That’s all." Her tone was blunt.

Quinlan nodded, the grin still tugging at the corner of his lips. ’Strong, beautiful, and absolutely terrifying. She’s perfect.’

Whatever tension lingered in the air was burned away by the sheer heat of anticipation. Training with Serika Vael wasn’t just a chance to get stronger.

It was a trial by fire.

And he was ready to walk into the blaze.