Either outcome served the Empire, as long as the Empire remained above them all.
And there was a second layer to it, which these eight were related to.
Even inside the Empire, certain families were rising too quickly. Their influence was spreading. Their great beings were becoming too numerous.
They were loyal today, yes.
But loyalty weakened when power grew.
Prince Rui's gaze lingered on the eight once more before returning to the magic circle beneath their feet.
The formation was no ordinary ritual.
It was a summoning circle.
It was meant to open a narrow bridge between this unstable realm and the outside world, allowing a powerful figure from the Black Serpent Empire to descend directly into the ruins.
Normally, such a thing would have been impossible.
Constructed realms had strict rules. Entry and exit were governed by the realm's own structure, and outside interference was heavily suppressed.
But this particular circle had been prepared with that limitation in mind.
