The Silent Deity: Saiki Kusuo in Tensura

Sometimes later Rudra decided to go and pay his "old friend" a visit. If anyone has more information and can be straight up with him, it is the one and only Guy Crimson.

Back at the Ice Continent....

The throne room of Guy Crimson, the Demon King of Ice, was unusually silent.

No flickering flames. No loud laughter. Just Guy, sitting alone on his icy throne, one leg over the other, elbow resting on the armrest, his chin in his palm. His deep crimson eyes stared at the illusion screen he'd conjured before him—a replay of the battle between Veldora and Velzard.

The two dragons clashed with might and grace. Sword strikes. Palm counters. Magical bursts that bent the skies themselves.

"Tch..." Guy clicked his tongue. "I saw it all, and yet... I can't reproduce it."

He leaned forward, pausing the image of Veldora mid-strike. His movements were smooth—too smooth. The techniques Veldora used didn't come from normal training. They felt foreign. Not divine, not demonic. Something else entirely.

"He's not just stronger... he's evolved."

Then—BOOM!

The enormous throne room doors blasted open, shards of enchanted ice flying everywhere.

"GUY!!!"

Rudra had arrived.

Wearing his long red coat with gold linings, his golden armor underneath shimmering with every step, Rudra entered like a storm, one hand in his pocket, the other casually wiping imaginary dust off his shoulder. His messy silver-blonde hair fell just slightly into his eyes as his confident smirk stretched wide.

Guy didn't even flinch.

"Tch. You're worse than Milim," he muttered, waving away the smoke. "For an emperor, you've really got to work on your entrances."

Just behind him, Rain and Misery stumbled in, panting and looking mildly irritated.

"We tried to announce him, Lord Guy..." Rain said breathlessly.

"But he just kicked the doors in again," Misery added, brushing her dress.

Guy sighed and gestured lazily.

"Just bring drinks. Strong ones."

The maids bowed and vanished quickly. Rudra grinned and walked confidently up the icy steps.

"Still dramatic as ever, huh?"

"Look who's talking," Guy replied with a roll of his eyes. "So, what is it this time? Another duel? You get bored bossing the Eastern Empire around again?"

Rudra shook his head and, surprisingly, his smirk faded.

"No duel today, Crimson. I came here... to talk."

That made Guy's eyebrow raise. Rudra? Talking without fists first? This had to be serious.

Guy stood and led him toward the wide balcony behind the throne, the one overlooking the snowy fields of the Ice Continent. A black round table and two throne-like chairs sat waiting, seemingly untouched by the cold. The sky above was grey, wind brushing softly.

They both sat.

Moments later, Rain and Misery returned with bottles of aged demonic wine and crystal glasses. No words were spoken as they poured and bowed before leaving.

Guy took a slow sip, swirling the deep purple liquid.

"Alright then. Let's hear it. What's so urgent that the Emperor of the Eastern Empire had to blow my doors open?"

Rudra didn't answer immediately. He stared out over the frozen landscape, his fingers drumming against the side of the glass.

Then, finally, he said it.

"Veldora. And the Storm Kingdom."

Guy stopped mid-sip. He slowly lowered the glass and set it down on the table. His crimson eyes locked onto Rudra.

"I thought so."

There was a long silence between them. Not awkward. Heavy.

"I know what you're thinking," Guy said first. "That this was supposed to be your decade. Expansion. Conquest. Jura Forest was next, wasn't it?"

"It was," Rudra admitted, unapologetic. "Until a certain dragon decided to play king."

Guy chuckled.

"And not just any dragon. The Storm Dragon. Your little plan's gotten complicated, hasn't it?"

Rudra scoffed.

"Complicated is an understatement. Every envoy I've sent near the Forest now needs Veldora's seal. My northern merchants? Rerouted through his kingdom. Every noble in the Empire now whispers his name like he's some god."

Guy leaned back, watching the frustration build.

"He did beat me," Guy admitted. "Fair and square. He also beat Velzard. My Velzard. And she didn't go easy."

"I've heard the rumors," Rudra said, tightening his grip on his glass. "But is it really true? That he fought her... and won?"

Guy didn't answer immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes for a moment. The image of that battle burned behind his eyelids. Velzard's elegance. Veldora's speed. The psychic twists, the seamless transitions between sword and fist.

"He didn't just win," Guy said. "He dominated. With power I don't even understand. I tried to analyze his techniques... copy some of his footwork or magicule flow... but I couldn't. It's like something's... blocking me."

Rudra raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean blocking you?"

Guy's voice lowered.

"I mean....it is like his power doesn't follow our rules. It's like he's been... rewritten. Not just stronger, but beyond. He used to be reckless. Now he's calculated. Calm. Charismatic."

"You're saying he's not the same Veldora?"

"No. He's more than that now. And that's what makes him dangerous."

Rudra leaned forward.

"So then what do you suggest I do? Sit back and watch while he absorbs every trade route on the continent? Let him stand above even me?"

Guy smirked, sharp and amused.

"Getting fired up already? I thought this wasn't a duel visit."

Rudra scoffed.

"Tch. This isn't about ego. It's about balance. If Veldora keeps going, his influence could dwarf us all. You. Me. Even Velgrynd can't sway him anymore."

Guy's grin faded slightly.

"You're right. But challenging him now? You'll lose. I don't care how many soldiers you have. If you go to war, you're going to lose more than just troops. You'll lose respect."

Rudra's expression hardened.

"So what then? We just let him rise?"

Guy leaned closer, his sharp crimson gaze boring into Rudra's with the weight of centuries. His tone, though calm, carried a coldness that could chill bone.

"You've always been bold, Rudra," Guy began, his voice like silk wrapped around a blade. "That's part of what makes you... you. But boldness without caution? That's how empires crumble."

Rudra narrowed his eyes slightly, arms crossed, but said nothing yet. He was listening—carefully.

"You built the Eastern Empire from a continent of ashes," Guy continued, swirling his drink. "Tamed rebellious nobles, unified fractured states, crushed uprisings, and now, you stand at the peak of political power."

He paused and let the silence stretch for a moment.

"But Veldora... he's not a kingdom. He's not a nation you can siege or manipulate. He's a force. And now, he's become something even more dangerous—a force with discipline and vision."

Rudra scoffed, but it wasn't a confident one. It was a bitter laugh, low and short.

"You really believe he's beyond us now?"

"I know he is," Guy replied bluntly. "And if you think your army, no matter how big, can pressure him into submission, then you've already lost. Because Veldora doesn't respond to force anymore. He responds with command. The kind even I had to acknowledge."

Rudra glanced at his half-finished drink. His pride was a heavy thing, but Guy's words struck deeper than most.

"So, what do you suggest?" he finally asked. "Let him keep expanding? Watch him overshadow us both?"

Guy leaned back slightly, but his stare never softened.

"I suggest you play the long game. Sit back and observe. Let the world watch him—yes—but you? You need to understand what drives him. His ambitions. His philosophy. And most importantly—who's guiding him."

That last part caught Rudra off guard.

"What do you mean, guiding him?"

Guy exhaled slowly, his breath visibly misting in the cold.

"No one evolves that far, that fast, without help. He was strong before, sure—but this? The techniques he used against me, against Velzard... It's not normal growth. It's refinement. Precision. It's like someone took a raging storm and taught it how to be a blade."

Rudra's eyes darkened slightly.

"So you think someone's behind his rise?"

"Not behind," Guy said, tapping the side of his head. "Beside. Maybe even within. Someone... or something has trained him, taught him, changed him. And until we know who or what that is, attacking him is like charging blind into a dragon's mouth."

There was another silence between them.

"You want me to spy," Rudra said again, this time less as an accusation and more as a reluctant realization.

Guy smirked.

"I want you to be smart. Use that brain of yours. Send an envoy. A neutral one. Test the waters. Make an alliance if you can stomach it. Or at least a truce. Keep your empire steady."

He leaned in again, his voice lower now, colder.

"But most of all, Rudra... don't let your pride get the best of you. You may be the Emperor of the East, but Veldora? He's the king of something much bigger now. People don't just fear him. They follow him."

Rudra clenched his jaw. Guy wasn't wrong, and that stung more than he wanted to admit.

"I didn't come all this way just to kneel."

"And I didn't survive countless eons to watch you throw your empire away because you couldn't kneel temporarily."

Guy finished his drink, the glass clinking as he set it down.

"Choose your next steps wisely, Rudra. The game has changed. And kings who cling too tightly to their crown often find it melted down into shackles."

Rudra stood after a long pause, his cape fluttering as the wind picked up. His expression was thoughtful—more than usual.

"I'll consider what you said," he muttered.

"Good. Do that," Guy replied, already turning back toward his throne. "And next time...knock."

"Tch," Rudra smirked faintly. "No promises."

As the emperor turned and walked away, Rain and Misery watched silently from the corridor, both exchanging glances. They knew how rare it was for Guy to give such long advice... and rarer still for Rudra to listen.