My Seven Wives Are Beautiful Saintesses - Chapter 169

Chapter 169: Chapter 169: The Lightning Vows
The Imperial Garden, a vast expanse of conquered ground that Vahn had intended to restructure into an administrative hub, became the stage for a dramatic reunion.

The air was thick with the scent of lightning and the heavy pressure of two immense wills colliding. Aria Stormsong, radiating the raw, terrifying power of the Tribulation Realm, stood ready for war.

Vahn Necrotis, the Void Emperor, remained utterly composed, his calm more intimidating than any show of force.

Aria’s golden eyes narrowed, channeling her immense frustration and years of rigorous self-denial into pure, concentrated rage.

“Don’t you dare treat this as a social call, Vahn!” Aria thundered, her voice laced with crackling electricity. The remaining light of dusk refracted off her polished armor, giving her a formidable, almost divine glow.

“While I was sacrificing everything to reach this power for the good of the world, you were wallowing in darkness, consorting with demons, and seizing land that was under the protection of the Righteous Faction! You have violated the Covenant of the Continents and committed treason against all established order!”

Vahn simply tilted his head, his expression unreadable.

“Established order, Aria? The order of stagnation? The order where the nobility hoards resources and the Heavenly Gods use Saintesses as glorified slaves? I merely replaced a broken system with a functional one.”

“The Holy Land of Ice was an ally! You captured their Saintess and installed a tyrannical regime!” Aria accused, gesturing towards the newly erected Void banners. “I came here to contain you, to bring you to justice, and instead, I find you playing Emperor with war machines that defy natural law! You are a threat, Vahn! You are chaotic, dangerous, and you will be stopped!”

“You sound exactly like the Gods who enslave you, Aria,” Vahn countered softly, stepping slightly closer. His movement was casual, yet it instantly brought the pressure of his own Soul Transformation Stage – 7 power to bear against her Tribulation aura.

The air around him shimmered with suppressed Void energy.

“Tell me, Aria, if you are so dedicated to justice, why did you let the Heavenly Gods use your fellow Saintesses as resources? You achieved the Tribulation Realm—you have the power to see the truth. Yet you chose to spend your strength climbing a trial tower instead of fighting the true enemy who holds you and your sisters in chains.”

Aria faltered, her lightning faltering for a split second.

The question struck at the core of her conscience, a conflict she had ruthlessly suppressed during her trials. Her path was supposed to be righteous, but Vahn’s conquests had exposed the hypocrisy of her allies.

Vahn pressed his advantage, not through power, but through devastating truth. He walked fully into the crackling space around her, the air momentarily splitting around him as he crossed her protective lightning field unscathed.

“I didn’t conquer the Holy Land to be chaotic, Aria. I conquered it because their actions threatened my family. I conquered it to replace a rotten, stagnant hierarchy with a meritocracy that actually benefits its citizens. I established the Void Empire to protect the people I care about.”

He looked directly into her burning golden eyes. “And yes, I broke the seals on Seraphina, Lilith and Evelina. They are free, whole, and they stand as Queens by my side. They are not property.”

Aria’s anger slowly transformed into complex, warring emotions: bitterness, confusion, and a crushing sense of having been utterly wrong. The Vahn standing before her was ruthless, yes, but he was also the strongest, most compelling figure she had ever encountered—and he was fighting for familial devotion, not world destruction.

“I… I swore my life to the path of justice and balance,” Aria whispered, her voice losing its thunderous edge. “I cannot simply ignore your actions.”

“Then don’t ignore them,” Vahn stated, his voice now a gentle command.

He reached out a hand, and without hesitation, touched her cheek. The overwhelming Void Emperor Will flowed into her soul, but instead of crushing her, it gently sought out the latent, tiny threads of the Heavenly Gods’ binding magic that still lingered in her Saintess core.

“You are a warrior, Aria. A true master of the Dao. Why would you chain that greatness to the whims of Gods who barely notice your existence?” Vahn’s voice was an intimate caress to her soul.

“I do not seek a servant, Aria. I seek a peer. A Queen. Join me, and use that power for true sovereignty.”

He pulled back his hand. “I offer you the same freedom I gave your sisters. And a place by my side, not as a captured prize, but as the Empress of War.”

The proposition hung heavy in the air.

For Aria, this was not just an offer of power; it was the ultimate challenge and the ultimate validation of her years of struggle. To join Vahn was to throw away everything she was taught, but it was also the only way to realize her maximum potential and stand as a true sovereign.

Aria’s inner struggle was brief but violent. She was the Saintess of War, defined by confrontation and conquest. She realized Vahn was the only man who could challenge her, equal her, and protect her. Her initial vow to capture him morphed into a new, absolute vow of ownership.

She stepped forward, closing the remaining distance between them. She looked Vahn directly in the eye, her purple gaze fierce and possessive.

“I will not be treated as a prize, Vahn Necrotis,” Aria declared, her voice firm, now imbued with a new, self-determined authority. “I am a warrior, not a Consort to be won. But you need to be controlled. You need a force of Law to balance your Chaos.”

She grabbed Vahn’s collar, the act itself a seismic shift in the political landscape of the Dalu.

“You speak of freedom and family. Then I claim my place in your Empire. You need a General who can fight your wars without hesitation, and a Queen who will match your ambition. I will join you, but know this: I follow the Dao of War, not your commands. I am yours, but you are mine to command in battle.”

Aria didn’t wait for his reply. She sealed the terrifying, mutual vow of power with a fierce, demanding kiss—the kiss of a true warrior staking her claim on her Emperor.

Vahn returned the kiss with equal intensity, recognizing the depth of her commitment. He knew that adding Aria to his roster was not just gaining a wife, but gaining a powerful, dangerous new General who could potentially lead his armies against the Gods themselves.

Aria was not immediately taken to a palace suite. Her integration was a calculated military and political move.

Vahn immediately held a new council meeting, shocking his Imperial Advisers (who had feared the lightning storm heralded an assassination attempt) by introducing the legendary warrior.

“Imperial Advisers, this is Empress Aria Stormsong, the newly established Empress of War. She will immediately assume the role of Field Marshal of the Void Empire, overseeing all military strategy and command structure. Her authority over the army is second only to mine.”

The news of the Saintess of War, the symbol of the Righteous Faction, joining the Void Emperor sent shockwaves throughout the remaining Southern Continent and beyond. It instantly dismantled the opposition’s morale. The Demonic and Righteous Factions, who had relied on her power and morality to oppose Vahn, now saw their ideological champion become Vahn’s primary military asset.