Silence fell upon the room—a deadly sound of muted conversation, of quiet victory cheers, and inaudible cries. The only whisper came from the blazing flames below them, crackling a harmless threat as it continued to flicker. Many dead bodies of their comrade and allies laid on the floor, unable to see the light of day. Even the strongest warriors who gave their everything for retaliate the attack had fallen victim to death.   R.O.P. walked to the throne, retrieving an item that started the entire competition and segregation. If only the crown didn’t exist, perhaps hatred wouldn't have existed. But without it, they would forever be blinded to the truth. They needed the hardship to achieve a better ending. Ephemerus needed a new leader.   With the golden crown lazily slouched between his fingers, he shuffling towards the one who could bridge the imbalance. He stood in front of the strongest fighter of the room, lifting his arm to hand him the crown.   Hoya looked perplexed, parting his wounded lips as more silence erupted. His hands trembled with hesitation as he slowly reached out to the crown. But at the last second, he retracted his reach.   “The crown is yours, Lee Hoya,” R.O.P. spoke, his tone soft, but firm as the former leader.   “But I—”   “Aren’t part of the royal family? I know,” R.O.P. correctly finished the sentence. “Daeyang and I have been discussing. We want to destroy the segregation established by our forefathers.”   Both Hoya and Heejin let out a small gasp. Even Bacon chirped to elicit his surprise.   “In my humble opinion, no one is better suited for the crown than you are.” Hoya pushed the crown towards the former king.   R.O.P. shut his eyes, taking a deep breath to maintain his patience. His mind was made up. “The people need someone they can look up to and relate with. Someone who doesn’t identify with one race, but belongs to multiple races. They need you.”   Hoya blinked his eyes, rendered speechless. He remained still when R.O.P. raised his arms, carefully placing the crown on top of his disheveled brown hair.