It was late at night, and a large number of armed soldiers formed a human wall outside the castle, surrounding it.A dense crowd stood outside the castle, easily numbering tens of thousands!These were only the vanguard forces. There was still a team of armed military forces outside of the castle.They were the soldiers of the Northern Four Sovereigns. Among them were also Julius' guards.However, they had disguised themselves to blend in. Meanwhile, Eloise was wearing mourning clothes and a hat inside the castle. She had an indifferent expression as she stood outside the gate.She was also holding a sharp sword. This caused her to look formidable and full of killing intent.As the princess consort, she stepped forward unhesitatingly at the most critical moment. She stood alone at the forefront.Jaxon stood behind her, along with Draken Guardians dressed in combat gear.Although there were not many of them, they were the most powerful force in the monarchy.Behind the Draken
The heavy castle door was banged on relentlessly, and the noise echoed with a resounding impact.Each strike resembled the blow of a giant hammer, resonating deeply in the hearts of everyone within."Open the door!" Eloise shouted, ordering the servants to open the door.The unexpected move caused the soldiers attempting to break in to be completely baffled. They had no idea why Eloise would do such a thing.At this time, it made more sense for Eloise to close the door and defend till the end. Thus, they wondered why Eloise took the initiative to open the door.Perhaps there was a trap inside."Draven, Atticus, Mortimer, Ignatius, come out!" Eloise called out while holding her sword.The soldiers outside were reluctant to approach because of her formidable presence. The four names she called out were the Northern Four Sovereigns, the main forces behind the rebellion."What's the matter? Do you guys not dare to admit what you've done? Are you guys just a bunch of cowards?" See
"The only way into the castle is over my dead body!" With a huge sword in her hand, Eloise stood alone with great courage at the main entrance to defend the castle. She wasn't actually a strong fighter. At most, she could pass as a divine-level martial artist. However, her current presence was stronger than that of a grandmaster.The common soldiers and even Draven were stunned. His brow was locked in a deep frown, and he didn't dare to move. The only thing he could do was to look at the three other sovereigns.Threats and the palace revolution aside, they needed a valid reason to attack Eloise. If they didn't, the people would protest and turn against them. They surrounded the castle in the name of staking out the killer. They'd be able to get off the hook if they acted a little brashly. They could use overwhelming sadness and being overly emotional as their excuse for their rude behavior.However, they'd never be able to explain themselves if the princess died in the revolt.
Eloise was delighted to see her son's safe return. However, her happiness was soon replaced with gloominess. She quickly realized that Austin came back with the same number of people and didn't bring extra military support."Did he fail?" Eloise frowned slightly, and her heart was getting heavier by the minute. Their only hope was to get military support from the Southern Four Sovereigns. Only then could they fight the Northern Four Sovereigns. From the looks of it, things were not looking up."How dare you! Who gave you permission to enter and search the castle? Are you courting death?" Austin shouted. His voice was as loud as thunder, and everyone present could hear him. It was almost deafening. The soldiers under the leadership of the four sovereigns were suddenly afraid to move."Oh, it's Prince Austin. You have returned." Draven let out a short laugh. He added, "We, the Four Sovereigns, have discovered that the killer is in the castle. To avenge Prince Rufus, we need to
"Fuck!" Austin was suddenly filled with anger when he saw the fully armed soldiers rushing in. He no longer had any mercy for them as he charged forward with his sword in hand. He had already achieved the grandmaster status, and with his experience in the battlefields, he was ready for action. He stormed ahead with determination and courage."Protect the Crown Prince! Charge!" Eloise pointed her sword toward the sky. The Draken Guardians behind her quickly withdrew their weapons."Charge!" Waving his longsword, Jaxon led the Draken Guardians into the battlefield. The Draken Guardians might be a small team, but each member was a trained elite fighter. They were an invincible force under the guidance of a grandmaster, Jaxon. The team of around a hundred was like a sharp and long knife. It didn't matter if their opponent's numbers were in the tens of thousands as they'd be able to besiege the core of the army.The Four Sovereigns retreated under the protection of the royal guards
Just when Ignatius got ready to speak, he pointed to a direction while narrowing his eyes and shouted in surprise, "Look! What is that?"The others looked in the direction he was pointing. They saw a dark object in the sky heading straight down, and it crashed in the middle of their troops.The explosion was deafening, and everything quaked as dust rose. There was a gigantic wave of energy spreading outward from the point of explosion like tsunami waves. The energy wave left a trail of destruction and painful moans wherever it passed. This attack killed and wounded at least a few hundred soldiers."The fuck! What the hell was that?" Draven squinted his eyes. He couldn't see what attacked them due to the thick clouds of dust."Could it be a meteorite?" Atticus sounded a little confused."A shooting star? How could there be such a coincidence?" Mortimer refused to believe it."I can see it clearly now! It's a person!" Ignatius had good vision and pointed at where the object fell.
Ignatius was very alert. He quickly retreated with the royal guards when he saw the assassin advancing closer. Keeping himself alive was a priority now. He just needed to avoid the assassination attempt. When the assassin grew tired, he'd order the soldiers to kill him. This was the safest option."Draven, I think Ignatius is right. Safety first. I'll retreat for now." Atticus didn't dare to stay any longer as he slowly retreated with the royal guards when he saw Ignatius leaving."Hmm! All of you are just scared!" Draven frowned slightly with a disgruntled look. He then turned to look at Mortimer and expressively said, "Mortimer, you've always been a brave fighter. You're certainly not retreating like those two, right?""Of course not!" Mortimer stretched a little bit and smirked, "It's just an assassin. There's nothing to be afraid of!" He became a sovereign after a bloody and hellish experience. There was nothing he had not seen. A worthless assassin was not enough to scare
When the royal guards surrounded the assassin, he suddenly revealed his true abilities. The reason behind this was simple. He just wanted to lure the royal guards away from Mortimer and Draven, weakening the defense around them. As such, it'd be easier to assassinate them."Fuck! He's quite crafty! Retreat!" Draven was flustered when his team of royal guards couldn't counter the assassin's attack. He started moving backward with the royal guards covering him. However, at this point, they had already lost their best opportunity to defend themselves.The dark shadow was rushing forward faster than they could retreat. The assassin was just a few feet away from them within a couple of minutes."Sir Vice! We'll block the assassin! Please leave now!" A few royal guards withdrew their swords decisively and charged toward the assassin when they realized they weren't going to make it. However, they didn't even last ten seconds against him."Fuck it! Die!" Mortimer growled. Instead of
"Give me a moment to think," Dustin said.Grace's words sent him into deep thought.After all, carrying the fate of Dragonmarsh was no small burden. First, he had to be tough enough to handle it. Then, he needed the resolve to accept what came with it. Once he carried that burden, it meant taking on a heavyweight.He used to act on his own terms and do things as he pleased without worrying too much about the consequences. But once the nation's fate was involved, everything changed.Not that he had many options.Dustin could either hide in Sacred Wrym Summit and hope Arion would protect him, or take a risk and absorb the Dragonmarsh's fate to push through his cultivation's bottleneck. Between the two, he was leaning toward the latter."I can give your plan a shot," Dustin said suddenly. "But we're still missing a piece of the Dracan essence. If we're doing this, we need to find that last one first."Only once all five pieces of Dracan essence were united could he truly wield the
"Royal gods? And two of them?" Dustin frowned at the news.His battle with Poseidon in West Lucozia had shown him firsthand that the Hall of Gods didn't send weaklings into the field.One royal god had already pushed him to his limit. If two came at him together, winning wasn't even the question. He'd be lucky just to make it out alive."That's right," Grace said solemnly. "The royal gods, Zeus and Hera, have crossed the border. They're even stronger than Poseidon. If they ambush you together, your chances are slim."She knew Dustin was strong, but he was still young. Moreover, Zeus and Hera weren't just anyone. They were world-class powerhouses. Surviving a fight with them would be next to impossible.The Hall of Gods had probably figured out how dangerous Dustin could become. If they had given him a few more years to grow, they might not have been able to stop him."Well, that complicates things." Dustin rested his chin in one hand with a thoughtful expression.Two royal god
Soluna Hall had one rule—they wouldn't accept unfamiliar customers. They only served those they knew well or people introduced by someone they trusted. Every transaction required an appointment. Exceptions were made for urgent matters, but those came with an additional fee.When Dustin reached the entrance, two security guards stopped him. After stating his name and being verified by the guards, they let him through.Inside, a female attendant with a pleasant smile greeted him and led him across the main hall straight into the back garden. They passed a small fish pond and stopped in front of a secluded private room."This is Ms. Linsor's private reception area. Mr. Rhys, please come in," the female attendant said with a smile."She's not here?" Dustin asked curiously."She had something come up, but she'll be here soon. Please make yourself comfortable," the attendant said, still smiling."Alright then." He nodded and walked into the room.The room was spacious, with a vintag
"You're wrong, Tristan," Matthias said with a meaningful look.He continued, "Sure, I've got the Moseys to back me, but I'm still far from securing the throne. Nathaniel's got strong backing too, and this won't be an easy win. But if you were to support me, I'd say my chances shoot up to 80%."In his eyes, Tristan's support was worth more than the Ballard family.If he could win Tristan over, his odds would jump from 60% to nearly 80%. The only question now was whether Tristan would be willing to shelve his own ambitions and place his bet on Matthias."You know me, Matthias. I've never been one for ambition or glory. This kind of power struggle just isn't for me. I hope you can understand that," Tristan said.After thinking about it thoroughly, he finally turned his brother down. He knew his chances of winning were slim, yet he couldn't let go.Tristan was the eldest legitimate son, the rightful and undisputed heir to the throne. Aside from his poor health, he had no real shortco
Tristan, Matthias, and Nathaniel weren't fools. They understood the unspoken message loud and clear.Their purpose for this trip was to take advantage of the opportunity to offer their condolences and win the Ballard family's support. Should it work, all the better. If not, they'd at least make a good impression. The key was that as long as the Ballard family didn't pick a side or turn against them, there was still room to make things work. No need to rush into anything.Tristan spoke first. "You're being too kind, Duke of Lachshire. We've always admired Mr. Jovian's loyalty and courage. We're simply here to pay our respects—nothing more."Matthias added, "That's right. Your family has a lot to deal with right now. Plus, you're not as young as you used to be, so don't wear yourself out over this. We won't take up more of your time today."He gave a respectful nod, then turned to leave."Duke—"Nathaniel opened his mouth to speak, but Tristan interrupted. "That's enough, Nathani
"Oh? I didn't expect both of you to be here," Nathaniel said.He was just about to pay his respects when he spotted Tristan and Matthias inside the mourning hall. He gave a respectful nod and said, "Hello, Tristan, Matthias."Truthfully, he wasn't surprised. He had already guessed they would show up.The four ancient houses and the eight great families were all key players he needed on his side. And with the Ballard family still undecided, he wasn't about to miss the chance to make an impression."I heard you left Oakvale on official business. Funny how quickly you came back," Tristan said, his tone laced with meaning."It wasn't anything important. When I heard about Mr. Jovian's passing, I returned immediately. I wanted to pay my respects in person," Nathaniel answered smoothly, without missing a beat.He brushed off Tristan's subtle jab and used the moment to show the Ballard family he was genuinely there to pay his respects."Don't just stand there, Nathaniel. Go pay your re
"Your Royal Highness, it's an honor to have you here," Jonathan said.Upon seeing the distinguished guest arrive, he quickly pulled himself together and aside his grief. He led his family to greet Tristan, and they bowed in respect.Before they could finish the gesture, Tristan raised a hand to stop them. "No need for such formalities," he said. "The deceased deserves our respect."He turned to Jovian's portrait, which was displayed in the mourning hall, and sighed deeply.Tristan continued, "Mr. Jovian's untimely passing is truly a great loss to Dragonmarsh. May his soul rest in peace. My condolences to your family during this difficult time."Jonathan's eyes were filled with tears as he bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, Your Highness, for your kind words. My family is heartbroken over my brother's tragic death."Tristan nodded slightly. His gaze quickly swept across the hall before asking, "I've heard that Duke Lachshire fainted from grief. How is he doing now?"Jonathan
The unrest in West Lucozia finally ended with the capture of Warrick.Every official who was his accomplice was thoroughly investigated. Those who needed to be arrested were taken into custody, and those who deserved to be punished were executed.After the purge, more than 300 officials in West Lucozia were removed from their posts. Those guilty were arrested, and those whose crimes were severe were executed.Under Austin's iron-fisted reforms, West Lucozia's government underwent a complete overhaul. Corruption, bribery, and the tangled web of illegal deals were swept away like dust in the wind.The citizens quickly noticed the difference. When they visited government offices, they no longer faced delays, refusals, or demands for bribes.Long-neglected public issues began to move forward, thanks to the organized efforts of newly appointed officials. Things were improving across the board.Instead of fearing the crackdown, the citizens welcomed it. The corrupt officials who had dr
Austin's expression also turned serious as he saw the doubt in Dustin's eyes. He knew Dustin wouldn't worry over nothing.There were many strange beings in Streuqua, including vampires, werewolves, and the like. These supernatural species were notoriously hard to kill. Even after being decapitated, they weren't necessarily dead.Austin wasn't sure if Poseidon had that kind of ability. After all, the Hall of Gods and its so-called royal gods were still a mystery to most people in West Lucozia.To play it safe, they needed to recover Poisedon's head for their own peace of mind.Out on the water, Jaxon led a team of soldiers and ship crews to comb the sea in search of Poisedon's severed head.At the docks, all eyes turned to Warrick, Mulder, and the others. They had been tied up and were now being dragged before Dustin and Austin one by one.Warrick looked pale, but there was a certain defiance in his eyes. He knew his fate was sealed. After Dustin killed Poseidon, Warrick knew his