“This is outrageous!”
The furious Gustav swept everything off the desk and violently kicked it.
Crash!
The luxurious items fell to the ground along with his desk and shattered everywhere.
“Your Majesty, this… this…”
The minister looked at the out-of-control Gustav, unsure what to do.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! You must stand up for our child!!”
Gustav’s consort wept with tears streaming down her face.
“Soren led the army to suppress the rebellion. He clearly did not commit any wrongdoing. He was only following your orders. How could he possibly start a rebellion? He must have been framed!”
Gustav grabbed the minister by the collar and demanded, “Speak! When did I ever order Soren to attack Damian?”
“We only know that the First Prince defeated the army led by the Second Prince in the name of restoring order! I don’t know anything else, Your Majesty…” The minister looked completely innocent.
“Damn it. That unfilial son Soren. How dare he go against me like this?!”
Gustav’s entire body trembled with rage.
He truly had not expected Soren to do something like this.
He had clearly intended to suppress Soren and prevent him from controlling too many troops.
Yet Soren had colluded with the Holy Land and joined forces with the Holy Knights to attack Damian’s army.
By the time he received this intelligence in the capital, Soren had already crushed Damian with lightning speed.
“Your Majesty, we absolutely cannot let Soren off. And his younger brother Kaiso as well. These two have long been dissatisfied with your decision. This action must have been a joint rebellion by these two brothers! You must uphold justice and save Damian!” Gustav’s consort pleaded with tears in her eyes.
“Our Saint Luo Empire’s imperial family has actually produced such scum…”
Gustav was just about to issue orders to summon the Empire’s generals and suppress Soren and Kaiso.
At that moment, a burst of laughter interrupted him.
“Scum? Hahaha. Father, you actually blame me for everything that has happened?”
“Soren?”
“Yes, Father. Your most filial son has returned.”
Soren walked in carrying a bloody head.
Under everyone’s gaze, that severed head drew a bloody arc through the air and landed in front of Gustav and his consort.
It was none other than Damian.
Damian’s eyes were wide open. He died without closing them.
“Ah!!!”
Gustav’s consort let out a heart-wrenching scream and fainted on the spot.
Gustav stared at Soren in disbelief.
“There’s nothing surprising about this, Father. I have already taken control of all the cities with teleportation arrays. After crushing Second Brother, I rushed back without stopping to report this good news to you. I didn’t want to risk any complications arising from delay.” Soren shrugged.
“Soren, you actually have the nerve to speak so casually in front of me?”
“Father, if you hadn’t favored Second Brother so much, why would I have needed to do this?” Soren revealed a helpless expression. “Second Brother and I were as close as real brothers. I never wanted things to reach this point.”
“What are you all standing around for?! Seize this unfilial son immediately!!”
Gustav pointed at Soren and roared in anger.
“As you command!”
The palace guards moved.
They raised their weapons and charged at Soren.
Shing—!
A sword light flashed behind Soren.
The sword qi almost instantly severed all the guards’ weapons and embedded them into the wall behind Gustav, cutting the Emperor’s portrait in half.
“Thank you, Saintess.” Soren smiled.
The red-haired, golden-eyed Saintess gripped the Silver Sword and stepped in front of Soren.
She raised her sword horizontally, clearly declaring her stance.
The Holy Knights poured in like a flood and quickly subdued all the guards present.
Besides the people from the Holy Land, many ministers had also followed them inside.
“What… what are you all doing?!” Gustav shouted angrily.
“Father, can you still not see the situation clearly?”
Soren walked toward Gustav with his head held high.
His attitude toward his father no longer carried any of the respect it once had.
“Before you began favoring Second Brother so heavily, many ministers had placed their future behind me. Yet you chose to abandon me. Wasn’t that forcing these ministers onto a dead-end path?”
“Don’t think these Holy Knights can do anything to me.”
Gustav reached into his robes.
As the Emperor of the Saint Luo Empire, he naturally had some measures prepared.
He carried a powerful national treasure artifact on his person to guard against unexpected situations.
If he used the artifact here, he could repel everyone from the Holy Land.
Then he could summon the generals and the army to suppress Soren.
“Father, you have grown old.”
Gustav’s vision blurred.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood and could barely stay standing.
He felt as if all his strength had been drained.
His ears were ringing.
“What… what’s happening to me?”
“Father, ever since I realized you were going to abandon me, I have been secretly adding something to your coffee. Fortunately, it has finally come in handy now.”
Soren walked up to Gustav and casually reached out, easily snatching the short staff from his father’s embrace.
He raised it high and greedily examined the imperial heirloom of the Saint Luo Empire under the light.
“Since you have grown old, then rest well. Let me take over the throne.”
“Your Majesty the Emperor, please pass the throne to the First Prince!”
The ministers who had followed Soren spoke in unison.
Any clear-sighted person could see that this was not a request at all.
It was a forced abdication.
They were trying to compel Gustav to hand over the throne.
As for the ministers who had stood on Gustav’s side, they saw that the situation was hopeless.
They did not dare to speak and quietly retreated to the side.
“No one… will acknowledge you… Soren…”
Gustav struggled to force out these words.
“Don’t even think about taking my throne… There will be people who oppose you… You will never gain the recognition of others…!”
Gustav’s gaze happened to land on Sophie.
Soren deliberately stepped aside so that Gustav’s line of sight fell directly on Sophie.
“No. The entire nation will acknowledge me, Father.” Soren spoke in a deliberately relaxed tone. “According to the divine oracle, a great crisis is about to descend upon the human world. The human race needs a new emperor to succeed the throne in order to resolve this unprecedented catastrophe.”
Sophie spoke.
“Did you hear that, Father? This is a divine oracle.”
Soren spread his arms wide.
He felt as if he were bathing in holy light and had received the favor of the gods.
“The right to rule is granted by the gods. I am the king designated by the gods.”