“No, it’s impossible. Mr. Green, how, how could he…”
Teresa stared blankly at the now-empty scene, hoping that familiar figure would appear before her once again, just as he had countless times before, showing that bright smile.
But Teresa waited for nothing.
“Your Highness.”
Without giving Teresa time to settle her emotions, Antonio immediately stepped closer. “Since the trial by combat has reached its conclusion, I wonder if this proves my innocence?”
He shook his head with a face full of pained regret. “As the envoy sent by the Regent to deliver the Imperial Decree, Your Highness, I believe your previous accusations require a corresponding price. For example…”
Antonio brushed his sleeves and said with solemn gravity: “Defying an imperial command? Oh, right, they say Your Highness is well-versed in the laws of the Empire. Surely you know the punishment for this crime? The only sentence is death.”
Huu—
Teresa felt a chill from the bottom of her heart.
It wasn’t because of Antonio’s ridiculous threat, but…
Green.
No, it couldn’t be.
She had personally witnessed how Green created impossible miracles.
Now, it must be the same now!
“Haha, it seems Your Highness finds the death of that bard quite difficult to accept?”
Antonio let out a cackle, no longer able to suppress the smirk at the corner of his mouth.
“But unfortunately, facts do not bend to personal will.”
The special envoy’s voice was like a cold wind, almost instantly scattering the little remaining morale in everyone’s hearts.
“As the victor of the trial by combat, I believe I have the right to punish the loser. This is the law of the Empire, a sacred and inviolable right bestowed upon me by the God of Light!”
Boom—
A massive amount of mana dissipated from Antonio. That majestic, infinite energy was still being channeled into him from the floating warship without end.
Antonio, who already possessed legendary strength, appeared at this moment like a god descending to the mortal realm, powerful and unstoppable.
In an instant, the entire hall fell silent.
Unwillingness, pain, despair…
It wasn’t that no one wanted to resist, but even Mr. Green, who created miracles, was dead.
Who else could be a match for the confidant of the First Prince Regent, a legendary powerhouse?
Bang!
At that moment, the long table vibrated.
“Enough!” Ryan, who had long since lost his patience, stood up. Although he had witnessed Green’s ‘end’ with his own eyes, he still moved forward with a determination to die, encouraging the crowd.
“The rest of you, don’t you dare lower your heads.”
Colonel Ryan’s voice was heavy, yet it carried a strange sense of calmness.
“I know you are afraid of death. Hmph, I am afraid of death too. But will being afraid keep you from dying?”
Raising his head, he looked directly at Antonio’s nauseating expression.
“As soldiers of the Empire, we have our own dignity. This is something a lapdog of the nobility like you will never understand.”
Ryan walked step by step to the front of the crowd, using his broad shoulders to block the scattering mana.
Whish, whish, whish!
Even as that mana pressed firmly against his body, as if it would tear him to pieces in the next second, Colonel Ryan still stood straight and proud, without the slightest intention of bowing his head.
“What a grand and dignified display.” Seeing someone still struggling in their death throes, Antonio couldn’t help but let a mocking smile surface on his face. “What a pity, what a pity. If those words were spoken by someone else, I might have looked at you with a bit more respect.”
“But Ryan? The same Ryan who betrayed the old superior who promoted him despite his commoner origins?”
For some reason, Antonio seemed to have a thorough grasp of Ryan’s past.
“You, you…”
They really did know!
Ryan was not actually surprised that the other party knew his dark history.
As early as his last clash with the Second Prince, he understood that once he dared to get involved in the power games of the capital’s great figures, every detail of his life—the good and the bad—would become material for their attacks.
Before the great figures of the capital, he was a defenseless sheet of white paper.
But even so!
“Say whatever you want. Regardless, I have… a clear conscience.” Looking back at Teresa and his fellow soldiers, Ryan’s gaze was firm.
“Idiot.” Antonio clicked his tongue inwardly. Seeing that this fellow remained so stubborn even after he revealed the leverage in his hands, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger.
He wasn’t angry because Ryan dared to resist, but because…
“The Seventh Princess is indeed not simple.”
In fact, through the recent series of suppressive tests, Antonio’s perception of Teresa was gradually shifting.
At first, he only regarded Teresa as an unlucky puppet princess who had lost her luster after being abandoned by their father, the Emperor.
Later, after confirming that Teresa truly possessed the Ambition of a Hero, Antonio viewed her as someone who didn’t know the heights of the heavens, only thinking to resolve her quickly like cutting through tangled hemp.
But now… Antonio had to admit he had misjudged her.
That girl was indeed very dangerous.
For some reason, the prophecy of that female magician—the one he had always looked down upon and dismissed as a practitioner of heretical arts—suddenly flashed through the envoy’s mind.
‘Your Highness, this woman is your only threat. Eliminate her, and you will be the undisputed Emperor of the Empire.’
Kill her.
Originally, Antonio only wanted to rely on instigating a riot to conveniently eliminate Princess Teresa. But now, he had changed his mind.
“To be able to win people’s hearts to such an extent in just a few short months… even when there is clearly no hope of a turnaround, so many people still remain loyal…”
Teresa must die!
Boom—
Thinking of this, Antonio no longer hesitated and spoke loudly: “Since that’s the case, I will grant your wish. Hmph, I’ll report to the capital that the officers and soldiers of the Unyielding Bastion were incited by Colonel Ryan, and disregarding the Emperor’s vast grace, they launched a rebellion. As for Her Highness Princess Teresa and the Vice-Commander…”
Glancing at the pale-faced Teresa, Antonio spoke the ending he had prepared for everyone without any mercy: “Unfortunately perished during this riot.”
“You… shameless!”
Colonel Ryan’s eyes widened. Although he knew the great figures at the top didn’t care about the lives of those at the bottom, this was the first time he realized they could be so cruel and heartless.
“Since you’ve already stepped into the struggle for succession, calling me shameless now is a form of shamelessness in itself, isn’t it?”
Antonio responded with his distorted logic.
Boom, boom, boom!
The roar of the floating warship vibrated through the legendary mage. More and more soldiers, unable to withstand that pressure, fell to their knees with pale faces. However, even facing such a desperate situation, not a single one of the hundreds of soldiers present opened their mouths to beg for mercy; they all endured with grit.
“Tsk.” Although those invited to such a banquet were mostly die-hard loyalists, Antonio never expected these people to be so stubborn. Fortunately, the First Prince was cautious enough to send me personally as the envoy. Otherwise, these people would truly be more of a threat than the Second Prince. They might have actually used this as a starting point to turn the entire Western Region of the Empire into their base.
If that happened, the First Prince would be in real danger!
“However, you no longer have the chance!”
Whish, whish, whish!
Exerting all his strength, Antonio held nothing back; even a lion uses its full power when hunting a rabbit.
“Utter annihilation is the greatest respect I can show an enemy!”
Antonio aimed the wand in his hand at Ryan.
Zzzzt—
Bang!
A dazzling white light flashed.
Swoosh… zzzzt.
A burst of electric current suddenly surged out from Antonio’s body. Densely packed runes appeared out of thin air, accompanied by waves of mana flow.
“What… what’s going on?”
Bang.
With a dull, heavy sound, everyone present felt a certain weight on their bodies suddenly lighten. Antonio’s mana was still terrifying, but that soul-crushing power had already dissipated.
“The core of the floating warship… how, how is this possible?!”
Antonio looked at his chest in shock, only to discover in despair that the power that should have been inexhaustible could no longer be sensed at all.
Swoosh—
BOOM!!!
A violent vibration suddenly echoed from outside.
“The floating warship… the floating warship has collapsed?!”
Impossible!
Was it a sneak attack?
But there were over a hundred elite troops on board, including several quasi-legends…
Wait!
Is it… is it him?
But isn’t he already dead?
Cough, cough.
“Sorry about that, Your Highness Teresa.” An embarrassed face popped up in front of Teresa. “The internal structure of the floating warship was more complex than I imagined. But based on the detection just now, hehe, if we get the chance, we should definitely see if we can replicate a set.”
“You… you idiot!” Teresa burst into a smile through her tears. “I really thought you were dead!”
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