Chapter 468: Bomb!
The devastated banquet hall transformed into a newly sprouted dense woodland, its remaining golden radiance completely shrouded beneath lush emerald canopies.
Countless elves had been transported by Cocotte to the vicinity of an ancient tree.
They perched among its branches, peering through verdant foliage with curious eyes fixed upon the towering transparent barrier rising before them.
Under Cocotte's protective care, the elves remained completely isolated from the courtyard's battle, allowing them to observe in perfect safety.
The nobles clustered at the courtyard's periphery, gazing upward with pale glimmers of amazement and bewilderment dancing in their eyes.
Even now, they remained deeply puzzled by this demon hunter contingent's sudden materialization.
The Empire maintained strict identity controls over all visitors within its borders—especially throughout the royal capital region.
Every non-Imperial resident entering the capital underwent rigorous background verification.
Ensuring complete intelligence on each outsider's history and affiliations.
For an organization like demon hunters to appear en masse within the royal capital, with their identities remaining undisclosed—
Such an occurrence was virtually unprecedented in Imperial history.
Moreover, they hadn't merely appeared individually, but emerged as a coordinated force.
Had they not suddenly manifested around the banquet hall, the assembled nobility might never have detected their presence until departure.
But then realization dawned—the Empire's Empress was herself a demon hunter!
Suddenly, everything made perfect sense.
However, they failed to notice—
When distant Lia spotted this demon hunter group, she immediately ducked her head, covering her face with both hands while maintaining complete silence.
Observing Lia's distressed state, Gwen assumed she felt unwell.
Concerned, she gently patted Lia's back while inquiring softly:
"Lia, what's troubling you?"
"It's... nothing."
Lia raised her head, forcing a weak smile.
Because Lia had recognized them.
This demon hunter group consisted precisely of those individuals who'd recently contracted with the Kravinas—forced into domestic service at their estate.
Without question, Viktor had summoned them once again.
But the problem was—whether harboring demons or privately retaining these illegally smuggled demon hunters—
Broadly speaking, these constituted serious crimes!
Multiple felonies, in fact!
Though their family had certainly engaged in similar legally questionable activities before.
But still!
The past was past—this was now!
In this setting, with nobility and royalty assembled together, Viktor's actions amounted to complete public exposure.
Once these nobles recovered from their shock, everyone would comprehend exactly what outrageous crimes their family had committed.
After considerable time, Lia drew a deep breath.
Following prolonged contemplation, she gradually displayed an expression of resigned acceptance.
"Forget it."
Criminal activity? So what if we're criminals!
Their family had already declared public support for Princess Aurelianne.
When the Princess ascended to power—with Viktor as her mentor—
Who would still care about their family's past transgressions?
With this realization, Lia simply abandoned concerns about family reputation.
After all, no amount of worry would help—the Kravina family's declining reputation was inevitable anyway.
It had never been particularly good to begin with.
This thought brought Lia immediate relief.
Now she finally had opportunity to observe the transparent barrier ahead.
From this distance, she couldn't clearly discern internal events.
Lia only knew Viktor remained inside, stirring unavoidable concern.
That demon appeared so terrifying—surely he won't be injured?
With growing curiosity, she turned to inquire of nearby Gwen:
"Will this successfully contain the Second Prin... the demon?"
Before Gwen could respond, a somewhat familiar voice emerged from behind them without warning:
"The Second Prince serves as the demon's vessel."
"Our objective involves extracting the demon from the Second Prince."
As the voice sounded, both instinctively turned around.
Before them stood a woman wearing a silver-white mask, similarly attired in the demon hunters' form-fitting uniform.
Her graceful silhouette remained tantalizingly visible beneath the tight garment, while a broad black hood completely concealed her hair and half her face, draping across her shoulders.
With crisp footsteps, she approached Lia directly.
However, upon hearing these words, Lia appeared somewhat confused—her eyes filled with transparent bewilderment.
She'd completely failed to comprehend the explanation.
Seeming to recognize Lia's confusion, the stranger offered a particularly simplified clarification.
"We can guarantee the demon will be successfully contained."
Lia immediately understood.
Considering the speaker wore identical attire to those demon hunters within, her credibility seemed quite high.
However, at this moment, Gwen's gaze suddenly locked onto this female demon hunter with laser focus.
Sensing Gwen's scrutiny, the masked figure coughed lightly twice before producing a deliberately lowered voice:
"Ahem... is something wrong?"
She'd even intentionally deepened her vocal register.
Gwen offered no response—merely lowering her head to examine the demon hunter's figure from top to bottom.
Her eyes swept repeatedly across the stranger's chest area, as if conducting some form of assessment.
Suddenly, distant commotion erupted as the pale domain began gradually dissipating.
The transparent barrier piercing skyward slowly crumbled from above like fractured mirror glass, its interwoven patterns beginning to flutter unpredictably.
Sensing massive air currents emanating from the courtyard's center, both Gwen and Lia swiftly turned to observe.
Countless nobles stared wide-eyed in shock at the gradually fracturing sky-reaching barrier and scattered pale fragments dancing through the air.
With the barrier's dissolution, that massive demon trapped above the clouds began plummeting from altitude.
Its enormous form gradually became exposed, hurtling earthward with devastating momentum.
CRASH!
The instant that colossal body struck ground, it generated dust waves ten meters high while the courtyard floor cracked open once more.
As smoke and debris settled, the First Prince stared dumbfounded—unable to believe his eyes as he witnessed the giant demon collapsed within the courtyard.
By now, the enormously proportioned bull-headed demon had been stripped of considerable power.
It lay helplessly collapsed, its originally massive frame rapidly contracting and diminishing significantly.
Pale chains bound its entire form while heavy silver spears pinned each limb firmly in place.
At this moment, everyone present seemed to realize something—quickly turning their attention toward the demon hunter contingent.
Every demon hunter stood behind Claudia in perfect formation, maintaining rigid posture like loyal sentinels.
Claudia remained stationary, still gripping a slender silver spear within her grasp.
Her movements proved graceful—accompanied by crisp footfalls as she slowly approached the fallen bull demon.
The massive bull-headed creature gradually raised its head.
Upon glimpsing Claudia, those crimson eyes grew dim and lifeless—even filling with compassion and desperate pleading.
Yet it couldn't speak—because that special-material spear had pierced clean through both upper and lower jaws, welding them completely together.
Therefore, it could only emit labored breathing through its nostrils.
Claudia drew near the demon as her blood-colored eye gradually returned to tranquil composure.
She gazed upon the creature before her—jaws pierced by her spear—with complete emotional detachment.
At this moment, Viktor stood behind the Empress, offering her a respectful bow.
"Your Majesty, your efficiency proves truly remarkable."
Claudia didn't turn around—merely responding to Viktor with cool indifference:
"Envy demons—I understand everything about them, including every weakness."
She looked down at the Second Prince, her calm gaze meeting his directly.
"Kinship, friendship, romantic love."
"Wealth, status, reputation."
"Only envy proves most susceptible to emotional manipulation by such things."
Having spoken, Claudia twisted her wrist lightly—silver spear blossoms blooming in mid-air.
The fierce gleam in her eyes pierced toward the Second Prince's heart like a blade.
"All responsibility lies with me."
"Therefore, I should be the one to end this."
Claudia gripped the silver spear in reverse, poised to pierce through the Second Prince's skull at any moment.
Owiser trembled with terror—collapsed helplessly while watching his mother with desperate eyes.
As if the next instant would bring that frigid spear's cruel penetration.
Whether this would prove fatal remained unclear—but half his life was certainly forfeit.
Yet Claudia would grant him no mercy whatsoever.
Finally, that silver spear—driven by Claudia's resolve—thrust toward Owiser's skull.
But precisely as she struck toward Owiser, powerful golden repulsive force suddenly manifested in the air.
Transforming into invisible atmospheric resistance, it firmly blocked the silver spear's tip.
The weapon's shaft trembled slightly while golden micro-radiance suspended in mid-air flowed continuously toward the Empress's rear.
Observing her airborne spear becoming precarious, Claudia's mask-hidden eyes widened slightly with surprise.
Suddenly, cascading force knocked the silver spear away—tracing a pale trajectory through the air.
CLANG—
The weapon bounced several times across distant cracked courtyard stones before embedding itself between fallen nobles.
Those aristocrats—witnessing the silver spear pass mere centimeters from their faces—shuddered with absolute terror.
The wind-breaking sound during those few seconds would haunt them for life.
Witnessing this scene, the demon hunters immediately assumed defensive positions.
They swiftly drew weapons concealed at their sides, focusing intense gazes upon the grounded demon ahead.
Simultaneously, Claudia's attention followed the spear's trajectory backward.
Suddenly, crisp and unexpected applause echoed from the sky behind her.
Clap—clap—clap—
As this applause resonated, she turned around once more—seeking the sound's source.
But merely this single glance caused her gaze to gradually grow vacant.
Similarly, other nobles heard this applause.
When they likewise raised their heads skyward, they too became slightly dazed like Claudia.
Because the figure appearing in the heavens was none other than—
Leopold.
At this moment, he wore that benevolent smile while stepping upon golden stairs materializing from thin air.
Applauding while slowly descending toward earth.
That... that's Leopold?
Isn't he a merchant? How can he walk through the sky?
However, before anyone could fully process this development, Leopold's golden pupils had already locked onto Claudia:
"Your Majesty the Empress—nothing wrong with disciplining children, but domestic violence... seems rather inappropriate, wouldn't you agree?"
His light footsteps touched ground as he gazed at the dying bull-headed demon beside him—eyes filled with pleading—shaking his head with apparent pity.
"Such a pitiful child, beaten to this state by his own biological mother."
With Leopold's casual hand gesture, the spear piercing the bull's jaws mysteriously withdrew.
Finally able to speak, Owiser frantically called out:
"Un... Uncle! You came to rescue me!"
"Naturally."
Leopold smiled while nodding, stating:
"After all, you retain considerable value."
Owiser nodded desperately with extreme urgency:
"Uncle, quickly—save me from—"
THUNK—!!!
Before he could complete his plea, a silver spear suddenly burst through the golden repulsive barrier.
Carving a brilliant silver light-trail through the air, it pierced directly into Owiser's flesh-and-blood bull head.
In that instant, the entire courtyard plunged into deathly silence.
Owiser's previously bright crimson eyes froze completely.
Pitch-black dimness crept across both orbs, gradually obscuring their fading luminescence.
BOOM!
With a thunderous crash, that massive bull skull struck earth heavily—stirring clouds of flying dust.
At this moment, everyone present fell into absolute silence.
Even Leopold—who'd maintained his smile throughout—stood rigidly frozen like a statue.
"Your Majesty the Empress, you declared family matters should be resolved by family members—and I agreed."
"But this is no longer your family matter, therefore—"
Accompanied by an ice-cold voice slowly emerging, light footsteps approached from nearby.
Suddenly, every gaze converged upon Viktor.
They observed Viktor raising one hand.
The azure magical radiance within his palm was gradually dissipating.
Finally, he casually pocketed both hands.
Under everyone's scrutiny, he strolled nonchalantly to the demon that had fallen into darkness.
Simultaneously, Viktor's frigid gaze targeted Leopold directly.
A voice cold as arctic wind rippled through every ear present:
"May I begin the real fight now?"
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