Chapter 190
Ten court ladies lined up in the Secret Council chamber.
They all looked terrified. Not even the Emperor knew which of them was the one who would testify.
This was because, if the information were to leak, that court lady could be killed. Worse, because of her, the others could be executed as well. They were all the Empress's closest aides, so it didn't matter much to her side.
So, including that court lady, ten were summoned. These were also the ones that court lady had told Lady Mien about—each of them the Empress's closest confidantes.
"Court ladies, state your names and positions!"
The court ladies began to declare their names and affiliations. There were not only the Empress's left and right hands but even the most senior court ladies and the nanny maids from the Inner Court.
An official asked,
"Is there any falsehood in your titles and names?"
"There is none."
The Emperor stared intently at the court ladies.
I had claimed these were once the Empress's closest confidantes, but those summoned were still her inner circle.
The Empress spoke coldly.
"Parading my people in front of me like this—what exactly are you hoping to prove?"
The Emperor ignored her.
"Investigator, continue the questioning."
I stepped forward again.
"One among these court ladies told me: the Empress has never been pregnant. These women aided in faking the Empress's pregnancy."
"Is this true?"
"No, Your Majesty!"
"He is lying, Your Majesty!"
Every court lady denied it.
The atmosphere in the Secret Council chamber grew even tenser.
The eyes on me turned sharper.
"That court lady witnessed the Empress bringing in a child and was forced to call that child the crown prince. But that child is not even the one present now!"
"How far will you go to disgrace the Imperial Family?"
"Remove him at once!"
"Can't you keep quiet!"
The Emperor shouted again.
He scanned the room and then spoke once more.
"So, you're saying that child is also a fake?"
"The Empress swapped the boy again. I even found the real mother of this child."
"Is this true?"
"It is. The Empress invited the woman and child, stole the child, and imprisoned the woman."
"How could such a thing be possible?"
The Empress was visibly flustered.
So were the court ladies.
"Your Majesty. Wake the sleeping crown prince immediately. If he is truly the Empress's birth child, he will smile at her. If he is someone else's, he will cry."
"Absolutely not!"
The Empress shouted.
"Such preposterous claims! By what right do you accuse me, the mother of the Imperial bloodline? Guards, arrest him!"
I shouted back as well.
"Guards, arrest the Empress, for she has deceived the Imperial Family and His Imperial Majesty and everyone present!"
"Your Majesty, how can you allow this! You use this wicked man to frame me, the true mother of the crown prince!"
The Emperor's eyes wavered violently.
At that moment—
—We have found the assassins. Three in total. Location: the ceiling. Weapons: small crossbows.
I pressed even harder.
"That's not all! That court lady also identified the fake standing here! When all this is over, Grand Duke Syren will have that fake killed!"
"Who is the fake?"
"Wake the crown prince right now! If you don't, the fake will be killed! If you testify, I promise we will protect you!"
"What nonsense is this?"
"Your Majesty! Wake the crown prince!"
The Emperor silently watched the events unfold.
Eventually, he spoke.
"Chamberlains, awaken the crown prince."
"You cannot!"
"Hurry and wake him to confirm his real mother!"
"I will tear apart any who touch my son! Stand aside!"
"Your Majesty!"
The chamberlains and the Empress began to scuffle. The court ladies also rushed in, fighting over the sleeping crown prince. Eventually, the chamberlains seized him.
"Waaah!"
In the commotion over the child, he woke up and burst into tears. Just then, a woman among the witnesses ran forward.
"Nirya!"
"Mommy?"
The child's crying stopped abruptly.
He recognized the woman.
"Mommy!"
"My baby! My darling!"
The child in the chamberlain's arms struggled to reach the woman. Anyone could see he wanted to go to her, so the chamberlains had no choice but to let him go.
"My child!"
"Mommy... Waaah!"
As the woman embraced him, the child began to cry again. The woman also wept. The uproar in the hall quieted down.
That woman was wearing the Mask of Spirit. She had been locked up in a room of the Inner Court, but two operatives from the Intelligence Division had rescued her this morning.
The child, sobbing, clung to the woman. It was clear he recognized his mother. The Empress, meanwhile, wore a venomous expression and forced a hollow laugh.
"Seize the Empress at once!"
"Your Majesty! Do you think you will survive this?"
The Emperor shouted out.
"The Empress has humiliated the Imperial Family and deceived me! Even Grand Duke Syren will not escape guilt for this treason! Have every member of House Syren arrested immediately!"
"We obey your command!"
Just then—
Pipiping—
With a sharp whistling, three arrows flew at once—one at the fake crown prince's true mother, one at me, and one at the Emperor.
Titing—
I deflected the arrow aimed at me and at the woman, but I couldn't stop the one headed for the Emperor.
Puhbuk—
The shouting Emperor took the arrow in his chest and toppled forward.
"His Imperial Majesty has fallen!"
"The Emperor has been slain!"
"The culprit is Roger Hader!"
The accusation rang out, as if on cue.
The spectators were in utter shock.
I hurriedly grabbed a magic pouch and scattered swords from it.
Then, our squad members rushed in. They struck down the guards who tried to block them, grabbed the Emperor's corpse, and ran. Then they peeled off the mask from the dead Emperor's face.
The intelligence had been true.
This Emperor was a fake.
Everyone present saw it.
"How could this be!"
"This is an impostor! If you wish to live, hide behind me! Nabak! Evacuate the witnesses!"
"Yes!"
Clunk—
The massive Secret Council door opened.
Arrows immediately poured in.
That's when we erected a massive barrier.
Tututututung—
All the arrows bounced off.
Just then, Donnie unleashed a Horizontal Swordline.
Chaaaaaa—
The slash shot out, cleanly piercing through every enemy advancing in.
There was one who deflected it.
But there was another attack.
My Horizontal Swordline followed with a delay. As Syren's elite guards came in, one after another they fell.
The only one who had deflected the Sword Line urgently leapt up.
I, too, sprang forward.
The enemy kicked off a wall, darting through the air, then unleashed Sword Energy.
Sword of Light!
I cut down the incoming Sword Energy, slicing straight through it as I flew.
Tung—
His Sword Energy bounced off my blade; there was no recoil or shock. I thrust my sword straight at the leaping enemy.
He had no way to avoid it.
He had no choice but to block my sword.
Pukeong—
With an explosion, the man bounced away.
Still, I felt no shock.
I landed right where he did. He couldn't dodge any longer. My blade was already cleaving down.
Tukung! Seokeokeok—
The enemy's sword that blocked mine was severed, flying away, and my downward cut pierced his right shoulder and exited through his side.
The man slowly collapsed.
Blood spurted from his shoulder, and his right arm slowly slid downward.
Chwak—
Then my blade swept through his neck; blood gushed out, and his head rolled free, landing at my feet.
The severed sword blade stuck into the floor beside the head with a clunk. His helmet had come half off.
He was the Grand Duke's royal guard captain.
So the Grand Duke himself hadn't shown up yet.
Kwachi-chichichik—
From the door, lightning surged forth, and bolts of lightning shot in all directions.
Every time Donnie's sword clashed with an elite of Syren, a burst of lightning erupted.
Each blow felled another group in electrocution. Bodily halves of elders and knights littered the entrance; even the Empress lay fallen.
The Empress coughed blood, looking at me.
Could she ever have imagined such a death?
Everything below her solar plexus was gone.
I headed to my team.
The witnesses and observers were gone. Only nine court ladies and a few officials sat in shock.
"Did everyone evacuate?"
"Yes. All moved through the door of light. Only these remain."
Those who were left were pale as ghosts.
I told them,
"If you testify, you will be spared."
Those remaining quickly nodded.
"Intelligence Division, take them through the secret passage. If they run, you may kill them."
"Understood."
Four agents of Intelligence herded the others out of the Secret Council chamber.
The chamberlains, except for the dead, had all fled, leaving only the guards standing uncertainly.
"Clear out—all of you! You served a fake Emperor! Resist, and you will die too!"
That finally got the guards moving.
The three assassins had already died, their bodies pinned to the ceiling by arrows fired by Tuji and Uson.
Immediately I drew out the new armor and began donning it. Donnie's magic power was quite depleted, so I needed to put on the suit while he held the line.
Four of us finished putting on our armor first and headed for the door. Since no more enemies were breaking through, Donnie was able to leave his post and join the rest.
I and three others stepped outside.
Down the wide hallway, countless knights lay twitching—electrocuted, every last one.
"Tsk."
With a greatsword, I calmly thrust a blade through the necks of the fallen.
Most wore Royal Guard armor, but most were knights of Syren.
We turned the corner of the hall.
Shushushu—tititing—
Flying crossbow bolts, which I deflected effortlessly with my greatsword. The long corridor was packed with knights; judging by their demeanor, these were the Royal Guards.
The ones who had charged in with the guard captain earlier must have been Syren's personal guard. They had probably sent their strongest to end this for good.
"Get in there! What are you doing?"
"Move! Get inside already!"
Empty shouts echoed from behind.
The Royal Guards said nothing, just as they were steadily pushed back. Among them was the lieutenant I had slapped before.
"It's been a while."
He was standing in front, since he was a lieutenant.
But was only burrowing back behind his own subordinates.
"Let's see how much you regret this."
The lieutenant didn't so much as open his mouth.
The knights were looking past me, staring at something else. On their faces, beyond fear, I could see only despair.
Behind me, Donnie and the rest of the team approached one by one. All were clad in pitch-black armor made from the bones of Asgard, wielding massive curved swords and the bows of spirits.
"The deputy-commander is here!"
At those words, the Royal Guards gritted their teeth.
So the deputy-commander was the famous Sword of Light.
Do they finally see hope for survival?
"Use lightning!"
We all rushed forward at once.
The Royal Guards tried frantically to fend off the attack, but it was meaningless. With a single clash, magic power and lightning exploded.
Kwakwa-kwa-kwang—pachichichik
Bursts of thunder and lightning erupted. All at once, the Royal Guards were electrocuted and felled.
Then someone charged at me.
That's when a Sword Line shot out from my own blade.
The attacker desperately blocked it with his sword.
Pukukung—
He bravely tried to ward off the Horizontal Swordline, but failed. He froze in place.
We pushed onward.
As we passed by, the frozen man toppled forward, spurting blood. His body was split in two.
So he was supposed to be the Sword of Light.
The Royal Guards at the bend of the corridor stood open-mouthed. Their deputy-commander had died in a single blow.
We stormed in.
Those who tried to retreat, those who tried to block us—no matter, I cut them down mercilessly and cleared the way.
If they'd mustered a hundred or so, it might have been something. Against grunts, there was no reason for me to use much magic power.
With only the bare minimum, using no advanced techniques, I simply broke through.
The Sword of Light was so fast, the fight needed to end quickly. Using big techniques could have gotten us killed. Those with the devil's essence, the guard captain—they'd made that mistake.
Yet the Royal Guard's deputy-commander fell pitifully. Barring the Grand Duke and the royal guard captain, he must have been the strongest. So, I didn't even need to see the rest of the Swords of Light to know how it would end.
In an instant, we swept through the Royal Guards. Not a single one left alive. There were about 120 Royal Guards, and by now even more than that had fallen.
No one else blocked the hallway.
We walked out of the palace's main hall.
Everyone lined up, facing the square.
In front of the palace, on the main square,
The Imperial Knights had formed a formation.
Ahead of them stood others in different armor.
"Those fifty-odd in front must be the last of the personal guard."
"And the one in front—that's the Grand Duke?"
"Most likely."
All clad in red armor and crimson cloaks.
That armor, too, was made of dragon bone.
Red Dragon bone.
That's the Grand Duke.
He didn't hide.
He walked out slowly.
I, too, descended the stairs.
To the empty center of the square.
I faced the Grand Duke.
He removed his helmet.
"Impressive."
"Are you confident in your victory?"
At my question, the Grand Duke laughed.
"I must win. There's no other option."
He laughed again and put on his helmet.
Right. He has to win, or there's nothing left for him.
We all have everything to lose.