Chapter 201: When The Ball Ends, So Does Balder?
Chapter 201: When The Ball Ends, So Does Balder?
The thick, metallic stench of iron hung heavy inside the East Prince Mansion, settling like a suffocating shroud over the grand halls.
Vali woke with a ragged groan. The harsh morning sunlight pierced the tall windows, irritating his striking blue eyes and forcing him into sudden, jarring awareness. A bitter, copper taste coated his lips and throat, leaving him deeply disoriented. Suddenly, he sat up, his breath catching. His long, silver-grey hair was matted with grime, and as his eyes scanned his own body, panic seized his chest. He was completely naked, his skin painted in sticky flecks of drying blood.
His mind raced. His first frantic thought was that a strike team of enemy Knights or elite assassins had breached the perimeter, slaughtering his guards, his servants, and coming for his head.
Then, Vali Balder noticed the true horror of his situation.
He stared down at his bare, blood-slicked skin, and then looked outward. The master suite was a slaughterhouse. The shredded remains of his personal servants lay scattered across the floor. The luxurious residence looked as though a massive, ravenous Demonic Beast had rampaged through the interior. Deep, vicious slash-marks scored the stone walls, and evidence of a frantic, desperate struggle defiled every corner. Mangled human limbs and torn torsos left behind in the mansion's massacre told a silent, merciless tale of absolute butchery.
Stepping out of bed, Vali’s bare footsteps made a sickening, sticky sound across the bloody floor. As he traced the path of destruction, his eyes caught a chaotic mix of tracks in the drying crimson splatters: the heavy, structured boot prints of his own Knights, intertwined with the massive, clawed paws of a colossal wild animal.
Horror gave way to raw panic. Vali grabbed his head and screamed, channeling his internal mana into his vocal cords to amplify a desperate call for help that echoed through the estate.
By the time a group of capital city guards rushed to the scene, Vali had managed to find a silk cloak to cover his naked, stained form. Security across Albion was exceptionally tight due to the ongoing Summer Council Gathering, allowing a specialized investigation unit to arrive within minutes.
While high-ranking Knights and a specialized Time Mage utilized complex chronological magic to scan the carnage, Vali stood off to the side in a daze.
His mind was fracturing, forced to relive vivid, fragmented pieces of a nightmare—one where he was running on all fours, a wild beast hunting, tearing, and eating his prey.
The Time Mage's initial reports only deepened the mystery. Everyone in the mansion had been brutally murdered by some unknown Demonic Beast—everyone except Vali. The most baffling part was the temporal residue. The monster's true form had completely bypassed the magical sensory fields.
The spell arrays pulsed with a pale silver light to trace residual spatial disturbances, yet they showed nothing. It was as if an invisible foe had snuck in, executed a flawless massacre, and vanished into the full-moon night.
Later that day, at the Eastern Prince Mansion...
While a detachment of Water Mages washed the blood and gore from his private estate, Vali sat in a secure parlor. He remained in a silent daze, but as the arrival of several high-profile figures neared, he deliberately suppressed the morning's terrifying events. Forcing his composure, he prepared to oversee a meeting that would alter the fate of the realm.
Seated pristine in his royal black-and-red attire, Vali looked over his guests. Amazon Princess Diana, Dwarven Ambassador Bronze Ore, Elven Ambassador Tull Windings, and several powerful heirs of the capital’s noble families had answered his summons. A new maid, quiet and unassuming, served tea to the gathered elite. Tonight was the night of the Royal Ball, and the pieces were finally in place to execute their long-planned coup to take over the Western Human Kingdom.
Before the discussion could begin, a maid knocked gently, announcing a critical ally Vali had been working with closely behind the scenes.
Following the maid into the room was a figure clad in the immaculate, flowing white robes of the eastern Heavenly Palace Sect. The man was strikingly handsome, his long black hair trailing gracefully with his fluid steps. His hands were clasped casually behind his back as his gaze swept over the co-conspirators. When he looked up, he revealed entirely white, pupil-less eyes—the infamous Cursed Eyes made legendary and feared in the west by King Owen.
Lin Feng spoke, his voice a calculated mix of arrogance, charm, and absolute pride.
"Apologies for my delayed arrival. The journey from the far east was exceptionally long and exhausting. Prince Vali Balder, the Emperor sends his personal greetings and deeply regrets that he could not attend in person. However, I have brought a Recording Stone containing his message to you all."
Vali stood up, returning Lin Feng’s cupped-fist salute with royal dignity. He waved the newcomer to an empty seat. Once the maid finished serving the eastern guest and left the room, Vali activated the magical protective barriers, sealing the room in a soundproof, anti-scrying shield to ensure their treason remained entirely undetected.
With the meeting secured, Lin Feng pulled two Recording Stones from his robes and activated the first.
A vivid projection sprang to life. The participants of the coup watched in breathless silence as the final moments of King Owen played out in the Windswept Canyons. They witnessed the King entering the Secret Realm, the catastrophic collapse of the spatial dimensions, and the Eastern Emperor sealing and destroying the entrance forever. The recording concluded with a definitive headstone, leaving no doubt about the exact location of the demise.
Shock rippled through the room. Everyone was visibly stunned, especially considering they had personally seen and interacted with King Owen Balder and his powerful Summons over the last few days.
Before they could debate, Lin Feng activated the second stone, projecting a life-sized, flickering image of the Eastern Emperor.
[Greetings, noble lords, esteemed ambassadors, and Prince Vali. I am the Emperor. The recording you have just witnessed was captured by my own hand, and I have personally verified that the true King Balder perished within that realm...]
The projection of the Emperor paused, pointing dramatically toward his student, Lin Feng, who stood up in perfect synchronization with the recording for theatrical effect.
[I have dispatched my Holy Son as my personal representative to assist you in exposing the treasonous pretender currently masquerading as the leader of the Balder Kingdom. My disciple, Lin Feng, will aid you in uncovering the truth, exposing the culprit who stole control of your kingdom, and identifying who the real mastermind is...]
Vali, knowing exactly where to stand to catch the light of the projection, puffed out his chest proudly as the Emperor's pre-recorded words reached their climax.
[The Eastern Wastelands Empire fully supports the rightful heir, Vali Balder, to assume the throne and purge these traitors. I trust that you all possess the courage to reclaim what is rightfully yours. Farewell, and may your Western Kingdom pass safely through these dark times.]
As the image of the blue-haired, proud Emperor faded into mist, a heavy, tense silence filled the room. Vali broke it, turning his eyes to the dwarf.
"Bronze Ore, what say you?"
Dwarven Ambassador Bronze Ore gave a low grunt, nodding his heavy head. "The mercenary assault we launched against the Western principality began at dawn. We are fully committed to your cause, King Vali. We only expect you to honor your terms and divide the principality's lands with us once the dust settles."
Vali nodded smoothly, turning to the Amazon leader. "Princess, what say the Amazons?"
Diana tightened her jaw, a reluctant but fierce expression crossing her features. "My people will lend you our blades, but only on one condition: we want the head of that devil, Loki Sky. Once he is dead, we will withdraw every Amazon residing within your borders."
Vali’s smile grew wide. He wanted nothing more than to be rid of Loki Sky and the dangerous Amazon presence. "A fair deal. My very first royal decree as King will be to banish all Amazons from my domain, granting you exactly what you wish... Knight Commander, what say the Royal Guards?"
The capital noble representing the military looked exceptionally gloomy. He had resisted joining a coup, but the evidence of the Recording Stone was undeniable. Though he looked barely twenty years old due to his high Circle realm, the veteran Knight spoke in a deeply serious tone.
"If you can irrefutably prove to me at the ball tonight that the King Owen I spoke with yesterday is an impostor, the Royal Knights will back your claim. But mark my words, Prince Vali—if he proves to be the genuine article, I will personally arrest you for high treason on the spot."
Vali smiled, entirely unbothered. He knew in his heart that the father he had interacted with a few days ago was wrong—his instincts told him it was a fake.
With the Royal Guard Commander provisionally on board, the remaining nobles fell into line one by one, promising their private forces for the night.
Lin Feng offered a smooth, hollow smile of congratulations from the side. "Then King Vali, I will do my part tonight to assure you can take control. I will personally lead the charge to secure the eastern airfields with the vanguard forces I smuggled in... Till tonight's ball!"
With the alliances solidified, the conspirators bent over the table, ironing out the brutal tactical details of the midnight strike...
I had finally managed to shed the heavy, suffocating disguise of King Owen. Thanks to Xia Bing publicly claiming to be spending the day with me, I was free to walk the streets in my true identity. Currently, I found myself inside a high-end luxury boutique, surrounded by Sylvia, Ku Mu, and Zia Qing, all of whom were preparing for the Royal Ball.
Because Ayala and Celia were no longer official ambassadors, they were barred from attending the gala. The plan for tonight was incredibly risky. Sylvia would attend the ball with my divine beast Baihu, who would be using high-tier transformation magic to pose as Loki Sky. Meanwhile, I had to pull double-duty, slipping back into the guise of King Owen to preside over the event. It was a classic, stressful anime trope—having to be in two places at once—and I just hoped my internal timing wouldn't crash like a bad computer.
"Sect Master Loki, will you dance with me tonight, haha? If you do, I will kiss you for good luck?"
I turned my attention to Zia Qing, the breathtaking Beastmaster Phoenix I had rescued from the Shadow Dragon's Tomb. She was holding up a stunning, elegant ballgown that perfectly matched her beautiful hair, looking back at me with a dazzling smile.
Zia Qing was a vision of raw, sensual beauty. Her long, flowing auburn, reddish-brown hair framed a face of striking perfection. Her warm, dark brown eyes sparkled with a playful, dangerous light, and her exceptionally voluptuous, shapely D-cup figure filled out her current traveling clothes to their absolute limit. The tight fabric stretched precariously across her generous, heavy chest, accentuating an incredibly narrow waist and the full, swaying curve of her hips.
Taking a slow, deliberate step toward me, she radiated a heavy, intoxicating warmth that seemed to elevate the temperature of the boutique. She leaned in close, the dizzying, sweet scent of her skin filling my nose.
Before I could appreciate the view or offer a witty reply, a sudden, violent cold chill surged violently up my spine.
My Mundane Divination skill flared to life with unprecedented force, warning me of imminent, catastrophic danger. The sudden mental backlash made my breath hitch, and I looked around the boutique in immediate, sharp worry.
Ku Mu, sharing a direct summoner link to me, instantly felt the spike of pure anxiety bleeding through our bond. She stepped forward, her dark eyes wide. "Sect Master, what is making you uncomfortable? Are we in danger?"
My beautiful Dryad lover and my stunning eastern beauty both grabbed my hands in deep worry. Ku Mu's cool palm offered a stark, grounding contrast to the rising heat and my sudden panic. Sensing the shift, Sylvia dropped the dress she was inspecting and rushed over, her face pale.
"Husband, what is wrong? You are looking pale."
I scrunched my green eyes, my vision swimming with dark, prophetic images. I looked at the three anxious women and sighed. "I saw lots of blood, betrayal, and war coming in the next 24 hours... I think something incredibly bad is coming."
Sylvia, Ku Mu, and Zia Qing exchanged startled, grave glances. Without a word, the three women immediately activated their own Mundane Divination skills, pushing their spiritual senses into the immediate future. Within seconds, they recoiled, receiving the exact same cosmic feedback: absolute chaos was slated to consume the Royal Ball tonight.
I turned my gaze out the window, staring toward the towering spires of Albion Castle with deep, unshakeable unease.
"Before the ball, move all of our family and friends inside the Sky Fortress for the night... Just in case."
Sylvia nodded sharply, her pale silver mana already humming subtly around her fingertips as she prepared to coordinate the spatial shifts.
"Baihu and I will send back the disciples now," Ku Mu added, her expression fierce.
I nodded silently, a heavy, suffocating dread settling deep into my chest as the final hours ticked down toward the fateful gala.