Chapter 80: Ashes Before the Throne
Azrael felt his heart being filled with anticipation; was he about to witness a grand battle between the two mighty monsters?
’Maybe the Death Knight attacks the King, loses badly due to their power difference, and we swoop in at the last moment and kill it. That way we would have closed the Rift and be returned back to the human realm, while the Proven would be left on their own.’
The best-case scenario came into his head only to vanish a second later. He knew his luck; nothing in this life was so easy.
The King’s hollow gaze lingered on the Death Knight for several moments. One looked like an immovable statue, being able to best two beings of the same power level single-handedly. While the other looked like it held the power to collapse the cathedral with a single movement.
Slowly, the lips of the Scalded Crown parted; its voice was calm. Unnervingly so—no hint of fear, hesitation, or regret, almost robotic in a way similar to the system the Chosen possessed.
"Of all my subjects, you alone go against my will."
The Death Knight didn’t seem to acknowledge the words of its master. It began to take silent steps forward.
The King, not showing the slightest hint of emotion, continued.
"Is this defiance for the Queen’s sake? You know that should one wish to challenge the gods, they must be ready to surrender anything dear."
Halting a few steps before the King, the knight leaned in forward with one bent knee, gripping the great sword with two hands. It was going to attack.
"Had you joined us like your brothers and sisters did, then we might have already beaten them long ago. Tell me, how could you turn a blind eye to the millions we sacrificed only to linger for a woman who merely gave birth to you?"
The last words of the King remained unheard; the Death Knight dashed forward faster than any of the gathered Chosen could perceive. The black sword it carried loomed overhead the King’s throne before falling down like a guillotine of death.