"They're rebelling! They're rebelling!" Elyu saw three Erene commanders join hands to strike Tianensai. The last shred of hope in his chest shattered like brittle glass.
"I am your king. In the name of Eunomia, I order you to kill every traitor!" Rage speared through him. He tore off his crown, baring a wrath they'd never seen.
The Erene Guard stood motionless. Only their bare eyes were cold blades of disdain and mute resolve.
"Good..." Elyu drew a deep breath, his gaze turning bone-cold. "The human heart is an ocean, unknowable in a lifetime." "Father saw it all and chained Hippo in the Royal Capital for thirty-five years." "Who would've thought..."
"This is exactly what he wished to see. Be glad. You may have taken this city, but the real war starts now." Power burst from Elyu's frame. His whole body flashed a green light.
A sphere of green light swelled fast, like a storm balloon. The Erene Guard and the distant fighters with Tianensai sensed it and fell back as one.
They had almost forgotten. Elyu spent years abroad without a single attendant. How did he survive razor-edged danger time and again?
There was only one answer—overwhelming personal force. Outside, rank matters, but iron fists matter more.
Used to following Ostos, who lacked any Lawbreaking Ability, they assumed a king without the crown's power was meat on the butcher's board.
"You miscalculated!" His voice turned hoarse. The green sphere now covered half the palace, like Medith’s nuclear pillar—terrifying, awe-binding.
Just as it reached the brink of rupture, a familiar, magnetic voice drifted in. "Emperor Aelius, your humble servant Paris arrives uninvited. I beg forgiveness."
Fury bled out of Elyu’s eyes, and the sphere shrank. He stared as the entire Erene Guard dropped to one knee. Spears angled skyward in absolute fealty, greeting a man who walked forward.
Moonlight washed Paris beneath a roof woven of Black Spears. He wore a blazing gold robe of the Six Clawed White Dragon. His wavy golden hair flashed like ripples under the moon.
Hands clasped behind his back, a smile hooked his lips. Golden boots gleamed, imperial. He moved like a true Emperor, flanked by men and women in ash-white armor bearing the Six Clawed White Dragon.
Elyu’s heart clenched, and he edged back two steps. His mouth trembled, and two clear tears slid free.
"Why... why... Paris—why would you do this!" His roar hammered the hall, a storm of grief and hate that climbed into the clouds.
Many snapped awake at his howl, hearts drumming hard in their chests.
Right then, noble levies and Erene Soldiers massed before the palace. They ringed the grounds with a solid line, baffling all who saw.
...
"Paris... brother?" Venus leaned into Penero’s chest, staring at Paris with disbelief.
Handsome and commanding, he felt stranger than a stranger to her. Fear chilled her so much she dared not meet his scornful eyes.
Penero held Venus tight, bit her lip, and wept with closed eyes.
While they knelt to greet Paris, Tianensai’s mind raced. His gaze swept the field. In three seconds he chose, vaulted the wall, and dropped several meters.
Velledo moved like a whip, flinging an arrow fast, yet it missed.
She sought Paris’s leave with a glance. He gave a small nod. Velledo sprang and plunged after Tianensai off the wall.
"My dear little brother, I warned you not to doubt me. Why wouldn’t you listen?" Paris laughed darkly, his face crooked and twisted.
Grief and wrath seesawed in Elyu, fists clenched, control shattered. After a breath, red-eyed tears fell. "Where are Delaia and Pulman?"
Paris’s face was blank, his voice ice. "Imperial Officer Delaia and Imperial Officer Pulman orchestrated the Sia City Incident together. They recruited nobles in secret to rebel. The proof is iron. Captain Hibo executed them on the spot."
As if he had expected it, Elyu sank to his knees and burst into wild laughter. "Hahahaha—! Heh—hahaha—"
He pressed his skull with both hands and slammed it to the floor. Sharp nails dug into his crown without him even knowing.
Kneeling, weeping, laughing—the sight was uncanny. That laughter carried helplessness and self-blame, plucking the guilty strings in every heart.
"Hahaha—! Hahaha—ha... ha..." He breathed and spoke. "Then, my beloved brother—guardian of Eunomia’s people, tireless, patriotic Prime Minister. Son of the king, Crown Prince Paris. Are you here to slay your king?"
Elyu rose slowly, wearing a tyrant’s resolve and a final, unyielding will.
Paris knew it. He had finally decided to drown his own humanity.
"I told you—what’s mine, I’ll take myself. I don’t need your charity." He finished, and Elyu nodded. Without warning, he barked three syllables: "Regido."
Everyone jolted, remembering his nails had sunk deep into his scalp in grief.
"So that was priming for his next Magic Breaker?" Several Erene commanders snapped awake. In that heartbeat of shock, the green sphere finished swelling.
