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"W-Why are you…" The Duke struggled to speak as blood spilled out of his mouth and splashed on his celebratory clothes.
The silvery white silk worn on the happy occasion was now dyed with a deep blood color. The shirt trembled softly before breathing a gentle power into the Duke's body.
Like a dead branch growing leaves, the Duke's complexion eased and he gasped like a man who almost died drowning. But even then, his pupils couldn't stop trembling fiercely as if they were witnessing a horrible sight.
But all he faced was a smiling middle-aged man. A man who instead of the signature horn that centurions were born with had scaly skin on his forehead and the corners of his face.
"Why am I able to weaken you?" Jorand chuckled and raised his hand.
A white gaseous power swirled in his palm, glowing softly like the moonlight. Even though its quantity was limited, its power was on an unimaginable level compared to that of anything the Duke could pull off.
It's a life strand—a glimpse into the power once held by a mighty high ranker.
By its mere presence, the Duke felt palpitations in his heart. Even though he didn't want to, his body wanted to prostrate itself in front of that greatness and surrender to the supreme who mastered the force of life itself.
Thankfully, it wasn't a complete strand. Its power had been used by Lord Jorand over the decades to improve his own strength and to enslave the people he ruled today.
Not just that—
"A portion of this power is in you." Jorand's eyes were glowing with what went beyond hatred.
The rank 3s and rank 4s were fighting on the sidelines. Every single blow from their brawl resulted in a fierce shockwave that'd blow up entire planets.
But the Uncle and the Nephew in the middle of the chaos remained still. Their hair was blowing wildly from the fierce shockwaves, blood was being splattered on their faces and clothes, and even corpses were accumulating near them.
Despite all this, they behaved as if it was just the two of them in this horrific battle where life's worth was lower than a grass blade.
"By itself, the portion is powerless and you could've dispelled it. But it's concealed in the medicine you've been taking for the last three days. Now it's too intertwined with you. It's too late. It's over." Jorand raised his arms and revealed his plans with a smug smile.
The Duke's face distorted, "Constantine…solving the drugs…so, it was all just…"
"No, that's the unexpected part," Jorand was malicious but he was honest. "That brat is an unexpected variable. But don't worry, someone from your side or rather my side, manipulated him to do my bidding."
When he said those words, the direction of the grand battle in which the Duke's forces were suppressing the Lord's forces suddenly reversed.
"T-Trait…!" Admiral Yaras, one of the only four rank 4s of the Duchy, collapsed onto the ground.
His head slowly separated from his body and they both were crushed into flesh and blood a few moments later.
""Akira!""
Prime Minister Zed and a bald man glared at the woman in black.
Officially, there were only two rank 4s. Unofficially, it was three. But in truth, it was four.
Prime Minister, Admiral, Chief Of Intelligence, and an old man who was long thought to be dead—the Duke's eldest son.
"I'm sorry, I've my grudges with this old bastard I must settle." Akira smiled at her subordinates looking at her with dumbfounded eyes.
"You bitch! You bite the hand that feeds you! Have you forgotten who took you in when you were struggling in a fucking brothel? The Duke was benevolent but he was wrong. One really can't expect loyalty from a whore!" The bald man, the first Prince, cursed.
Akira fell silent at those words. But her smile grew wider and wider until it reached a point of distortion.
Her figure flashed and the next moment, her elongated nails were just an inch away from the Prince's neck.
"Hmph!" Snorting in disdain, the Prince swatted her hand away. But the real attack was the kick when her legs suddenly elongated.
BOOM!
The Prince smashed into the large barrier and slid down weakly as blood gushed out of his chest wound.
"You saved me from being a whore?" Akira waved her arm to the right and a rank 2 imperial guard's head was ripped off from just the shockwave.
Her gaze turned to the old duke fighting with Lord Jorand. Even though he couldn't exert his true strength, the Duke was still stronger than the Lord of Barix.
'To finish that old dog, I need to enter after all.' Akira's flashed and she sneered. "My father was a fool to believe this old dog's stories and joined him on dangerous adventures."
Cassius who was trying to suppress Jorand slowed down his attacks and tried to listen.
"He saved that old dog's life many times. But the old dog didn't repay the favor. My father died but he came back alive with some nasty injuries. He couldn't make any progress and led the most pathetic life for any Duke."
Cassius' pupils shook and the hazy memory of a smiling man flashed in his mind. It's a secret of his. A secret he never wanted to be publicized.
When they entered that dangerous place, he sacrificed that man's life to return alive. And after returning, he ordered someone to silently execute everyone in that man's family so that he wouldn't get into any trouble.
Cassius gasped and his chest grew heavy. It was as if his conscience materialized and was weighed down on his shoulders.
Lord Jorand didn't make a move even though the opportunity was ripe. Instead, he watched his beloved uncle's struggle with relish.
Akira also laughed. She laughed as her fists smashed the face of the bald prince into a mush of meat and ended his life brutally.
"You didn't save me from being a whore, you old dog. To escape the people you sent after me, I sold myself. Then you still found me and made me your servant, forced me to serve you for decades, thinking that you're 'saving' me. What a self-righteous disgusting piece of shit you are."
Blood slowly leaked out of Cassius' lips. "What a wonder of fate."
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