BANG!
Following the lightning bolt that pierced the barrier, the entire structure crumbled.
BANG!
Five more lightning bolts shot through another section of the collapsing barrier, striking the edges of the Domain of Entropy.
It resembled lasers targeting the periphery of a puddle.
At those spots, the Domain of Entropy vanished instantly.
The five lightning bolts then moved in a circular path, converging towards the center of the Domain of Entropy.
Within an incredibly short span, they reached Shang's body and split into numerous smaller lightning bolts.
Shang's body was enveloped in highly destructive lightning, yet the skillful control ensured that he didn't suffer any burns.
The Domain of Entropy completely disappeared, revealing Shang's body, now naked except for his bandages.
His left arm, legs, and a bloody hole in place of his lower limbs were all that remained.
His body was mere skin and bones, with dangerously weak life energy.
Immobile, but still alive.
This entire sequence occurred in a mere 0.1 seconds, while the barrier continued to crumble.
Fortunately, no one could see Shang at that moment.
The Lightning Emperor knew the importance of keeping Shang's condition as secretive as possible, which was why the initial lightning bolt had created a bright and impenetrable domain of lightning.
However, he also understood that he couldn't keep everything isolated for too long, or the other Emperors would accuse him of tampering with evidence.
So, the Lightning Emperor approached Shang and covered his mutilated body with a large piece of white cloth.
This cloth blocked Spirit Senses and only provided a rough outline of Shang's body.
At that instant, an oppressive black spot appeared on the Lightning Emperor's bright domain.
He immediately deactivated his domain, revealing an aggressive black cloud of Death Mana hurtling towards them.
The Empress of Death had arrived - Kali.
The Lightning Emperor calmly stood next to the white cloth concealing Shang's body.
Kali emerged from the black cloud, her eyes cold as she looked at Gregorio.
Soon after, Brutus Cesar and Amon Gus also appeared.
"Explain," Kali demanded coldly.
"You explain," Gregorio retorted, his narrowed eyes concealing his simmering anger.
"I have nothing to explain," Kali replied emotionlessly. "You are the one who destroyed a Defender Flag."
"After it failed to deactivate," Gregorio countered.
"Are you implying something?" Kali asked.
"Yes, I am," Gregorio affirmed. "I am certain that my warrior's opponent was a Mage King."
"A Mage King," Kali repeated, showing no amusement. "And how, pray tell, could a Mage King enter a Defender Flag?"
"Because the flag was either defective or tampered with," Gregorio explained.
"What nonsense," Kali scoffed.
"If it's nonsense, then summon all the Mage Kings from your three Empires. If no Mage King was inside, they should all still be present, right?" Gregorio challenged.
"Fine," Kali responded in a calm yet cold tone.
She glanced at Brutus Cesar and Amon Gus, who nodded in agreement.
In short order, all the Mage Kings from the three Empires assembled beneath the four Emperors.
Once they were all gathered, Brutus Cesar furrowed his brows, and Kali looked at Amon Gus with an even colder expression.
"You're missing one," Kali stated.
Amon Gus turned pale.
He tried his best to contact the missing Mage King, but he couldn't get a response.
"I... can't find him," Amon Gus admitted with a serious expression.
"Seems like I'm not the only one with traitors among us," Kali remarked.
Amon Gus remained silent.
"Is this how it's going to be?" Gregorio questioned. "Will you all pretend this wasn't planned?"
"It wasn't planned," Brutus Cesar asserted. "At least, I had no involvement in it."
Kali nodded in agreement. "I wasn't aware of this either, but I will conduct an internal investigation."
She then turned to Gregorio. "Expect an answer within the next 50,000 business years."
Gregorio only stared at them with narrowed eyes, refraining from saying anything.
The white cloth next to Gregorio began to levitate.
"Stop," Amon Gus interjected. "Now that we have entertained your investigation, it's time for you to entertain ours."
"Show us the body," he demanded, pointing at the floating body beneath the cloth.
Immediately, the atmosphere darkened as Gregorio and Amon Gus locked eyes.
"Don't push it," Gregorio warned with a dark and menacing tone. "I know what's going on. You know what's going on. We all know what's going on."
"You crippled one of my most powerful people," Gregorio continued. "You lost a Mage King, and you severely and permanently crippled one of my future Mage Kings."
"Drop it."
Silence ensued.
The three Emperors stared at Gregorio as the tension in the air escalated.
"I don't appreciate baseless accusations," Amon Gus stated, "but I will drop it this once. After all, we were once friends."
Gregorio's cold eyes met Amon Gus' cold gaze for a moment longer.
Then, Gregorio took to the sky and flew through a portal with Shang's covered body.
The three Emperors also departed from the battlefield.
Although they had all been aware of the incident, Emperors couldn't perfectly discern truth from lies while conversing with one another. However, their intuition was generally accurate.
All three Emperors believed Gregorio's words about Shang being permanently crippled, despite not knowing the specifics of how it happened.
This meant that they hadn't sacrificed a Mage King in vain.
One could say that the mission had been a partial success.
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