Chapter 460. The Earth Emperor, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka
「"You came?"」
「The General was first taken aback, then threw his head back and laughed hysterically. "You actually came! I'm saved, I'm saved, haha! Keyaru, you lowly commoner, I knew you would come, otherwise these villagers—"」
「"Villagers?" Ayanokouji Kiyotaka made an expression of mock surprise as he interrupted the other man. "So, you really are a fool?"」
「The General's eyes bulged as he gnashed his teeth. "You... you dare insult me? You dare humiliate me? You're dead! You're dead, Keyaru!"」
「He leaped onto the execution platform and pressed his broadsword against the neck of a villager whose eyes were filled with panic—the one person Ayanokouji's gaze had lingered on the longest since entering. He said with a hideous grin: "I originally intended to give you a quick death, but since you're looking for pain, you can't blame me."」
「"Get down on your knees! Kneel on the ground, bark like a dog, and crawl through my legs! Otherwise, I will kill these villagers! Remember, if they die, it will be because of you, Keyaru!"」
「He spat as he shouted in agitation. Watching this performance, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's eyes narrowed slightly. With a sharp gaze, he spoke slowly: "Villagers? You fool, what kind of nonsense are you stirring up now? What does the life or death of these people have to do with me?"」
「"Wha—" The General froze. "You... you've already walked into my trap, and yet you try to lie to me and say you don't care about these villagers?"」
「"Since someone wished to challenge me, dared to provoke me, I came to see just how great your courage was to seek trouble with me. I considered you a warrior."」
「Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's face was indifferent and his tone was ordinary, but an air of dismissive disappointment overflowed from his words, reinforcing their credibility. "It turns out there is no warrior here... only a stupid pig, an irredeemable fool, a clown. You have truly dampened my mood."」
「"At this point, you still dare to speak so arrogantly? Fine! You say you don't care about these people? I'll see if you really don't care!"」
「The General trembled with rage. He hadn't expected this Healing Hero to speak like this even on the brink of death. He was no longer in a hurry to kill Keyaru; he wanted to force Keyaru to show his true colors. He wanted to see Keyaru witness the scene of the villagers dying.」
「Believing that Keyaru's posturing was fake and all for the sake of saving the villagers, his broadsword swung down.」
「...Clang!」
「The sound of metal clashing against metal rang through the entire arena, leaving everyone dumbfounded. The General's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He saw that after his blade struck, not only was the villager unharmed, but their body was so hard it sent the broadsword flying back—it was as if he had struck a solid boulder.」
「The General felt as though his eyes were playing tricks on him. He screamed at Ayanokouji Kiyotaka in disbelief: "You... you, you-you-you... what on earth did you do?!"」
「"These so-called fellow villagers are truly not worth my concern, but if a fool like you wishes to accomplish something, why should I allow you to have your way?"」
「Ayanokouji Kiyotaka spoke indifferently as he lowered his raised hand. Now, everyone believed it: with a mere gesture, he had made an ordinary person as hard as iron.」
「"Monster! Monster! I don't believe it! How can someone be this strong? Even the First Princess needs to incant to release powerful magic! How could you do it by just raising your hand? It's fake, it's all fake—Go! Kill him! Kill him!"」
「Loudly denying reality, the General no longer had the courage to take the field himself. He ordered the army to surround and attack Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. Though the soldiers were terrified, they were bound by their ranks and had to obey.」
「Then they witnessed a scene even more impossible.」
「When they fired their arrows, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka swept them all aside using the combined result of his various skills. And when they rushed forward with a roar for melee combat, it was even more extreme.」
「Every soldier who came within three steps of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka immediately felt their strength sap away; they became dizzy, their legs buckled, and they collapsed to the ground in immense agony.」
「No exceptions.」
「It was as if merely by approaching Ayanokouji or being glanced at by him, they were so terrified by his horrific aura that they dared not remain his enemy, kneeling on the spot from sheer fright.」
「...But that was impossible.」
「"Impossible, impossible... how could such a thing happen? Even His Majesty the King couldn't do this! Ah, ah..."」
「Indeed, it was fundamentally impossible.」
「But Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had done it! Turning an impossible scene into reality, he took a step forward, causing a dozen more soldiers to collapse. By the time he reached the General, not a single soldier in the entire arena remained standing. Even the General himself had slumped to the ground.」
「The city residents watching were deathly silent. They didn't even dare to breathe, holding their breath for fear of being noticed by Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.」
「"So it was you, this clown, who spoiled my mood. Irredeemable pig, let me see what kind of guts supported you in such a bold act, and what kind of brain supported you in such a witless behavior?"」
「His tone was calm as Ayanokouji Kiyotaka leaned over slightly. The General, having lost control of his bladder from fright, shook his head violently, but he was so terrified he couldn't even voice a plea for mercy. In the next second, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka placed his left hand on the man's skull and his right hand on his chest.」
「Squelch!」
「In a scene too bloody to look at directly, Ayanokouji's left hand crushed the General's skull, plucking out his brain, while his right hand reached deep into the General's chest, fishing out his heart.」
「Ayanokouji Kiyotaka looked at them for a moment and gave a light chuckle: "These guts aren't very big after all. How did you have the courage to come here and die?"」
「Covering their mouths, the residents in the arena stayed as quiet as winter cicadas. Though they desperately wanted to vomit and scream, they forced themselves to endure, fearing that if they vomited, Ayanokouji might kill them on a whim.」
「Rumble!」
「They didn't dare move, but someone else did—one after another, a massive crowd poured into the arena. It was the Ice Wolf demi-humans and the bandits. Every one of them was so excited their hearts hammered against their ribs; veins popped on their foreheads, and they looked ready to drop dead from pure exhilaration.」
「Earlier, outside the arena, they had been watching a live broadcast of this event... a live broadcast created by Ayanokouji Kiyotaka using his skills.」
「This broadcast manifested his terrifying strength, his ferocity, his power, his bravery, and his peerlessness. It proved that he was unshakeable and unquestionable!」
「"The Earth Emperor!" ...No one knew who shouted the title first, but soon everyone was calling out fervently: "Earth Emperor!" "Earth Emperor!" "Earth Emperor!"」
「Ayanokouji Kiyotaka stood high upon the execution platform, spreading his arms. As the Earth Emperor, he basked in these cheers.」
「He cast a casual glance over the city residents in the arena. After that, the terrified residents had no choice but to join the ranks of those shouting.」
「"The Earth Emperor humbles the Kingdom's army! The Earth Emperor is invincible under heaven!!"」
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