Chapter 481. The Second Princess Is Even Worse Than the First
「In a basement in Buranikka, hidden so deep that no human sensing-device could detect it, lay the whereabouts of the Blade Hero, Blade.」
「Three days had passed, and Blade had long since been reduced to a complete "broken shoe," yet this was not enough to make her yield.」
「Compared to her panic-stricken, humiliated state three days ago, her body had now grown accustomed to the ravages of the Ultimate Four. Her flesh no longer felt the stimulation, allowing her to glare at the four men with eyes full of pure hatred.」
「One of the men, unable to contain his impatience, crushed a drink bottle and shouted: "Gwah! This is so dull! Boss, let's just kill her. This woman has become utterly uninteresting!"」
「"Quiet. This is someone the Emperor wishes to keep." Ya-Si restrained his subordinate. He pinched Blade's chin and smiled cruelly. "Do you think I've run out of tricks? Haha, yes, you understand correctly; my personal methods have indeed reached their limit."」
「"Boss!?" The other three were shocked, not understanding why their leader was showing weakness.」
「"But though my methods are exhausted, the Emperor still has one final, final, final ultimate insult waiting for you, hehe." He threw his head back and laughed. "Look forward to it. Heh, if you can survive that trial, you might actually catch the Emperor's eye~"」
「They left.」
「Leaving Blade hanging there like a roasted duck—skin clinging to bone, hideously thin—in that basement, left to brew in her mounting terror of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.」
「While the Ultimate Four were tormenting Blade, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka hadn't been idle. After obtaining Blade's memories, he discovered that the Hero's Divine Artifact was actually transformed from a crystal orb.」
「Back when he killed the First Princess Flare, he had intended to take her artifact but couldn't find it; this was because upon Flare's death, the artifact reverted to its orb form.」
「This time, the owner of the orb wasn't dead. Ayanokouji threw Blade's Sacred Sword into a pool filled with weakening and embrittlement potions. A day later, he fished it out, gripped it, and slowly applied pressure. He said coldly: "Submit, or die."」
「Crack... crack...」
「The Sacred Sword began to shatter. Finally, it couldn't take it anymore and spoke: "What is it you crave?"」
「This signaled its surrender. Usually, the orb transforms into a specific weapon based on the Hero's desire.」
「But Ayanokouji was not satisfied. An Earth Emperor would never let a weapon choose him; he chooses the weapon. "You will become whatever I tell you to become."」
「The orb went silent. ...But with a loud snap, the Sacred Sword shattered halfway. The orb panicked; it realized Ayanokouji wasn't bargaining—he genuinely intended to kill it.」
「"I understand! I understand!" The orb had not seen such a Hero in a thousand years. It was thoroughly terrified and submitted.」
「Sword, cannon, armor, bow—any weapon the orb could become, it would now change at will in Ayanokouji's hands according to his demands.」
.
..
.
"Not just a bitch! It's a bitch-orb too!!"
Flare, Blade, and Bullet were all furious. They had treated their orbs quite well, receiving only arrogance in return. Ayanokouji's methods, however, forced the orb to submit.
They all wanted to imitate Ayanokouji to pressure their own orbs... but the orbs showed no fear.
The orbs knew that Ayanokouji truly dared to destroy them. These three, however, were merely "fierce of face but weak of heart"—they lacked the courage to destroy their source of power, so the orbs had no need to compromise.
Flare, Blade, and Bullet fell into fits of frustrated, powerless rage.
-
-
-
「...Some time later.」
「"Emperor!"」
「Like four loyal dogs, the Ultimate Four knelt, unable to face the Earth Emperor. Their performance had clearly not been spectacular enough.」
「"Heh, I absolutely detest dogs that only bark but don't know how to bite." Ayanokouji's cloak snapped in the wind. He stood on the observation deck, gazing distantly at the Kingdom's army beginning its move.」
「Then, Ayanokouji turned around and said slowly: "Go bite them well later. Do you understand?"」
「Having already prepared themselves for death, the Ultimate Four's faces lit up with excitement. They shouted loudly: "Yes! Your subordinates will serve the Emperor unto death!"」
「The reason they were the Ultimate Four was not just because of their "top-tier" physical endurance, but because each possessed significant combat strength. This was why Ayanokouji had brought them along.」
「While Ayanokouji was "training his dogs," at the Central Plaza, the Second Princess Norn had already delivered her speech, claiming that "everyone in the city has been bewitched by demons; demons are evil, I am doing this for your own good."」
「The human residents were incensed. They could not tolerate the Kingdom slandering the demons they lived with day and night, and they shouted for the army to get out.」
「Norn didn't lose her cool like her sister. Instead, she spoke with a face full of sorrow: "It seems everyone has been deeply bewitched. It can't be helped; this is for everyone's sake. Sigh."」
「As her voice fell, the long-prepared Kingdom army immediately acted, beginning a slaughter of the unprepared, unarmed residents.」
「Humans, demons—anyone from Buranikka was massacred. Blood flowed like a river.」
「"T-this—" Karman could hardly believe this horrific reality. He finally understood why Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was so confident he would yield.」
「Because he truly had to yield now.」
「Karman fell to his knees with a thud, kowtowing in apology. He declared his willingness to be Ayanokouji's dog, begging him to save the city and its people.」
「Ayanokouji laughed loudly, putting on the air of an Emperor, and then accepted Karman's pledge of loyalty.」
「"Setsuna, Kureha, Ultimate Four—hear my command! Go and slaughter the Kingdom's army! Kill them all!"」
「Watching the population of Buranikka dwindle before his eyes, and as the entire city realized the Kingdom's sinister intentions, Ayanokouji knew his time to shine had arrived. He was going to duel Eagle Eye and seize the Second Princess Norn.」
-
-
-
"It... it really is..."
In Keyaru's world, the people who had been debating heatedly suddenly fell silent.
They weren't residents of Buranikka, so although Ayanokouji had been certain, they hadn't fully believed it. They were skeptical, unable to believe the Kingdom was truly this poisonous.
But now they understood. The Kingdom really was that vile.
"..." The crowd was silent for a moment before erupting in curses. "They said everything would get better when the Second Princess took over. Damn it, the Second and First Princesses are just birds of a feather! Birds of a feather!"
"This Kingdom is finished! It's completely beyond saving!"
Read ahead (160 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting