Book 3: Chapter 130 (2) |
A faint spark flashed, igniting the alcohol block in the port, and the lantern slowly rose into the sky.
“Before you act,”
The man who’d returned out of nowhere finally spoke.
Those few short words carried enough menace to make the front-line royal guards feel an overwhelming sense of intimidation.
They tightened their grips on their weapons. Though their opponent was the Empire’s top fugitive, standing before them unarmed, not one dared to make the first move.
Because that was… Leon.
“I hope you’ll take a good look at what comes next. After you see it, then decide whether to stand in my way.”
His voice was loud enough for King Kant and Queen Elizabeth on the land boat’s deck to hear.
Queen Elizabeth gritted her teeth, momentarily stunned, then immediately shouted,
“Attack! Seize Leon, that traitor!”
Yet even with the queen’s command, the royal guards below showed no sign of moving.
Leon’s strength was something they knew all too well—after all, they used to be colleagues.
“You—!”
Buzz—
The resonating hum of the recording stones cut off Elizabeth’s words.
Across the Empire’s skies, tens of thousands of lanterns flickered with eerie green light, linking and pulling together.
But no images or sounds emerged.
Elizabeth frowned slightly, “Just *playing tricks*…? Hmph, seize him now, and don’t forget who you serve!”
However, as the lantern Leon had just released fully ascended into the sky, it was as if a final puzzle piece clicked into place, and the entire recording stone resonance array sprang to life.
The next moment, a massive image appeared in the Empire’s sky.
The image showed none other than the king and queen standing on the land boat at that very moment!
“This guy… what’s he up to…?” Kant gritted his teeth.
Soon, voices came from the footage:
“The Dagger Plan is proceeding smoothly. Even without Leon, we can still, as before, work with the Dragon Kings to easily manipulate this war.”
“The queen is wise.”
“This is all thanks to you, Scott. I heard you single-handedly formed the Dagger Trio. You’ve done the Empire a great service.”
“Your Majesty flatters me. I only did what was expected.”
“Excellent. With this mindset, you’re a hundred times better than Kasmod. That fool never knew his place, which is why he ended up hunted by the Empire.”
“Also, regarding the new tax policies, many citizens are protesting. Should we adjust—”
“No need. If they want to eat in this Empire, they obey its orders. Let them grumble.”
“Kant’s right. As long as we occasionally leak fake scandals about bureaucrats going to jail, those idiots will believe we’re on their side, when in reality—hehe…”
“…”
In a place no one could detect, they vividly performed the ugly face of the ruling class.
If Martin hadn’t risked everything to record it,
If Leon hadn’t exposed this conspiracy to the public,
If the Lionheart Society hadn’t worked tirelessly to prepare,
These dark, rotten truths would have seeped further with the war’s continuation, corrupting the nation until it was like withered branches and decayed wood.
After all the footage played, Leon stood quietly in place.
If his calculations were correct, then next—
“Kant! You incompetent, tyrannical dog emperor!”
“My son joined the Dragon-Slaying Corps thinking he could defend his home and country, even dying on the battlefield for it, and this war was just a game you orchestrated! Kant, give me back my son’s life!”
“So in your eyes, we common folk are just a bunch of tax-paying, soldier-supplying idiots, huh?”
“This country doesn’t belong to you alone, Kant! We won’t let you trample this land!”
“…”
The long-suppressed anger and discontent erupted in that moment.
The shouts and cries surged like a tidal wave, overwhelming Kant.
The people he’d once despised, hated, and scorned were, in this moment, rebelling against him.
The crowd surged toward the opulent land boat.
And the royal guards below wavered.
They held their weapons, unsure whether to turn them on their own people or abandon the already crumbling ruler.
It all happened too quickly, too suddenly. Kant was dazed, mouth agape, unsure what to say or do.
“Damn it, stirring up the masses! Leon Kasmod, you damned traitor, daring to sow discord at the Thousand Lantern Festival! Guards, seize him!”
As the words fell, three figures swooshed down in front of Leon.
The trio’s aura was formidable, though one of them was missing an arm.
“We meet again, Kasmod.”
The leader of the Dagger Trio, Gini, said coldly, “Didn’t expect it’d be under these circumstances.”
Leon glanced at him calmly, “So, even after learning of Kant’s conspiracy, you still choose to serve him?”
“Who we serve doesn’t matter to us three brothers. We just want to kill more Dragon Kings and make the world remember our names.”
Gini said, “And the Empire happens to give us that chance. So we don’t care if this is a staged game—as long as we get to spill blood, we’ll do anything.”
Leon let out a cold huff,
“Perfect. If you’d *turned back to the shore* now, I wouldn’t feel justified avenging my master.”
“What, that old man’s really dead?” Gini sneered.
“My master’s doing fine, but you three… are about to die.”
As Leon spoke, boundless killing intent surged from within him.
Even the Dagger Trio, who’d slain several Dragon Kings, couldn’t help but feel a pang of fear.