stonecrandall Page 56
Page 56
"This is an order! The Demon King must not be allowed to suffer any risk." The unquestionable voice rang out in a cold tone.
"I see."
Swell fell silent. Suddenly, the image of the perverted hero Mino flashed into his mind, along with his despicable smile.
After revealing the royal family's secrets, Princess Kalia has suddenly become the embodiment of a goddess... Is the timing really that coincidental?
On the stone platform on the top floor, I gazed at the starry sky outside the window.
Swell's body gently turned over, and solemnly addressed the night as the moonlight faded:
"Was this also part of your plan, Mino..."
Chapter 76 Newcomers Appear on the Power Ranking
The night sky stands in stark contrast, on the other side.
Inside Prince Ota's study.
Listening to Erwin and Hope's reports, the king of the kingdom gradually went from being astonished and uncertain to becoming furious:
"Saint Lena suffered a backlash, and even her Frozen Heart fell into an unprecedented slumber... The secrets of the sacred relic have been discovered..."
"Good! Very good!" Prince Ota slammed his fist on the table, gritting his teeth.
"First, Mino fell into the demons' trap, then Chief Lak's Round Tower Notes, and now even the Ice Saintess and the Ice Heart..."
"The most unforgivable thing is mine... mine..."
Ota's voice was filled with a deep, dark rage, and both Grand Master of the Knights, Erwin, and Archbishop Hope of the Holy Church trembled involuntarily at the table.
This is the wrath of a king!
Only by shaking the pillar of this kingdom and touching the most important sore spot in his heart will endless anger and hatred be stirred up!
Even the two powerful figures of their kingdoms couldn't help but feel terrified under the king's fury.
The hero, the chief, the saintess, and another important figure whose existence was vaguely mentioned in His Highness's words but was clearly far more significant than the first three—the instigator of all this is in deep trouble!
"I will make that traitor pay the price!!!" Prince Ota roared to the sky from the table.
It roared for a full half hour.
The prince lowered his head, picked up his teacup, and took a sip of black tea.
As his heaving chest gradually subsided, Otta lowered his eyes and turned to look at Erwin and Hope:
"This crisis came very suddenly, and we were almost dealt a heavy blow by the demons, but Elwin and Archbishop Hope, you handled it very well... On behalf of the entire kingdom, I thank you."
With his right hand placed in front of his chest, Otta gave a slight bow.
Erwin quickly waved his hand: "Your Highness, we only did what we could. Everything is thanks to the Goddess... uh, Princess!"
He said with lingering fear, "If Her Highness hadn't happened to be in the Holy Church tonight, the entire kingdom would probably have been thrown into unprecedented turmoil... In the worst-case scenario, the demons might have already sharpened their claws and were preparing to launch a full-scale attack on us!!!"
Nearby, Archbishop Hope wiped the sweat from his brow and revealed a relaxed smile that said, "It's good to be alive."
Almost... almost sent it...
“I’ve already told Kalia to go and rest.” Ota’s eyes also seemed to show relief.
If it weren't for Kalia's health gradually improving these past few days, and if it weren't for her feelings for Mino... which led her to pray in the Holy Church every single night, what happened tonight would probably have caused the kingdom's complete annihilation.
“Mino… I have to thank you.” He said with mixed feelings.
Only after losing his best brother did he realize that the kingdom's stability in the past was actually maintained by his dearest friend.
Without Mino... the entire kingdom was like a sieve riddled with holes, constantly erupting in turmoil, and he, as the kingdom's king, was utterly helpless—
This situation should end here.
"It doesn't matter if the rumor that Kalia is the incarnation of a goddess spreads like this..."
Ota narrowed his eyes and decisively began handling the aftermath:
"The demons will certainly not believe such an absurd coincidence, but the morale of the soldiers throughout the territory will be boosted like never before."
"Therefore... we can periodically fabricate some miracles of the goddess within the kingdom."
"As for the demons' all-out attack, humph! What harm is there in letting them witness the power of humanity once again? ...Do they really think the kingdom's guiding star, the holy archmage Lak, would just sit idly by?"
Prince Ota's confidence largely stemmed from Lak, the chief mage of the Round Tower of Wizards.
Despite being a king, he did not lose his composure due to the saintess's defeat. In his eyes, there was still a trump card that had been overlooked by the demons and the kingdom's people:
The newborn hero, Shana Lake!
And there's also the hero's friend, the chief of the Round Tower, Lak!
Even Prince Ota couldn't imagine what kind of alchemical reaction would occur if these two were put together.
It's worth noting that even the most popular card game in the royal capital, Lent, underwent a version update after the results of the Hero Awakening were announced—
In the game "Lent", when a Mino card is sent to the graveyard and Chief Raque is present, the hero Shana can be summoned seamlessly and her abilities will be exponentially enhanced!
Over this period of time, this has become the most popular way to play Minotaur cards. Many people directly send Minotaur cards to the graveyard at the start of the game, and then send Shana to rush down the opponent's face. This way of playing is also known as the "Minotaur free kill" strategy, which is called "ghostly" by countless players.
"With Chief Lak around, he's sure to give birth to an unprecedentedly powerful hero!"
Ota gradually calmed down and said, "In this way, as long as we can withstand the demons' attack, we will only lose one of our warriors, the Holy Maiden."
"The advantage is mine!"
Seeing Prince Ota's confident demeanor, Erwin and Hope's expressions gradually calmed down, their eyes filled with admiration: This is the visionary king, every step he takes is beyond everyone's expectations!
"So, Your Highness, what are your plans now..." Erwin asked in a low voice.
Based on Prince Ota's instructions, he keenly realized that the plans targeting the goddess rumors and the demon war were not the focus of Prince Ota's current plans.
What is it that makes Ota prioritize these two things over the other?
"Mino once told me something."
Ota tapped his fingers lightly on the table and said in a deep voice, "To fight external enemies, we must first secure internal stability! I am ashamed to admit that I have never realized the timeless significance of this saying... Mino has surpassed me."
"It's time to learn our lesson; we've suffered far too many losses before."
"Whether it's the hero Mino, Chief Lak, or Saintess Lena! They've all suffered unprecedented damage, and this is all because we failed to take the root of all evil seriously!!!"
Ota raised his head, his eyes filled with an unprecedented determination.
"This time, I will definitely find the traitor within the poisonous kingdom!"
"Let him take Mino's place and endure the demons' cruel and bloody torture!!!"
……
……
The next day.
As dawn blurred the stars on the horizon, a series of meticulously crafted decrees broke through the night from the palace!
The entire kingdom was plunged into unprecedented jubilation—the arrival of the goddess's will was a miracle unlike anything the entire continent had ever witnessed! They had not been abandoned by the goddess!!!
Although there were still skeptics, as footage secretly filmed by some civilians in the capital surfaced, the white-haired enthusiasts, still under the influence of the buff, shut their mouths one by one.
What? You're saying Princess Kalia isn't a goddess?
—Forget about whether she's shown any goddess-like power or not, just look at how pure that white hair is!
What? You mean that's a bit like the flattery techniques used in churches to praise saints?
—Never mind anything else, just look at this image of white rabbit ears!
The power of the images spread unimpeded to the border, and the ideals and beliefs of countless kingdom residents and border soldiers were strengthened at this moment.
Meanwhile, the demons on the border, upon hearing of this, huddled in the shadows, trembling with fear, secretly grateful that the scribe and strategist hadn't ordered them to fight the human soldiers, Tata, who were heavily buffed, the previous night.
Me, a lowly monster, fighting against the Goddess's army?
Silently, the demons ranked the goddess's human form, the holy princess Kalia, in the T0 position on the power ranking list.
Chapter 77 The Sixth Demon Within the Kingdom
Dark clouds shrouded the towering spires.
Countless crows, exuding an aura of decay, lurked in the clouds, silently watching the entire capital with their scarlet eyes in the night.
Finally, a crow plummeted from the sky, transforming into a black aura overflowing with evil, which surged into the closed study at the top of the tower.
—Nothing in the capital city could escape the notice of the dark morning star of the Kingdom of Kur.
In the study, Lark, who had been secluded for so long, raised his head from his desk for the first time, his deep eyes flickering slightly: "Kalia... Goddess..."
He coughed lightly a few times, then looked at his elongated, distorted shadow in the moonlight and asked, "What do you think?"
The "darkness" residing in the shadows twisted and took shape in the blink of an eye, emitting a chilling laugh:
"It's just another lie fabricated by those power-hungry humans—don't forget, I have already devoured all knowledge related to the descent of the goddess, even the legacy of the Book Demon... I don't know the conditions required for the goddess's will to awaken."
Lak didn't nod easily. His old, withered fingers tapped repeatedly on the edge of the table. After a while, he slowly said:
"Tell me the conditions for the awakening of will again, without any changes."
"Tch, so careful indeed." Darkness clicked her tongue, but still patiently and meticulously explained:
"That goddess really worked hard, transmitting the conditions for her will to descend across dimensions throughout ancient times—"
"Unfortunately, it's all in vain before me."
"Royal bloodline is naturally one of the conditions, but bloodline cannot meet the conditions unless it is at a certain concentration... Unless it is purified through special methods, it is impossible to attract the will of the goddess."
"Clearly, the royal family lost the purification method a long time ago, otherwise the round table, which is known as the founding artifact, should have been able to play a greater role in their hands."
In the cold, desolate study, "Darkness" gave a sinister smile:
"But these are all minor issues. The real difficulty lies in the second condition—faith! Everyone must believe that she is the embodiment and vessel of the goddess!"
"This constitutes a paradox: the goddess cannot demonstrate full power and gain the trust of believers without the awakening of her will."
Believers cannot easily accept that the person before them is the incarnation of the goddess unless the person demonstrates corresponding power…
"I guess only a cognitive transformation technique that covers the entire country could break this cycle—but even if all the Round Tower mages were gathered together, it would be impossible to do so."